Sri Lanka

Military stages victory parade

Article published on the 2009-06-03 Latest update 2009-06-04 11:10 TU

Sri Lankan national victory ceremony, Colombo, 3 June 2009
(Photo: Reuters)

Sri Lanka held a parade on Wednesday for its victory over Tamil Tiger rebels. President Mahinda Rajapakse gave a speech in praise of the country's military. He also expressed gratitude to certain countries who he said had supported the war that led to the defeat of the rebels.

Rajapakse spoke on national television just before the parade, and said that Sri Lanka was entering a new era in foreign relations. "Having won our freedom in our motherland, we must now establish our freedom and sovereignty internationally," he said.

Rajapakse thanked Asian, African, and Arab countries for their support in Sri Lanka's conclusive war against the Sri Lankan rebels Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). He omitted to mention Western nations, which have repeatedly expressed concerned about civilian casualties.

Sri Lanka's foreign secretary Nanda Godage said Rajapakse "is very irritated by the attitude of Britain," the island's former colonial ruler, which is leading calls for war crimes investigations. Sri Lanka has consistently denied shelling populated areas in its battle against the LTTE.

Rajapakse also spoke some lines in Tamil. He said he would now try to win over the hearts of the Sri Lankan Tamils, who represent about 20 per cent of the Sinhalese-majority population. "The Tamil-speaking people should be protected. They should be able to live without fear and mistrust," the President said.

Sri Lankan troops last month overran the last sliver of Tamil Tiger territory and killed the rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.