COLOMBO, Feb 2: After a day of silence following the publication of a damning interview with a British tabloid, science fiction writer and visionary Arthur C Clarke said he had requested that his knighthood ceremony, scheduled for Wednesday, be postponed.In a statement today, Clarke, 80, who told Sunday Mirror that he had sexual relations with boys who had reached puberty, said he was ``outraged by the allegation'' and that he was seeking legal advice.``However, in view of the nature of the story, I have asked that my investiture ceremony be postponed in order to avoid embarrassment to H R H the Prince of Wales during his visit to Sri Lanka,'' he said. Clarke, author of some 80 science fiction books, among them the best-selling 2001: A Space Odyssey, was named this year in Queen Elizabeth's honours list and was scheduled to receive his knighthood on Wednesday from Prince Charles, the guest of honour at Sri Lanka's 50th anniversary celebrations.However, there is no official word yet on whether thespecial ceremony at the British High Commission here, arranged as Clarke could not travel to the UK due to poor health, had indeed been postponed. A private radio station here quoted high commissioner David Tatham as saying that it was up to Buckingham Palace to decide whether or not to go ahead with the ceremony.Clarke was quoted in yesterday's Sunday Mirror as saying sex was alright with young boys as long as they liked it, but it was ``hysterical'' parents who were the main stumbling block. ``Once they have reached the age of puberty, it is OK, it does not do any harm,'' he said in an interview.Clarke's reported admission came as a rude shock in Sri Lanka, where, as the country's most honoured expatriate, he has enjoyed special status, including a tax-free life. Though it has been rumoured for long that Clarke enjoyed sex with boys, this was the first time that he himself admitted it.Sri Lanka enacted a tough law in 1995 that specifies a minimum penalty of seven years and a maximum of 20 years forchild abuse.
