President Joins Armed Forces Remembrance Day
The main commemoration ceremony of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day – 2024 and Poppy flower celebration was held under the patronage of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The event took place at the Cenotaph War Memorial of the Viharamahadevi Park, Colombo.
The Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen’s Association, in collaboration with the Armed Services, organizes this annual event to honor and remember the war heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for the security of the motherland. This includes those who died in conflicts ranging from the First World War to the present day.
Upon arriving at the venue, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was warmly welcomed by Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Ajith Siyambalapitiya, the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen’s Association.
Following the religious observances, a two-minute silence was observed in memory of the fallen war heroes. After the silence, the President, along with distinguished guests and representatives of the Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen’s Association, paid floral tributes to the War Memorial.
Deputy Minister of Defence Major General (Retd) Aruna Jayasekara, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Sampath Thuyacontha, Chief of Defence Staff General Shavendra Silva, Commander of the Army Lieutenant General H. L. V. M. Liyanage, Commander of the Air Force Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa, Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, foreign ambassadors, senior officers of the tri-security forces, members of the Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen’s Association, and the relatives of the families of tri-service members who gave their lives for the country, attended the event.