Sri Lanka celebrates the 77th National Independence Day today (Feb. 04).
The 77th National Independence Day celebration under the theme ‘Rallying for National Renaissance’ was held today at Independence Square in Colombo under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
This year, the government had announced several measures aimed at cutting costs while ensuring greater public participation.
Accordingly, only 1,873 Tri-Forces military personnel participated in the Independence Day celebrations in comparison to 3,384 who participated last year, reduced by 1,511 soldiers.
The Government had also decided not to use armoured vehicles of the Tri-Forces for this year.
Only 03 aircraft belonging to the Air Force were used this year, in contrast to the 19 aircraft used last year.
While the national flag is to be hoisted at state institutions from February 01 to 07, the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry had decided to scrap electric light decorations at the institutions.
The Prisons Department stated that 285 prisoners will be released today to mark the 77th Independence Day under a special state pardon. Today will be an open day at the prisons for relatives to visit the inmates.
Sri Lanka Police have launched an investigation into a video going viral on social media, which depicts a female tuition teacher being escorted by police motorcycles and vehicles to an event organized by her.
Police Media Spokesperson SSP Buddhika Manathunga confirmed that the individual in question is a private tuition teacher who conducts classes for students preparing for the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination.
Addressing the controversy, SSP Manathunga explained that the Sri Lanka Police may provide officers and vehicles for specific public affairs — such as for filming a movie — but only after a thorough intelligence review of the request and its context, including the script.
He further clarified that police officers may also be deployed for public events such as musical shows or ticketed functions, but this is permitted only upon payment of a required fee.
In this particular case, the teacher is reported to have requested police support, claiming it was needed for a ceremony honoring students who had successfully passed the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination. The event was said to involve nearly 8,000 students and 35,000 parents.
However, preliminary investigations have revealed that the teacher may have used the police escort to boost her personal image, raising serious concerns about the misuse of state resources.
Police have since launched an inquiry into how the vehicles and officers were allocated for the event, and whether any police personnel were complicit in the unauthorized use of official resources, SSP Manathunga said.
According to reports, the SriLankan Airlines’ management has decided to immediately call up retired cabin crew members to service, following the ‘work to rule’ campaign launched by the Cabin Crew Members Association.
The SriLankan Airlines Cabin Crew Members Association launched a ‘work to rule’ campaign in April, citing several demands, including the reallocation of their onboard meal allowance.
In this backdrop, the national carrier is said to be operating with a reduced number of cabin crew which was further affected by the recent retirement of a significant number of experienced senior staff.
The staff were retired stating that individuals over the age of 60 would no longer be retained.
Efforts to extend the retirement age had been unsuccessful.
Even though they had directed a formal request to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Dec. 12, 2024, no response was received, reports add.