The National Victory Day Commemoration Ceremony marking 17 years since the defeat of LTTE terrorism will be held on Tuesday (19) at the National War Hero’s Monument in Battaramulla under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the Ranaviruseva Authority said.
For the first time, relatives of fallen soldiers from the Northern and Eastern provinces will participate in this year’s commemoration, the Authority added.
The details were confirmed at a media briefing held at the Government Information Department by the Chairman of the Ranaviruseva Authority, Brigadier S.B. Kohona.
“As in previous years, this commemorative ceremony will be held on May 19 at the National War Hero’s Monument in Battaramulla. It will take place under the patronage of the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake,” he said.
“This year marks the 17th commemoration. We have introduced several special changes. Compared to previous years, we have significantly increased the participation of members of Ranaviru families.”
Brigadier Kohona said groups of Tamil and Muslim war veterans from the Northern and Eastern provinces who had joined the armed forces during the conflict and contributed to establishing peace had not been adequately included in past ceremonies, prompting the policy change.
“In most cases, we have not adequately included their association. Therefore, this year we have created a special opportunity for the relatives of fallen soldiers from the Northern and Eastern provinces to attend this event,” he said.
“We have invited around 30 such individuals, and they have confirmed their participation. Accordingly, this will be a special occasion where they will be able to join the President, pay tribute in honor of the nation, and express their respect in memory of their deceased loved ones.”
The Tuesday ceremony coincides with the 17-year anniversary of the LTTE’s final defeat at Nandikadal commemorated on May 18, and follows recent welfare initiatives such as electric wheelchairs distributed to war veterans by the Ranaviruseva Authority.
Update (May 18) — scale and outreach: NewsFirst reported on a further briefing at which Brigadier Kohona said approximately 1,000 invitations have been extended to Northern and Eastern war hero families to ensure broader participation, in addition to the 30 fallen-soldier relatives who had personally confirmed attendance at the earlier briefing. Ranaviru Seva Authority Director L.M.C.B. Nishshanka said a total of 2,769 individuals are expected at the ceremony, including 160 war hero parents — an increase on previous years. Deputy Director A.G. Bhagya said an allocation of Rs. 569 million has been set aside over a five-year period for support to war heroes and their families, covering rehabilitation, housing, healthcare, education and employment opportunities. The ceremony begins at 3.00 p.m.
The state-led event runs in parallel with Tamil-community commemorations at Mullivaikkal, where Amnesty International South Asia warned of “entrenched impunity” over wartime abuses.
