Sri Lanka marked its 78th ‘Independence Day’ with yet another military parade in Colombo, featuring a significant presence of military personnel and 25-gun salute at sea.
While the government celebrated the day with pomp and ceremony, Tamils across the North-East and the diaspora observed the occasion as a "black day," raising black flags in protest against decades of oppression and atrocities perpetrated by the Sri Lankan state.
In his address Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake fails to mention any effort at reconciliation instead refers "to macroeconomic gains we have achieved flow to communities of all ethnicities across all provinces of Sri Lanka"
He goes on to state that "throughout the period since independence, our nation has often missed golden opportunities to steer the country in the right direction, to achieve our national aspirations, and to live together in unity. This time, however, we are determined not to repeat those mistakes. With unwavering resolve, we are striving to elevate our country into a more advanced, resilient and dignified State than it has ever been. I wish to emphasise that this endeavour is being carried out while safeguarding our proud culture, our ancient history and our invaluable heritage, standing firmly upon them."
The Sri Lankan military, which played a central role in the celebrations, has long been implicated in widespread atrocities, particularly during the final stages of the armed conflict in 2009. Tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed, and the very same weaponry displayed in parades has been used to commit genocide, war crimes and enforce the ongoing military occupation of the Tamil homeland.
