Remembrance Day is observed on 19 May, which marks the decisive victory of the Sri Lankan Army against the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War, on 18 May 2009.
The Sri Lankan Civil War was an armed conflict fought between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, aka Tamil Tigers) and the Government of Sri Lanka.
Rajapaksa's successor, President Maithripala Sirisena renamed the day to Remembrance Day and moved the date to 19 May to "mark the sacrifices made by all those, who irrespective of their ethnicity, safeguarded the unity and territorial integrity of the country".
The day is a step towards reconciliation between all ethnic communities of the country.
[1][2][3] Commemorations for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are not permitted.