The National War Heroes’ Day commemoration ceremony was held under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena, this evening (19).

The event titled “Uththama Pranaama 2019” was attended by the family members and the relatives of the war heroes who had fallen victim to the prolonged warfare of three decades.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya and Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa also attended the ceremony held at the Battaramulla War Hero Monument.

Addressing the gathering, President Sirisena said, he fully confides in the competence of the heroic military personnel to wipe out terrorism faced by the country at present.

Sri Lanka is now confronted with global terrorism, which is completely contradictory to the type of brutal terrorism, which had plagued the country for 30 years and defeated a decade ago, the President further said.

The tri-forces, the intelligence services along with intelligence and military experts carry a new responsibility and they are able to overcome this new challenge with the help of the experiences of the 30-year war, the President added. 

The President paid tribute to the war heroes who sacrificed their lives in the brutal war which prolonged for over three decades, as well as to the relatives of the fallen soldiers.

He commended the service of the war heroes for their service rendered to the motherland even today.

The President also extended his condolences to the victims of the terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday (21st of April), as well as to their relatives.