Sri Lanka’s president and prime minister both commemorated ‘war heroes month’ on Wednesday, where they paid tribute to Sri Lankan troops for a military offensive that saw tens of thousands of Tamil civilians killed.
“The government has declared this annual War Heroes Commemoration Month to pay gratitude to the war heroes who sacrificed their lives and limbs during the humanitarian operation to end three decades long terrorism in the country,” reported an official government website.
During the final military offensive in May 2009, tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed, largely by Sri Lankan government shelling. Hospitals were bombed, food and medicine embargoed and extrajudicial killings documented. Tamils around the world mark the occasion as a month of mourning.
