Colombo (AsiaNews) – “I am the happiest guardian, leader and father of a victorious nation,” said President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his speech to the nation during the military parade celebrating the victory over the Tamil Tigers.
In Tamil the head of state said that Sri Lanka was the “Motherland of us all” and that “Tamil speaking people should be protected [. . .] able to live without fear and mistrust.”
Similarly he said the country had a great and bright future, urging his compatriots not to forget that 24,000 military who died and the 5,000 who were wounded in the fight that led to the victory over LTTE rebels.
Rajapaksa also named some of the better known figures who died during the conflict; Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for instance, who died in an attack carried out by the LTTE.
After a two-minute moment of silence in honour of the fallen soldiers and civilians, units from Sri Lanka’s army, navy and air force began a parade along the Galle Face Green, the capital’s coastal promenade.
Weapons captured from the Tamil Tigers were also exposed as war trophies.