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Former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya conferred Sri Lankabhimanya award
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Former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya received the ‘Sri Lankabhimanya’ honourary award at a ceremony held at the President’s House in Colombo under the patronage of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, on Friday.
This honour was bestowed on Mr Jayasuriya in recognition of the services rendered by him to the country.
Mr Jayasuriya was presented with the medal and award by President Wickremesinghe.
President Wickremesinghe presenting the medal to Mr Jayasuriya. PM Gunawardena was also present.
During the ceremony, Mr Jayasuriya presented the President with a commemorative book containing a collection of photographs, a retrospective of his life’s journey.
The event was organised in line with the 75th Anniversary of Independence.
The once-in-a-lifetime ‘Sri Lankabhimanya’ Honourary Award is the highest national award given by the Government of Sri Lanka to a Sri Lankan citizen or non-Sri Lankan individual.
Only five Sri Lankans can hold this honour at the same time, which means that if five recipients of the award are alive, the award cannot be given to a sixth person. However, the award can also be given posthumously.
The award was presented most recently in 2017 to W D Amaradeva for his contribution to the Sri Lankan music industry. In addition, the Sri Lankabhimanya award was also bestowed on former presidents Ranasinghe Premadasa and D B Wijetunga, scientist Arthur C Clarke, Lakshman Kadirgamar, A T Ariyaratne, Lester James Peiris and Christopher Weeramantry.
Mr Jayasuriya, addressing the ceremony, said that what should be done at this point of time was to work to create national harmony. He also requested all parties and opposition parties to join hands to ensure that the next generation would be handed over a glorious country, having rectified the shortcomings that have occurred over the past 75 years.
Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa were among those present.
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