President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited the Ranaviru Sevana Rehabilitation Centre in Ragama on Tuesday morning to inquire about the wellbeing of army personnel undergoing residential treatment, ahead of the National War Heroes’ Day commemoration scheduled for the afternoon in Battaramulla.
The President engaged in cordial discussions with the soldiers and commended their sacrifices “for the unity of the country,” Newswire and NewsFirst reported. He also met doctors and senior staff at the centre, reviewing the medical and service facilities available and exploring ways to further strengthen support for the soldiers under treatment.
Dissanayake was accompanied by Minister Krishantha Abeysena, Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe, Defence Ministry Secretary Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Sampath Thuyyakontha, Army Commander Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo, Director of Ranaviru Services and Rehabilitation Brigadier R.J.L.K. Weerakoon and Ranaviru Services Authority Chairman Retired Brigadier Senarath Kohona.
The visit precedes the 17th anniversary commemoration at the National War Hero’s Monument, which for the first time under the NPP government extends invitations to roughly 1,000 Northern and Eastern war hero families and 30 Tamil and Muslim fallen-soldier relatives. It also follows the recent distribution of electric wheelchairs to war veterans by the same authority and Friday’s tri-service promotion of 5,289 personnel ahead of the day.
