1 February 2022 12:00 am Views - 177
Who struggled against the British Empire to gain independence
Around 6,500 service personnel from the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Air force, Sri Lanka Police, Civil Defence Force and school, the Cadets take part in the main parade and the guard of honour
Minister Rajapaksa told the media yesterday that not only the first Prime Minister of independent Sri Lanka, D.S.Senanayake who gave the leadership to the campaign to achieve freedom from the British Empire but other Tamil, Muslim and Malay freedom fighters will also be honoured at the Presidential Secretariat on the morning of February 4 before the start of the main celebrations at the Independent Square in Colombo on Friday morning.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will pay tribute to Statues of leaders like Anagarika Dharmapala, D. R. Wijewardene, F. R. Senanayake, Sir D. B. Jayatilaka, Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan, Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam, T. B. Jayah, S. Mahinda Thera and many others, he told the media.
Responding to the Daily Mirror as to why the National Anthem would not be sung in Tamil at the Independence Day celebrations, Minister Rajapaksa said commemoration of leaders of all ethnic hues who took forward the struggle against the British Empire would be a better way to promote and protect reconciliation and inter-communal harmony in the country.
Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Major General (Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne said arrangements have been made to conduct the 74th Independence Day celebrations in a colourful and grand manner while fully adhering to COVID-19 health guidelines and security protocol at the Independent Square in the morning of February 4th.
“Around 6,500 service personnel from the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Air force, Sri Lanka Police, Civil Defence Force and school, the Cadets take part in the main parade and the guard of honour.