The Sri Lankan expatriate community living in Shanghai and the neighbouring provinces came together on 4th February 2015 to celebrate the 67th Independence Day of Sri Lanka organized by the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Shanghai.
The event was held at the Shanghai Holiday Inn in with the participation of the Vice Directors General of Shanghai and Zhejiang Province, senior government representatives from Jiangsu, Hunan and Anhui Provinces, the Consul General of Pakistan, the Deputy Consul General of India, representatives from the armed forces of Sri Lanka, the staff of Sri Lankan Airlines Shanghai office and over 60 expatriate Sri Lankans living in Shanghai and neighbouring provinces.
The official ceremony commenced with the singing of the National Anthem followed by the lighting of the traditional oil lamp. The Messages by H. E. the President, the Hon. Prime Minister and the Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs were read at the ceremony.
Addressing the gathering, Mrs. Poornima Gunasekera, the Consul General of Sri Lanka in Shanghai, outlined the progress Sri Lanka has made after the independence and reiterated on the importance of adhering to the policies of Good Governance, Rule of Law, Pluralism and Democracy propounded by the new Government of Sri Lanka to achieve lasting peace, unity and prosperity for all communities of the country. She also stressed the importance of strengthening the economic and cultural ties with Sri Lanka’s Asian neighbours including China, India and Pakistan.
The representatives of the Chinese Government present at the occasion congratulated Sri Lanka on her 67th Anniversary of Independence and pledged to continue the support extended to the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Shanghai in all the activates lined up for 2015 and in strengthening the bilateral ties between the two countries.
All the guests were treated to traditional Sri Lankan sweets, Ceylon tea and a sumptuous buffet lunch after the official ceremony.
Consulate General of Sri Lanka
Shanghai
7th February 2015
