Victory Parade at Galle Face every May 18

The Government will hold the Victory Parade at the Galle Face on May 18 every year to mark Sri Lanka’s victory over terrorism, said Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The Defence Secretary made this observation after the ceremonial opening of the monument erected at Elephant Pass in memory of war heroes yesterday.

The Victory Parade will be held on May 20 only for this year.

Emphatically stating that the Victory Parade was to mark the victory of all the communities in the country, Defence Secretary Rajapaksa said all communities will participate in this national event.

Reminding of the gains of the operation, the Defence Secretary said one of the main objectives of the operation was to free the Tamil people from the vicious grip of the LTTE. The Tamil people were held hostage by the LTTE and its vicious leader Prabakaran depriving them of their culture, education etc. The victory of the operation was mostly felt by the Tamil community of this country, he said.

He said a War Heroes Week will be held prior to the Victory Parade and at the end of the War Heroes Week the Victory Parade will be held with the participation of parents, wives and children and relatives of the war heroes. SM