SRI LANKA: CEYLONESE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY PASSES CONSTITUTION DECLARING NEW REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA.

Record ID: 648049

  • Title: SRI LANKA: CEYLONESE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY PASSES CONSTITUTION DECLARING NEW REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA.
  • Date: 23rd May 1972
  • Summary: 1. GV EXT. House of Representatives (2 shots) 0.06 2. CU New crest on building 0.10 3. SV Buddhist flag outside building 0.13 4. GV INT. Members seated (2 shots) 0.22 5. SV Speaker on rostrum 0.24 6. SV P.M. Mrs Bandaranaike onto rostrum 0.32 7. SV Drummers 0.37 8. SV P.M. reads proclamation 0.43 9. SV Speaker Tillekaratne signs proclamation 0.46 10. CU New crest 0.48 11. SV Prime Minister signing 0.56 12. GV Members leave Assembly 1.00 13. SV Guard of honour on lawn at Navarangahala & drummers (2 shots) 1.05 14. SV Governor-General Gopallawa hoisting new flag 1.12 15. SV Honour guard & drummers watch (2 shots) PAN TO new flag of flagpole. 1.22 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES & NEW CREST: BUDDHIST FLAG: ASSEMBLY MEETING IN NEW THEATRE - MEMBERS SEATED: SPEAKER ON ROSTRUM & SIGNING PROCLAMATION: MRS BANDARANAIKE ARRIVING, READING PROCLAMATION & SIGNING IT: MEMBERS LEAVING: HONOUR GUARD, DRUMMERS & VISITORS AT NAVARANGAHALA DURING GOVERNOR-GENERAL GOPALLAWA FLAG-RAISING. Initials SGM/0047 SGM/0000 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 7th June 1972 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • Country: Sri Lanka
  • Reuters ID: LVA9LPIUND28BH5B11AKCZH8RYGK
  • Story Text: The Ceylonese Constituent Assembly yesterday (Monday) passed a Constitution making the island the new Republic of Sri Lanka (pronounced: Sree Lan' (as in man) Ka (Kuh), ending the country's 157-year link with Great Britain. In a special meeting of the Assembly in the new Theatre at Navarangahala, Prime Minister Mrs Sirimavo BandaranaIke read the proclamation and the Speaker of the Constituent Assembly, Stanley Tillekaratne, signed the document proclaiming the Republic.

    After the proclamation ceremony, the authorities and guests adjourned to the gardens where Governor-General William Gopallawa ran the new Republic's flag up the flagpole. The Governor-General, who is a close relative of P. M. Bandaranaike, will be Sri Lanka's first President, while Mrs Bandaranaike herself will be the first Primer.

    The majority of the people are Sinhalese who came to the Island from India in the 6th Century B.C., when the tamils invaded the north and forced the Sinhalese int the Southwest. European colonies appeared first in the 16th Century from Portugal, then the Dutch moved in the 17th Century, and British took over from Holland in 1795. Now, the 25,000 square mile (65,000 square-kilometre) island and its 12,750,000 inhabitants will continue to be members of the British Commonwealth.

    SYNOPSIS: The House of Representatives in Colombo in the former British Colony of Ceylon, which became the independent Republic of Sri Lanka on Monday. The new crest is already in place - but the flag outside is still that of the Buddhists. Nearby, in the New Theatre at Navarangahala, the Constituent Assembly was meeting to hear the Proclamation of the Republic. Prim Minister Mrs Bandaranaike took her place on the rostrum - as traditional Ceylonese drummers stood by. Then she proceeded to read the document which was bringing to an end the one-hundred-and-fifty-seven year-old link with the British Crown.

    The Speaker of the Assembly, Stanley Tillekaratne, signed the Proclamation - followed by Mrs Bandaranaike, who becomes the new Republic's First Premier
    Then the members and special guests adjourned to the Theatre gardens, where Honour Guards shared the limelight with traditional drummers and dancers who were to perform later in the day. They stood to attention as Governor-General William Gopallawa raised the flag of the new Republic. The Governor, a close relative of Mrs Bandaranaike, will be Sir Lanka's First President.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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