Two Sri Lankans honoured by British queen

Colombo, March 26 (IANS) Two Sri Lankans, members of the British High Commission here, have been honoured by Queen Elizabeth II for their 'long and exceptional service', a statement said here Thursday.

Francis Gnanapragasam, part of the defence section of the high commission for almost 30 years, has been awarded an honorary MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) while Mahendra Ratnaweera was awarded for his services following the 2004 tsunami disaster.

'They can be rightly proud of this exceptional achievement. I am delighted that the outstanding contributions of two of our longest serving staff have been recognised in this way,' British High Commissioner Peter Hayes has said.

The queen also honoured Christopher Worthington, a British national residing in Sri Lanka since 1958, with an MBE for restoration and maintenance of the Commonwealth War Graves in the eastern port city of Trincomalee and the British Garrison Cemetery in Kandy.