Sri Lanka’s celebrated its 58th Independence Anniversary with a bristling display of its military hardware and a speech by newly elected President Mahinda Rajapakse that notably avoided mentioning either Norwegian peace efforts or the forthcoming talks in Geneva on strengthening implementation of Cease Fire Agreement.
Instead, President Rajapakse's speech focused on the role and participation of all communities in Sri Lanka in securing independence from the Colonial British rulers in 1948.
"To be a new Sri Lanka, talks should be new ... everything should be new," he said. "To stop the blood from a war, we should sweat a lot for peace. Our aim is to have a broader consensus... Solution through a broader consensus."
But President Rajapakse also praised former Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, a Sinhalese nationalist whom many blame for violence and discriminatory legislation against them, including the ‘Sinhala-Only’ Act which many analysts say led to the Tamil struggle for a homeland.
Compared to the abridged versions during the past, this year's full-scale ceremonials included a sail-past by the navy off Colombo's shore featuring its Fast Attack Craft among others and a fly-past by military helicopters and aircraft from the air force.
Avoiding war rhetoric despite the plethora of hardware on display, Mr Rajapakse said that the recent Presidential election was a "step forward taken with a view to extricate the country out of the present predicament and to safeguard and protect the national freedom."
He announced the launch of a "special programme of national integration this year to build greater amity and trust" among Sri Lankans.
Pointing out that "many efforts made in the past to achieve peace have failed," Mr. Rajapakse said there were lessons to be learnt.
"There is, therefore, the need to establish a structure of state to bring about the genuine participation of all sections of our people in development activities and the administration of Government."
He called for national unity during his televised address, but parades of multi-barrelled rocket launchers and tanks in the capital sent a strong visual message to the Tamil Tigers and the island’s Tamil community which marked the day with a strike and hartal protest across the Northeast.
Saturday''s solemn but grand celebration was held by the Sinhala-dominated state at the island''s most popular beachfront — the Galle Face Green — and described by President Rajapakse as a return of "grandeur and pride" to the venue after 28 years.
Regiments from the army, navy, air force and the police participated in the march-past, and so did school children representing various regions of the country.
The celebration featured a parade by 4,000 Army personnel, 1,300 Air Force and Navy personnel including 650 each and 600 Police personnel.
For the first time since 1957, students from one school per province, representing all 9 provinces, took part in a march at Galle Face.
Pupils from a Muslim school from Kinniya and a Sinhala school, Bandaranaike Vidyalayam, represented Northeast in the students’ march.
The entire Galle Face Green took a festive atmosphere with national flags and multi-coloured decorative flags fluttering majestically in the cool gentle breeze that came from the Indian Ocean.
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Minister for Public Administration Sarath Amunugama, political leaders and diplomats witnessed the celebration, which was also telecast nationally.
Security was tightened in and around Colombo for the celebrations, with main roads between Galle Face and Collpety, Duplication Road and York street closed between 8:30 a.m. and 12 noon.
Tamils observed a "silent shut down" throughout the Northeast, with shops closed in Jaffna and roads deserted. Tamil residents in the districts of Trincomalee and Mannar also observed a general shut down on Independence Day to protest against harassment by the Sri Lankan armed forces.
The Sinhala troops did not enforce hoisting national flags in public places across the Northeast, as in the past, but flags - comprising a Sinhala Lion brandishing a sword - were seen in some of their camps, reports said.
Instead, President Rajapakse's speech focused on the role and participation of all communities in Sri Lanka in securing independence from the Colonial British rulers in 1948.
"To be a new Sri Lanka, talks should be new ... everything should be new," he said. "To stop the blood from a war, we should sweat a lot for peace. Our aim is to have a broader consensus... Solution through a broader consensus."
But President Rajapakse also praised former Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, a Sinhalese nationalist whom many blame for violence and discriminatory legislation against them, including the ‘Sinhala-Only’ Act which many analysts say led to the Tamil struggle for a homeland.
Compared to the abridged versions during the past, this year's full-scale ceremonials included a sail-past by the navy off Colombo's shore featuring its Fast Attack Craft among others and a fly-past by military helicopters and aircraft from the air force.
Avoiding war rhetoric despite the plethora of hardware on display, Mr Rajapakse said that the recent Presidential election was a "step forward taken with a view to extricate the country out of the present predicament and to safeguard and protect the national freedom."
He announced the launch of a "special programme of national integration this year to build greater amity and trust" among Sri Lankans.
Pointing out that "many efforts made in the past to achieve peace have failed," Mr. Rajapakse said there were lessons to be learnt.
"There is, therefore, the need to establish a structure of state to bring about the genuine participation of all sections of our people in development activities and the administration of Government."
He called for national unity during his televised address, but parades of multi-barrelled rocket launchers and tanks in the capital sent a strong visual message to the Tamil Tigers and the island’s Tamil community which marked the day with a strike and hartal protest across the Northeast.
Saturday''s solemn but grand celebration was held by the Sinhala-dominated state at the island''s most popular beachfront — the Galle Face Green — and described by President Rajapakse as a return of "grandeur and pride" to the venue after 28 years.
Regiments from the army, navy, air force and the police participated in the march-past, and so did school children representing various regions of the country.
The celebration featured a parade by 4,000 Army personnel, 1,300 Air Force and Navy personnel including 650 each and 600 Police personnel.
For the first time since 1957, students from one school per province, representing all 9 provinces, took part in a march at Galle Face.
Pupils from a Muslim school from Kinniya and a Sinhala school, Bandaranaike Vidyalayam, represented Northeast in the students’ march.
The entire Galle Face Green took a festive atmosphere with national flags and multi-coloured decorative flags fluttering majestically in the cool gentle breeze that came from the Indian Ocean.
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Minister for Public Administration Sarath Amunugama, political leaders and diplomats witnessed the celebration, which was also telecast nationally.
Security was tightened in and around Colombo for the celebrations, with main roads between Galle Face and Collpety, Duplication Road and York street closed between 8:30 a.m. and 12 noon.
Tamils observed a "silent shut down" throughout the Northeast, with shops closed in Jaffna and roads deserted. Tamil residents in the districts of Trincomalee and Mannar also observed a general shut down on Independence Day to protest against harassment by the Sri Lankan armed forces.
The Sinhala troops did not enforce hoisting national flags in public places across the Northeast, as in the past, but flags - comprising a Sinhala Lion brandishing a sword - were seen in some of their camps, reports said.
