Conferring THE ORDER OF THE RISING SUN, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon on Professor Emerita Liyanage

His worship,  Kesara Senanayake, Mayor, Kandy Municipal Council,
Mr. Upul B Dissanayake, Vice Chancellor, University of Peradeniya
Distinguished Guests and Ladies and Gentleman,
 
Good morning, Ayubowan and Wanakkam.
 
I warmly welcome you all to the ceremony to confer “the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon”, on none other than a long standing and devoted friend of  Japan, Professor Emerita Kamala Liyanage.
 
Professor Liyanage requires no introduction as her accomplishments in the field of Political Science speaks volumes. Professor Liyanage was first introduced to Japanese politics as a Japanese Government (MEXT) scholar at the University of Tokyo. Since then, Professor Liyanage consistently pursued her study of contemporary Japanese politics and shared her abundant knowledge with the students and researchers at the University of Peradeniya. Her unwavering interest in contemporary Japanese politics cascaded to her peers, students and the wider academic community, inspiring the next generation of political scientists to walk in the footsteps of the Professor Emerita.    
 
In addition, with the networks she has cultivated in the pursuit of her distinguished academic career, Professor Liyanage made a great contribution to promoting academic exchanges and mutual understanding between Sri Lanka and Japan. The highlight of her contribution is the establishment of the Sri Lanka- Japan Study Centre at the University of Peradeniya in 2013. This center opened avenues for collaborative research between Sri Lanka and Japan, through the exchange of research proposals and findings between the University of Peradeniya and Japanese universities. The “Sri Lanka-Japan Collaborative Reseach (SLJCR)” organized by this center has been consecutively held since 2013 and has provided opportunities for both students and researchers from Japanese Universities to network and exchange knowledge with their counterparts in Sri Lanka. I had the pleasure to participate in the conference last year and was impressed with the cordial and high-quality exchange of views among Sri Lankan and Japanese academies.
 
I would stress that this would not have been possible without the persistent efforts of  Professor Liyanage. The Government of Japan is indebted to Professor Liyanage for her unparalleled dedication in further bolstering collaboration research ties between Sri Lanka and Japan. 
 
As many of you may know, young Japanese diplomats have been enrolled at the University of Peradeniya to learn Sinhalese to become regional specialists on Sri Lanka. Professor Liyanage very kindly took care of these fledging diplomats, who deemed her as a ‘foster mum”, while getting ready to fly higher in their professional career. I, as a non-Sinhalese speaker, benefit a lot from the expertise of those “Liyanage Children.”
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
In the light of the above, the Government of Japan, with deep sense of appreciation, decided to confer “The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon” on Professor Emerita Kamala Liyanage for her genuine commitment, persistence and invaluable contributions made over three decades in fostering and strengthening ties between Sri Lanka and Japan.
 
On behalf of the Government of Japan, it is my great honour to have this opportunity to decorate Professor Emerita Liyanage with “The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon.” May I now request Professor Liyanage to come forward for the decoration?  
 
Thank you for your attention.