Vice President of Philippines to visit Lanka

Tuesday, 9 August 2011 00:28 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Rinkaby, Sweden: Vice President of Philippines Jejomer Binay is to visit Sri Lanka for the inaugural ceremony of the 29th Asia Pacific Regional (APR) Scout Jamboree to be held in Dambulla next April. Philippines Vice President is the Chairman of Asia Pacific Region Scout Committee of the World Scout Organisation and the National president of the Boy Scout of Philippines.

The leader of the Sri Lankan Scout Contingent Attorney-at-law Janaprith Fernando who is leading the 122 member Sri Lankan Scout contingent at the 22nd World Scout Jamboree in Sweden met the Vice President of Philippines at a reception held in his honour. He was the special guest on the 9th day of the World Jamboree.

The invitation for the 29th Asia Pacific Regional Jamboree in Sri Lanka was presented to the visiting Vice President of Philippines by the Sri Lankan contingent leader on behalf of the Sri Lanka Scout Movement at Rinkaby in Sweden. Vice President of Philippines Minay said that as the President of the APR he has decided to participate at the inaugural ceremony of the Jamboree. He also said that Sri Lanka which had been embedded in war with terrorists for the last several years had now been liberated and peace restored in the country by the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Vice President said that there is now a conducive atmosphere in Sri Lanka for any international event and he was glad to visit Sri Lanka for the APR Jamboree as its President. As peace has returned to the country, APR was able conduct its Jamboree in Sri Lanka with the participation of the scouts of the countries in the Asia and the Pacific region. The APR Jamboree will be held in the first week of April next year with the participation of over 7000 local and foreign scouts. This also marks the centenary of the Sri Lanka Scouts Movement.

Sri Lanka Scouts Movement has made arrangements to perform activities such as Youth Forum, Friendship programmes, Camp fires, sightseeing to places of world heritage sites especially for the overseas participants.