Remembrance Day (Sinhala: ජාතික රණවිරු සැමරුම් උළෙල Jāthika Raṇaviru Sæmarum Uḷela), also known as National War Heroes Commemoration Day, is a memorial day observed in Sri Lanka since the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War, which is observed to commemorate the war heroes which fought in the war and the civilians who were killed in the war from both sides. Remembrance Day is observed on 19 May, which marks the decisive victory of the Sri Lankan Army against the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War, on 18 May 2009.
| Remembrance Day | |
|---|---|
 Kilinochchi Headquarters War Heroes Monument | |
| Official name | ජාතික රණවිරු සැමරුම් උළෙල National War heroes Commemoration Day |
| Also called | Victory Day (2010–2014) |
| Observed by | Sri Lankans |
| Type | National |
| Significance | End of the Sri Lankan Civil War and to commemorate the war dead |
| Observances | Parades, silences, cultural show |
| Date | 19 May |
| Next time | 19 May 2027 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| First time | 18 June 2010 |
Celebrations are marked by speeches and a moment of silence. Initially, under President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the day was known as Victory Day and included a military parade,[1] but in 2015 was renamed Remembrance Day by President Maithripala Sirisena.[2][3][4]
History
editThe Sri Lankan Separatists War was an armed conflict fought between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and the Government of Sri Lanka, after the prelude of the Sri Lankan civil war between the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation, Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front, People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam and Government of Sri Lanka, as the conflict came to an end with the Indo-Lanka accord (1987), where the armed groups made peace and they stopped fighting with the government in the late 1980s to early 1990s by aligning with the state. However, the radical extremist organisation LTTE was formed in demanding a sperate state, which emerged as the dominant armed force among extremist Tamil militants and transformed the struggle into a more organised and intense civil war, pursuing an armed campaign for a separate state[5]. The 26-year conflict came to an end on 18 May 2009, with the total military defeat of the LTTE, and thus the day was marked as a day of celebration across the island.[6]
Celebrations of the first anniversary were presided over by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose government was in power when the war ended.[1] 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.[citation needed] Rajapaksa's successor, President Maithripala Sirisena renamed the day to Remembrance Day and moved the date to 19 May to "mark the sacrifices made by all those, who irrespective of their ethnicity, safeguarded the unity and territorial integrity of the country".[7][8][9] The day also recognises all civilians who died in the war. The day is a step towards reconciliation between all ethnic communities of the country.[10][2][3][4]
Commemorations for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are not permitted.[3][4]
Anniversaries
edit| Date held | Location | Presided by | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 18 June 2010 | Galle Face Green, Colombo | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| 2nd | 27 May 2011 | ||
| 3rd | 19 May 2012 | ||
| 4th | 18 May 2013 | ||
| 5th | 18 May 2014 | Matara | |
| 6th | 19 May 2015 | Maithripala Sirisena | |
| 7th | 18 May 2016 | National War Memorial Battaramulla, Colombo | |
| 8th | 19 May 2017 | ||
| 9th | 19 May 2018 | ||
| 10th | 19 May 2019 | ||
| 11th | 19 May 2020 | Gotabaya Rajapaksa | |
| 12th | 19 May 2021 | ||
| 13th | 19 May 2022 | ||
| 14th | 19 May 2023 | Ranil Wickremesinghe[11] | |
| 15th | 19 May 2024 | ||
| 16th | 19 May 2025 | Anura Kumara Dissanayake[12] | |
| 17th | 19 May 2026 |
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 "Sri Lanka marks 1st anniversary of civil war's end". The Indian Express. 18 June 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- 1 2 "Sri Lanka shift on civil war anniversary". BBC News. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- 1 2 3 "May 19th – No more Victory Day, Only 'Remembrance Day'". Asian Tribune. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- 1 2 3 Jayasekera, Sandun. "May 19 is Remembrance Day: Rajitha". dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- ↑ </ref name= INDIA TODAY>Venkatramani. "LTTE is capable of mobilising enough support to defeat the Sri Lankan army: Prabakaran".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|issue-date=ignored (help) - ↑ "Sri Lanka marks 16 years since the end of civil war". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ↑ "Sri Lanka shift on civil war anniversary". BBC News. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ↑ "The day Prabhakaran was killed: Victory or Remembrance? | The Sunday Times Sri Lanka". Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ↑ Raj, Prateek (18 May 2023). "Remembrance and Reconciliation: One Can't Happen Without the Other - Groundviews". Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ↑ "The New Humanitarian | Prospects for reconciliation in Sri Lanka". www.thenewhumanitarian.org. 21 July 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ↑ "National War Heroes' Day commemoration event gets underway".
- ↑ "Sri Lanka marks 16 years since the end of civil war". www.adaderana.lk. 18 May 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2025.