President Anura Kumara Dissanayake states that the country is not fully free even after the end of the war.

Addressing the National War Heroes’ Commemoration Ceremony held opposite the War Heroes Memorial in Battaramulla, President Dissanayake stated that the country does not yet have complete victors, and the only way to become true winners is by fully establishing law and peace in the country.

Further elaborating, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated:

“We have shed as much blood as we could. We are a nation that has shed blood to the point where the earth was soaked in blood. We are a nation that shed so much blood that it flowed like a river. We are a nation that shed so much tears that even the rivers are filled with the tears of our mothers, fathers, and ancestors. We are a people who have experienced the most brutal pains of war and the worst forms of suffering. We must ensure that such a situation never happens again.

We are not complete victors. We can only become true victors by establishing peace in this country. Therefore, we are ready to take every step possible, without fear, for peace.

We must create a society where there is no fear of another war. I know this is a very difficult task, but it is a mission that we must succeed in. Both in the North and the South, there are attempts to revive racism in the pursuit of power.

I have stated before that no one takes up arms for the sake of war itself. Every person who picked up a weapon did so for the sake of peace. We do not fight to wage war, we fight to achieve peace. With that understanding, we know that a long journey still lies ahead of us. The end of the war is only the first step, the next step is to establish lasting peace. Without this, we will only be partial victors, not complete winners. True and full victory can only be achieved by creating peace in this country. Therefore, without fear of obstacles or threats, we must be ready to take every possible step necessary to secure peace.

To every soldier holding a weapon and every officer serving our country, I earnestly ask that you always remain committed to working for the peace of our nation. I urge you to continue being those who strive to establish lasting peace in our country in the future as well. To our parents and wives I say this, your children, your spouses, have dedicated themselves to ending the war on this sacred soil. You are noble mothers and spouses. But what should be the ultimate outcome of their sacrifice? The greatest justice we can achieve for your children, your spouses, your friends, and your relatives is the establishment of peace in this country.

We must build a society where our children will no longer live in fear of war. This is an incredibly difficult task, yet it is one we must successfully accomplish. Although this may not be the ideal moment, I feel compelled to say that in both the North and the South, the flames of ethnic conflict have been rekindled fuelled not by any cause other than the struggle for power. The true freedom of our homeland remains elusive; even after ending the war, we have yet to fully secure the complete liberation of our motherland.

What does full freedom of the motherland mean? Even with the current rains, there are regions in the country at risk of flooding and hazards. Can we truly say we are free? Any conflict, no matter how small or where it occurs in the world, affects our nation’s economy and the livelihoods of our people. Are we really free? Today, we are a nation that has lost economic sovereignty. We lack a strong economy that allows us to make independent economic decisions. Therefore, to transform our motherland into a proud nation respected by the world, we must achieve economic transformation.

The supremacy of the rule of law must be firmly established in this country, regardless of any challenges. The world should speak highly of our governance. Our nation must be built as one free from crime and drug menaces. It should be a country without conflict, distrust, or hatred. Only then we can achieve true freedom for our motherland, along with strong and genuine sovereignty. Without this, sovereignty remains merely a phrase on paper, not a reality. We must make this the reality of our motherland.

We both possess an unwavering affection for our motherland. Likewise, we love our people unconditionally. We aspire to transform this land into the most esteemed motherland in the world and to enable its people to enjoy a high standard of living. The essential foundation for this is peace and reconciliation. Therefore, at this critical moment, I firmly believe we must courageously make every possible decision in favour of peace and reconciliation.

The stability, security, spirituality and pride of our fallen heroes who lie ahead of us in this war memorial are all engraved within these walls. We must engrave their spirituality, bravery, courage, and sacrifice into our own lives. Why? to build a more prosperous and peaceful nation. We forever honour in our hearts the heroes who sacrificed their lives to end the war and those who remain permanently disabled because of it. Your dedication, sacrifice, and unwavering courage will become our foundation and inspiration to rebuild this country. For this cause, let us all unite to launch a new struggle a new battle for peace and progress.”