Sri Lanka celebrates 75th Independence Day

COLOMBO: The 75th National Independence Day – themed “Namo Namo Matha – A Big Step towards a Century” – is being celebrated ceremoniously at the Galle Face Green in Colombo as the country is trying to unlock a USD 2.8 billion IMF bailout package to facilitate access to financial support to get the economy back on track.

The main ceremony commences at 8.30 a.m. at Galle Face Green under the patronage of President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

The festivities began after the offering of floral tributes at the statue of Mahamanya D.S. Senanayake at Independence Square and the statue of the war heroes at the Presidential Secretariat.

The ceremony was joined by Armed Forces, the Police, the Civil Defense Force and the National Cadet Corps Sri Lanka.

A special traffic plan will be in place today to ensure the smooth function of the ceremony without causing interruptions to general traffic flow and commuters.