Katunayake Archives

Is Sri Lanka at the crossroads ….. An economic, social and political perspective of the country – By Aubrey Joachim As the delayed UL309 touched down at Katunayake from Singapore my sense of elation intensified. I was visiting Sri Lanka after nearly 6 years. What was I to expect? My mental images were influenced by the pictures and videos seen on various media platforms during the pandemic, the lead-up to the aragalaya and its aftermath as well as the local and global news and financial press. Over the recent past a number of very enticing video blogs promoting the country’s tourist attractions and mouth-watering street food markets have also surfaced on the web. So too have Lankan lifestyle and reality entertainment shows added to the complexity. One clue to apparent economic conditions was looking out of the window on the landing approach and seeing the bright lights of the city ...

SHOOTING A PEAHEN FROM A RCyAF DRAGONFLY S51 ON AN – AERIAL PATROL – By Mahendra Situnayake, RCyAF / RAF On 16th October 1957, it was decided (I cannot remember whether the decision was made by RCyAF, HQ or the Station Commander of Katunayake (Wg Cdr Alastair Steedman) to detach a Dragonfly S51 and Crew (Milroy De Soyza, LAC Edgar Cooray, LAC “Bunnis” Gunasekera and me) to the Army Camp at Mannar – to carry-out Anti-Illegal Immigrant Patrols around the coastal waters of the Mannar Peninsula and the Mainland. Pic : http://www.airforce.lk/slaf66/history.html According to my log book, we returned to Katunayake on 25th October 1957 – having flown 17 hours (including the transit from Katunayake to Mannar and the return from Mannar to Katunayake) in the course of the detachment. I cannot remember how far out to sea the rules permitted us to fly, but I have a vague recollection that ...