Just two years ago, the Urban Wetlands Park was an abandoned tract of land. Located between Sri Lanka's commercial capital, Colombo, and administrative capital, Kotte, it functioned as an unofficial marketplace for building materials.
Today the trucks of sand, tiles and bricks are gone, as are the garbage and mud. In their place are shady trees and ornamental shrubs, neat walkways and an imposing fountain. But the chief jewel of this beautifully laid-out and meticulously maintained public park is an army tank. It attracts a lot of attention. Children clamber over it while adults inspect it. Sometimes, a soldier in uniform will explain its intricacies to the avid visitor.
An army tank in a public park would be an anomaly, but the Urban Wetlands Park is not just another public facilities. The Lankan army built it and handles its day-to-day maintenance. Uniformed soldiers are ubiquitous here, making sure that visitors follow rules, such as keeping off the grass.
THE SOUTHASIAN MILITARY COMPLEX:
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