By Kavita Mistry 
“Grief knows no ethnicity”, Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has said, as he vowed to ensure “lasting peace” and build a society “anchored in justice”.
Mr. Dissanayake made the remarks at the 16th “War Heroes’ Commemoration Ceremony” held on Monday (May 19, 2025), a day after thousands of Tamils gathered in Mullivaikkal, in the northern Mullaitivu district, to remember their loved ones who were killed by the armed forces in the final phase of the island nation’s civil war that ended in 2009.
According to the United Nations, some 40,000 civilians were killed, including in areas declared “no fire zones” by authorities, and thousands disappeared, in the gory battle that spanned over three decades. Survivors have been unrelentingly demanding accountability and justice for what international rights groups have found to be grave abuse of human rights.
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“Our predecessors endured conflict; ours is a generation still grappling with its residual divisions. But we must resolve to leave our children a nation free from strife, a society anchored not in power struggles but in justice,” Mr. Dissanayake said in his address to soldiers. Observing that war is “synonymous with tragedy and devastation”, he noted, “Today, we witness the remnants of this devastation, children orphaned, parents bereaved, and spouses widowed. Across our land, from North to South, grief knows no ethnicity.”
In a rare acknowledgment from a southern leader, of the scores of lives lost in the Tamil majority areas of the north and east, Mr. Dissanayake pointed to people — “not only in the south but also in the north” — holding up photographs of their loved ones on the streets, mourning their death. “To every parent, their child is precious. So, as a country that has faced such a massive tragedy, our responsibility today is to prevent such a war from happening again in our country,” he said.
Elected to the country’s top office last year, Mr. Dissanayake and his majority-wielding National People’s Power, raised expectations, including among Tamils who backed them, over delivering meaningful reconciliation and equitable development. Six months since, the government faces growing scrutiny over pending implementation of its pledges.
Contending that conflicts, racism, and extremism have been “strategically exploited” at various times to acquire, sustain, and strengthen power, President Dissanayake said, “These issues have not emerged naturally; rather, they have been manipulated to secure authority and to obscure the wrongdoings committed.”
“Today, peace is increasingly being portrayed as a sign of betrayal. Reconciliation is being distorted into surrender. But as a progressive society we must raise our voices for more than ever for humanity and compassion. This applies not only within our own country, but across the world,” Mr. Dissanayake said, asking what wars and conflicts raging around the globe have truly brought to people. “Victory? No, only destruction. That is why I believe we must act with unwavering commitment and clarity in our efforts to achieve lasting peace.”
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In a social media post, opposition MP and Tamil Progressive Alliance Leader Mano Ganesan said Sri Lankans should reach a “patriotic destination” where they are able to commemorate “all our dead souls and if need to be, victory over all kind of terrorism, state and non-state [actors]” and in the south and north of the country.
Urging the government to address “root causes” of the war, Mr. Ganesan pointed to the discrimination of minorities beginning in 1948, with the Ceylon Citizenship Act that disenfranchised Indian Origin [Hill Country or Malaiyaha] Tamils, the Sinhala Only Act of 1956, and the failure by successive governments to implement various political commitments and legislative pledges, including the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution.
“Will the new government undo the past failures of its predecessors and bring justice and accountability?” rights watchdog Amnesty International asked in a post on the commemoration.
Published – May 20, 2025 06:46 pm IST