Saudi Telecom offers 50% discount

Saudi Telecom Company (STC) offered a 50 percent discount on Saturday on all telephone calls to Sri Lanka from the Kingdom to enable Sri Lankan expatriates to greet their loved ones back home on their national day.

Sri Lanka's 64th Independence Day was celebrated in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Saturday with a call to its expatriates in Saudi Arabia to maintain unity and work for the development of the country.

“It is incumbent on all, both present and future generations of Sri Lankans, to protect and keep united our motherland and help in its development,” Sri Lankan Ambassador Ahmed A Jawad told his countrymen at the national day celebrations held at the embassy on Saturday.

He stressed that it is the best tribute Sri Lankans could pay to the heroic men and women for their sacrifices for the cause of peace.

He said the long-term challenge is to build on the peace. “While the government has its own role, each one of us could and should help us in this giant task,” he said.

"We are people of one nation and we have to contribute our best to the socioeconomic and political developments of the country. While practicing our own religion and belonging to our own respective cultures, it is certainly possible to reach out to other communities and be of any possible assistance to them.”

While commending the services of the expatriate community in the Kingdom, he said foreign remittances from Sri Lankan workers in the Middle East had reached $2.5 billion in 2010. “A significant portion of this sum came from the 350,000 Sri Lankans working in the Kingdom.”

Saudi Arabia has the largest concentration of Sri Lankan workers in the Middle East.

Earlier, Jawad unfurled the national flag amid the beating of drums (Magul Bera). Then community members joined the choir of the Sri Lankan International School in Riyadh to sing the national anthem. It was followed by the recital of Jayamangala Gatha and observance of a two-minute silence in memory of fallen national heroes.

In Jeddah, Consul General Athambawa Uthumalebbe raised the national flag at the consulate premises. A large number of expatriates in the western province were present at the morning function to meet and greet fellow Sri Lankans.

M.H.M. Rafeek, president of the Sri Lankan Expatriates’ Society in Jeddah, said he is organizing a series of educational competitions for Sri Lankan students to mark the celebrations on Feb. 9 at the consulate premises.