72nd anniversary of Independence celebration in Beirut

The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beirut celebrated the 72nd anniversary of the Independence Day of Sri Lanka on 4 February in two sessions.

The morning session was held at the Chancery premises for Sri Lankans in Lebanon. Sri Lanka Army officers attached to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) also attended the event. Ambassador Shani Calyanaratne Karunaratne hoisted the national flag amidst ‘magul bera’ followed by the national anthem. Two minutes’ silence was observed in memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the nation. Multi-faith prayers were conducted by Reverend Balavinne Sudheera Thero from Kalutara, Jammiyathul Ulama Moulavi Al Sheik Hassan Merbeb, Rev. Father Emil Dagher and R. Shivarajah representing Buddhist, Islam, Catholic, and Hindu religions respectively.

The Independence Day messages of the President of Sri Lanka, Prime Minister, and Minister of Foreign Relations, Skills Development, Employment and Labour Relations were read in Sinhala and Tamil languages. The event in the morning concluded with a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast offered to all guests, including milk rice and delicacies. 

The Ambassador also hosted a grand diplomatic reception on the same day evening with the attendance of diplomatic corps, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, officials representing Lebanese authorities and international organisations based in Beirut, business personnel and tour operators, members of the Sri Lankan associations in Lebanon and members of media at the Lancaster Tamar Hotel in Hazmieh. 

The guests of the honour of the event were MP Cesar Abi Khalil representing President of Lebanon, Gen. Michel Aoun, Justice Mahmoud Makkieh, Secretary-General to the Council of Ministers and Director General of Presidency of the Council of Ministers, representing the Prime Minister, Dr. Hassan Diab and Chief of Protocol, Ambassador Najla Riachi representing Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Nassif Hetti.

The ceremony commenced with the playing of the national anthems of Lebanon and Sri Lanka followed by the address by Ambassador Karunaratne, who enumerated the initiatives led by President Rajapaksa along with the manifesto and emphasising the further development of the existing strong bilateral relations with Lebanon in the arenas of political, economic, trade, tourism and labour for the mutual benefit of two friendly nations. 

On the sidelines, a photography exhibition was unveiled to showcase Sri Lanka’s scenic nature captured by Nada Raphael and Joelle Sfeir of the Tourleb, a tour operating company in Lebanon engaged in eco-tourism outbound tours to Sri Lanka. An opportunity to taste flavours of Ceylon Tea was also offered in partnering with Gabriel Bocti Company, sole agent for Dilmah Tea. A traditional Sri Lankan dance was also presented by the Sri Lankan community.