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CALIFORNIA EXPATRIATES DONATE 12.5 MILLION RUPEES TO BUILD HOUSES FOR THE SOLDIERS

By Walter Jayawardhana

A cheque worth Sri Lankan Rupees 12.5 million from the funds raised by Sri Lankan expatriates in California USA was handed over to President Mahinda Rajapaksa to go into the 50,000 houses for soldiers program now in progress in the country.

Chairman of the Ranaviru Foundation in Los Angeles Dr. Mohan Kumararatne handed over the money at a brief function in the Temple Trees, the official residence of the President.
The funds were raised under the leadership of the former Los Angeles Consul General Jaliya Wickramasuriya in largely attended and well organized cultural shows and musical extravaganzas where mostly talented artists, dancers and musicians from the armed forces showed their talents. Wickramasuriya , who is now the ambassador-designate to Washington graced the occasion.
The President said the expatriates should be congratulated for gratefully remembering the soldiers who have laid their lives for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation.

The program christened, (Api Wenuwen Api ) has already built 1620 housing units at the cost of 2.4 million each at Ipologama, near the ancient city of Anuradhapura .

The second phase of the housing scheme, would come up in the same area in Horowpathana.
The government expects to spend one million Rupees for a house and the soldiers who would eventually own the houses would pay a sum of 800,000 Rupees in a phased out amount spanning during a period of 20 years. The rest would come from philanthropists.

Secretary of Defense Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Raja Edirisooriya who helped the program in California participated in the event.

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