The Sri Lankan government has announced that its annual Independence Day celebrations will be held in Tamil-dominated Trincomalee next year, reported the Defence Ministry’s website.
It said the decision was made “under the direction” of the president, Mahinda Rajapakse.
At a press conference, Prime Minister D.M. Jeyaratne was reported to have said that the “celebrations” will be a unique opportunity for the people in the North-East to witness “symbolic unity” of the country.
The ancient port town of Trincomalee is one of the largest cities in the Tamil homeland and is a significant cultural and religious centre of the Eelam Tamil nation.
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