| Remembrance Day | |
|---|---|
| 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 | 18 May |
| Next time | 18 May 2024 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day |
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 18 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, but in 2015 was renamed Remembrance Day by President Maithripala Sirisena.[1][2][3]
The memorial day occurs on the same day as Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day, a similar memorial day celebrated by Sri Lankan Tamils to commemorate the Tamils who were killed during the final stages of the war.
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]
| 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 |
