By IANS,
Colombo : Over 11,000 police and security force personnel have been deployed in and around capital Colombo where the 61st Independence Day celebrations were scheduled to be held on a grand scale Wednesday.
Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told IANS that special security measures have been put in place and nearly 10,000 police and over 1,000 tri-force personnel have been deployed in Colombo. The celebrations will be held at the Galle Face Green here.
Special naval gun boats were seen patrolling the seas off Galle Face and the air force will be involved in constant aerial surveillance over Colombo.
The army, navy and air force, which have virtually ‘cornered’ the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) into a 300 square km area in the north-eastern Mullaitivu district, are set to hold a parade that would showcase their military might.
The state-run Daily News quoting senior police official said that the security had been put “on high alert to avert any possible LTTE attack to disrupt the ceremony”.
“While all preparations for the Independence day celebration are taking place, maximum precautionary measures are being implemented concerning the security in Colombo and its suburbs and to avert any LTTE attempt to crate mayhem,” Senior Deputy Inspector General (DIG) for Colombo Nimal Mediwaka has been quoted as saying.
The government has also organised a grand exhibition “Dayata Kirula” (Crowning Glory of the Nation) that would showcase the progress made as a nation in various sectors since Independence. The exhibition will be held from Wednesday till Sunday at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) here.