Remembrance Day (Sri Lanka)

Holiday commemorating the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War

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 2026 (2026-05-19)
Frequency| Annual
First time| 18 June 2010; 15 years ago (2010-06-18)

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.

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]

The memorial day occurs on the day after Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day,[5][6] a similar memorial day celebrated by some groups in the northern part of Sri Lanka to commemorate the people who said to be killed during the final stages of the war.[7]

## History

[edit]

The Sri Lankan Civil War was an armed conflict fought between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and the Government of Sri Lanka. 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.[8]

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".[9][10][11] 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.[12][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[13]
15th | 19 May 2024
16th | 19 May 2025 | Anura Kumara Dissanayake[14]

## See also

[edit]

* National War Memorial, Colombo
* Cenotaph War Memorial, Colombo
* Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Sri Lanka marks 1st anniversary of civil war's end". The Indian Express. 18 June 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
2. ^ a b "Sri Lanka shift on civil war anniversary". BBC News. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
3. ^ a b c "May 19th – No more Victory Day, Only 'Remembrance Day'". Asian Tribune. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
4. ^ a b c Jayasekera, Sandun. "May 19 is Remembrance Day: Rajitha". dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
5. ^ "Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day - 2022: Reminiscing the dead in final battle 2009". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
6. ^ "Mullivaikkal commemoration : Riot Police deployed in Borella after tense situ". Newswire. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
7. ^ "TNPF call for united Mullivaikkal remembrance commemoration | Tamil Guardian". www.tamilguardian.com. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
8. ^ "Sri Lanka marks 16 years since the end of civil war". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
9. ^ "Sri Lanka shift on civil war anniversary". BBC News. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
10. ^ "The day Prabhakaran was killed: Victory or Remembrance? | The Sunday Times Sri Lanka". Retrieved 18 May 2025.
11. ^ Raj, Prateek (18 May 2023). "Remembrance and Reconciliation: One Can't Happen Without the Other - Groundviews". Retrieved 18 May 2025.
12. ^ "The New Humanitarian | Prospects for reconciliation in Sri Lanka". www.thenewhumanitarian.org. 21 July 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
13. ^ "National War Heroes' Day commemoration event gets underway".
14. ^ "Sri Lanka marks 16 years since the end of civil war". www.adaderana.lk. 18 May 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2025.

* v
* t
* e

Sri Lankan civil war (1983–2009)

Origins|

* Sri Lankan Tamil nationalism
* Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism
* Sinhala Only Act
* 1956
* 1958
* Vaddukoddai Resolution
* 1977
* 1981
* Burning of Jaffna Library
* Black July

Combatants|

|  Sri Lanka|

* Army (LRRP)
* Navy
* Air Force
* Police
* Special Task Force
* Home Guards
* Attacks on civilians
* Assassinations

|

LTTE|

* Divisions
* Air Tigers
* Sea Tigers
* Black Tigers
* Attacks
* in the 1970s
* 1980s
* 1990s
* 2000s
* Assassinations
* Suicide bombings

Other militants (list)|

* ENDLF
* ENLF
* EPRLF
* EROS
* PLOTE
* TELO

India|

* Indian Peace Keeping Force

Paramilitary groups|

* EPDP
* TMVP

Phases|

* Eelam War I
* Indian intervention
* Eelam War II
* III
* IV
* Eastern / Northern theatres

Major battles|

* Kokkilai
* Vadamarachchi
* Poomalai
* Pawan
* Jaffna University Helidrop
* Balavegaya
* 1st Elephant Pass
* Pooneryn
* Riviresa
* 1st Mullaitivu
* Weli Oya
* Sath Jaya
* Vavunathivu
* Jayasikurui
* Thandikulam–Omanthai
* 1st Kilinochchi
* Oddusuddan
* A-9 highway
* 2nd Elephant Pass
* Bandaranaike Airport attack
* Point Pedro
* Jaffna
* Thoppigala
* Vidattaltivu
* 2nd Kilinochchi
* 2nd Mullaitivu
* Puthukkudiyirippu

Major events|

* Air Lanka Flight 512
* Indo-Sri Lanka Accord
* Expulsions from Northern province
* Assassination of Lalith Athulathmudali
* Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
* Assassination of Ranasinghe Premadasa
* Temple of the Tooth attack
* Lionair Flight 602
* Bandaranaike Airport attack
* Expulsions from Colombo
* 2009 suicide air raid on Colombo

Leaders|

| Sri Lanka|

| Military|

| Army|

* Tissa Weeratunga
* Nalin Seneviratne
* Hamilton Wanasinghe
* Cecil Waidyaratne
* G. H. De Silva
* Rohan Daluwatte
* Srilal Weerasooriya
* L. P. Balagalle
* Shantha Kottegoda
* Sarath Fonseka

|

Navy|

* Asoka de Silva
* H. A. Silva
* Clancy Fernando
* D. A. M. R. Samarasekara
* H. C. A. C. Thisera
* Daya Sandagiri
* Wasantha Karannagoda

Air Force|

* Dick Perera
* Andibuduge Fernando
* Makalandage Gunawardena
* Oliver Ranasinghe
* Jayalath Weerakkody
* Donald Perera
* Roshan Goonetileke

Civilian|

* J. R. Jayewardene
* Ranasinghe Premadasa
* Dingiri Banda Wijetunga
* Chandrika Kumaratunga
* Mahinda Rajapaksa

LTTE|

| Militant|

* Velupillai Prabhakaran
* Pottu Amman
* Soosai
* Karuna Amman

|

Political|

* Selvarasa Pathmanathan
* Anton Balasingham
* S. P. Thamilselvan

India|

| Military|

* Harkirat Singh
* Ashok K. Mehta
* Kulwant Singh
* Depinder Singh
* Dalvir Singh
* Krishnaswamy Sundarji

|

Civilian|

* R. Venkataraman
* Rajiv Gandhi
* V. P. Singh
* Jyotindra Nath Dixit
* J. Jayalalithaa
* M. Karunanidhi
* Vaiko

Aftermath|

* Genocide
* Films
* NPC resolution
* LLRC
* Reactions (Protests)
* Remembrance Day
* UN Panel on Accountability
* War crimes
* Chemical weapons

Related topics|

* Casualties
* Assassinations
* Massacres
* Child soldiers
* Disappearances
* Office on Missing Persons
* Human rights
* Popular culture
* Terrorism
* Non-state
* State
* PTA
* Sexual violence
* Sixth Amendment
* Thirteenth Amendment
* Women
* 1988 Maldives coup attempt
* 1987–1989 JVP insurrection

* Sri Lankan civil war at Wiktionary
*   Source texts at Wikisource
*   Textbooks at Wikibooks
*   Images and media at the Commons
*   Quotations at Wikiquote
*   News stories at Wikinews

* v
* t
* e

State Ceremonies of Sri Lanka

State|

* Independence Day
* Inauguration of the Sri Lankan President
* Inauguration of Parliament
* State Funerals

Social|

* Remembrance Day

Traditional|

* Perahera Sandeshaya
* Aluth Sahal Mangallaya
* Wap Magul

Related|

* Changing of The Guard

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