Remembrance Day (Sri Lanka)

Remembrance Day (Sinhala: ජාතික රණවිරු සැමරුම් උළෙල Jāthika Raṇaviru Sæmarum Uḷela) also known as the National War heroes commemoration day in Sri Lanka, marks the capitulation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the end to the Sri Lankan Civil War on 18 May 2009. The day is a war heroes commemoration day as well as a remembrance day for civilians who died in the war from both sides. The celebrations are marked by speeches and a moment of silence. From its inception, under President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in 2010 the day was known as Victory Day and originally included a military parade, but in 2015 the day was renamed Remembrance Day by President Maithripala Sirisena.[1][2][3]

Remembrance Day
Official nameජාතික රණවිරු සැමරුම් උළෙල
National War heroes Commemoration Day
Also calledVictory Day (2010–2014)
Observed bySri Lankans
TypeEnd of the Sri Lankan Civil War
SignificanceCommemorates the war dead
ObservancesParades, silences, cultural show
Date18 May
FrequencyAnnual

History

The Sri Lankan Civil War was an armed conflict fought between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, aka Tamil Tigers) and the Government of Sri Lanka. With the end to the war, 18 May 2009 marked a day of celebration around the island. The celebrations of 1st anniversary were presided over by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose government won the war. The celebrations were commemorated as Victory Day, a celebration of the triumph of the armed forces against terrorism in the country, and continued under the same name until 2015. The newly elected President Maithripala Sirisena renamed the day to Remembrance Day to "mark the sacrifices made by all those, who irrespective of their ethnicity, safeguarded the unity and territorial integrity of the country". The day also recognises all civilians who died in the war. The day is a step towards the reconciliation between all communities in the country.[1][2][3]

Commemorations for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are not permitted.[2][3]

Anniversaries
AnniversaryDate heldLocationPresided by
1st18 June 2010Galle Face Green, ColomboMahinda Rajapaksa
2nd27 May 2011
3rd19 May 2012
4th18 May 2013
5th18 May 2014Matara
6th19 May 2015Maithripala Sirisena
7th18 May 2016National War Memorial Battaramulla, Colombo
8th19 May 2017
9th19 May 2018
10th19 May 2019
11th19 May 2020Gotabaya Rajapaksa
12th19 May 2021
13th19 May 2022Ranil Wickramasinghe
14th19 May 2023

See also

References
  1. "Sri Lanka shift on civil war anniversary". BBC News. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  2. "May 19th – No more Victory Day, Only 'Remembrance Day'". Asian Tribune. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  3. Jayasekera, Sandun. "May 19 is Remembrance Day: Rajitha". dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
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