Washington Buddhist Vihara pays tribute to war heroes

One month after the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam by the Military, Sri Lankan expatriates in the greater Washington D.C. area gathered Saturday to pay tribute to the war Heroes who laid down their lives for the protection of their Motherland.

Sri Lankans from all communities and faiths gathered on June 20 and took part in religious observances conducted by the monks at the Washington Buddhist Vihara. The service was led by Ven. Maharagama Dhammasiri Nayaka Thera.

Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the United States, Jaliya Wickramasuriya, thanked the event's organizers and said all Sri Lankans are grateful for the ultimate sacrifice made by their men and women in uniform.

Ven. Dhammasiri Thera said, the conflict is often compared to the time when the Great King Dutugemunu united the entire island. But the recent victory, he said, was in fact a greater achievement, since King Dutugemunu only had to fight the local enemy, while the Government of Sri Lanka, led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, had to fight an international propaganda war while defeating the LTTE militarily, he said.