World: Sri Lankans Pay Tribute Arthur C Clarke

STUDENTS, space enthusiasts, politicians and Buddhist monks last night paid their respects to Arthur C Clarke, the prophetic British science fiction writer whose body has been put on display for public viewing in Sri Lanka before burial today.

Clarke died on Wednesday at the age of 90 after suffering breathing problems. His remains lay at his home in his adopted country, Sri Lanka.

“He fascinated a lot of us into being interested in space and astronomy,” said Kavan Ratnatunga, a Sri Lankan astronomer.

Founding the Astronomical Society of Ceylon, as the country was known in1959, Clarke inspired many youngsters by screening films of space mission launches back then, Ratnatunga said.

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