May 19 is Remembrance Day: Rajitha
The new government has decided to declare May 19 as ‘Remembrance Day’ instead of ‘Victory Day’ as it was named by the previous regime, Government Spokesman and Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said.
He said May 19, which for the past five years was celebrated as ‘Victory Day’ by the Rajapaksa regime, would be observed as ‘Remembrance Day’ to mark the sacrifices
May 19, will be observed as “Remembrance Day” instead of “Victory Day”
made by all those who, irrespective of their ethnicity, safeguarded the unity and territorial integrity of the country and also a day to remember those who died during the 30-year armed conflict.
“The main ‘Remembrance Day’ ceremony event will be held at Samudra Mawatha in Matara. It will be a special effort to move further towards reconciliation among all communities in Sri Lanka. Since the end of the armed conflict with the defeat of the LTTE on May 19, 2009, the previous regime celebrated this day as a day of triumph by the armed forces against terrorism,” the minister said. “There will be a military parade under the patronage of the President Maithripala Sirisena as CommanderIn-Chief. It will be a day to commemorate the War Heroes’ Commemoration Day and a civilian Remembrance Day as well.”
He said the government had laid the ground work for true reconciliation and communal harmony by releasing the original lands of residence to their rightful owners and restoring civil administration and good governance in the North.
“This is why the so-called Tamil diaspora is silent, now that there is nothing to crow about. Neither do we hear about their activities against Sri Lanka. Northern Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran and TNAmembers welcome and present at any function attended by President Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe or any other minister when they visit the North. The TNAhas changed its mindset now, it cooperates with the government in parliament and participates in debates and vote with enthusiasm. They respect the national flag and the national anthem. Parliament has turned out to be a lovely place by these positive developments. The reconciliation and the peace initiative of the government have begun to pay dividends,” the minister said.
He said despite all these confidence-building measures by the government, a few TNA members of the Northern Provincial Council have announced they would mark the week May 13 to 19 as the "genocidal week" to commemorate the Tamils including LTTE cadres, who who died during the armed conflict.
PublicAdministration, Local Government, Democratic Governance and Buddhasasana Minister Karu Jayasuriya warned the people to desist from holding any such events for LTTE cadres.
"The Government will in no way permit anyone to commemorate the LTTE which was a terrorist group," he said and added that terrorism would not be allowed to raise its ugly head again.
He said there were some mischievious elements who are attempting to misuse the democratic freedoms now prevailing in the country.
Meanwhile, Northern DIG G.K. Perera told Daily Mirror the police have been placed on high alert in the North to prevent any glorification of dead terrorists.
“We have information that there will be religious ceremonies in Hindu Kovils on Tuesday to remember the dead. We don’t want to disrupt religious activities but if they attempt to commemorate terrorists who died in the separatist war, we would take appropriate action to prevent them because commemorating members of a banned terrorist organisation is against the law of the land,” the DIG said.
This is why the so-called Tamil diaspora is silent now that there is nothing to crow about. Neither do we hear about their activities against Sri Lanka