{"id":149700,"date":"2025-05-20T02:44:29","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T09:44:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=149700"},"modified":"2025-05-20T02:44:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T09:44:29","slug":"no-more-mistakes-a-national-appeal-to-protect-the-integrity-of-future-victory-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2025\/05\/20\/no-more-mistakes-a-national-appeal-to-protect-the-integrity-of-future-victory-days\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cNo More Mistakes: A National Appeal to Protect the Integrity of Future Victory Days\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shenali Waduge<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Let May 18 be a day of Honor, not Revenge or Amnesia<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Sri Lanka reflects on the significance of May 18, the Government must ensure that all future Victory Day commemorations are marked with dignity, truth, and national gratitude \u2014 not silence, distortion, or political bias.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This appeal is to set a consistent national standard going forward<\/strong> \u2014 to properly honor those who sacrificed and to preserve the historical truth for future generations.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Key Demands<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. President\u2019s Presence Is Essential<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commander-in-Chief must attend the main ceremony in person.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victory Day is a national duty<\/strong> \u2014 not optional.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. A Statesman-like, Non-Political Speech addressed to the Nation<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Refer to all war heroes as Ranaviruwo\u201d, not just soldiers\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Name and thank<\/strong>: the 2009 President, Defense Secretary, Tri-Service & Field Commanders.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Tell the Truth<\/strong>: LTTE terrorism was defeated militarily after decades of failed peace.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Highlight the rescue of 300,000 civilians<\/strong> as a humanitarian triumph.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Protect Victory Day from Dilution<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Do not rename, water down, or politicize May 18 with new politicized definitions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Reiterate that it was a victory over terrorism, not Tamils. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highlight that Sri Lanka\u2019s Armed Forces saved & prevented Tamil children from being turned into LTTE Child Soldiers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      This truth must be reaffirmed & repeated yearly.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Nationwide Participation & Media Coverage<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Schools, public institutions, and state media must formally mark the day with tributes, documentaries & stories of sacrifice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Respect & Recognize War Veterans (not LTTE Terrorists)<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Legally recognize Victory Day.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Invite veterans and families of the fallen \u2014 treat them with dignity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Give them a voice, not a token seat.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Ban display of ALL LTTE INSIGNIA<\/strong> \u2013 Mourning does not require terrorist symbols, flags or emblems<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

This Is Not a Celebration of War \u2014 It\u2019s a Day of Liberation \/ Defeating Terrorism<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka did not defeat a people. Sri Lanka defeated Terrorists & Terrorism.
Sri Lanka saved its people, including Tamils, from tyranny.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let no activist, foreign lobby, or politician erase that truth.
Let Victory Day be remembered \u2014 with respect, truth, and unity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

To be submitted to: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The President<\/strong> \/ Ministry of Defense \/ Tri-Forces Leadership \/ National Media \/<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lankan Embassies Worldwide<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shenali Waduge Let May 18 be a day of Honor, not Revenge or Amnesia As Sri Lanka reflects on the significance of May 18, the Government must ensure that all future Victory Day commemorations are marked with dignity, truth, and national gratitude \u2014 not silence, distortion, or political bias. This appeal is to set a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-149700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","category-shenali-waduge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149700\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}