Army personnel take part in a Buddhist ceremony in Anuradhapura yesterday

 October 2, 2013 

Army personnel take part in a Buddhist ceremony in Anuradhapura yesterday. During the ceremony in the north-western city, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Lankan civilisation, soldiers offered 466 flags belonging to Army regiments to bless the troops, as part of the Army’s celebration of its 64th anniversary which will fall later this month.

– Pic by Pradeep Pathirana

Lanka to chair UN legal committee (Video)

October 2, 2013

Sri Lanka has been elected as the chair of the sixth legalcommittee of the 68^th session of the UN General Assembly.

Ambassador Palitha Kohona was elected as the chair when the committee met in New York yesterday.

The Sixth Committee is the primary forum for the consideration of legal questions in the General Assembly.

All of the U.N. Member States are entitled to representation on the Sixth Committee as one of the main committees of the General Assembly.

Meanwhile Canada expressed disappointment at Sri Lanka being elected to chair the committee. Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird tweeted saying it was disappointing that Sri Lanka should chair the committee while being accused of human rights abuses.

Dr. Kohona is the first Sri Lankan to be elected to chair the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly. Ambassador Sir Claude Corea chaired the Fifth Committee (UN Budget) in 1958 and the First Committee (Disarmament) in 1960. After a hiatus of 33 years, Ambassador Stanley Kalpage chaired the Fourth Committee (Decolanisation) in 1993. (Colombo Gazette)