COLOMBO, May 20:  Sri Lanka has granted promotions to over 200 military officers and 12,200 other rankers to mark the 16th national war heroes day that marks victory over the Tamil separatist movement of the LTTE.

  On Tuesday, a statement from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s office said that he termed the separatist war waged by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) a tragedy.

On May 18, 2009, the Sri Lankan Army declared victory over the LTTE, which for three decades had run a parallel administration in the northern and eastern part of the country in their quest to set up a separate Tamil homeland.

On May 19, 2009, the then president Mahinda Rajapaksa declared that the last bit of land under LTTE control in the north east region had been wrested back by the government troops.

The government therefore observes both days and organises various events.

“The Sri Lanka Army has promoted 186 officers and 10,093 other ranks; the Sri Lanka Navy has promoted 22 officers and 1,256 other ranks, and the Sri Lanka Airforce has promoted nine officers and 868 other ranks”, said the statement from the president’s office.

Dissanayake – who is also the Minister of Defence and the Commander in Chief of the troops – was originally not scheduled to preside over the ceremony, but did attend it and also spoke on the occasion.

Calling the separatist war waged by the LTTE to set up a separate Tamil homeland in the north and east regions a tragedy, Dissanayake said: “For decades, our nation endured the horrors of war. This conflict which inflicted immense suffering on our people and land was brought to an end years ago”.

Dissanayake’s participation at the last minute had come under fire from several quarters.

Foreign minister Vijitha Herath, speaking on a talk show on Derana later on Monday night, however refuted those claims. The president’s non-participation had been mentioned owing to a miscommunication and he always wanted to be present at the ceremony, Herath said. “The truth is.. it was a miscommunication.” (PTI)