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"Dummy president" triggers protocol fiasco

The country's military top brass were red faced Monday after discovering that the "dummy president" they saluted at independence day rehearsals here was a junior woman constable, officials said.

For the first time in decades, the military chiefs and the police inspector general took part in the dress rehearsals for Tuesday's celebrations and only learnt of their faux pas after the event, officials said.

"Usually it is the President's senior most official who would be sent for something like this," an official organising the celebrations said. "We didn't know that the woman sent by the President's office was a constable from her security unit."

"What can we do? Her star must be good and she has a picture of a lifetime showing service chiefs saluting her."

Previous independence day celebrations had been scaled down because of fears of LTTE attacks. (AFP) 

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