Sri Lanka holds national victory parade to mark crushing of rebels

Sri Lanka holds national victory parade to mark crushing of rebelsColombo - Sri Lanka is holding a national victory parade Wednesday to mark the crushing of the Tamil rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as part of continuing celebrations, officials said.

A military parade in which all senior officers and some of the soldiers who took part in operations will be held in a ceremony attended by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Galle Face Green, a sea front ground in Colombo, Wednesday morning.

The military will display some of the equipment captured from the rebels as well as the tanks, multi barrel guns and rocket launchers used against the rebels in the fight which lasted nearly three years before the rebel leadership was killed on May 18.

On this occasion, the Commanders of the Army, Navy and Air Force will officially hand over a scroll to the President, conveying the message of the conclusion of the North East war against terrorism and the liberation and re-unification of the whole country under a single flag.

Tamil rebels were fighting for a separate homeland in the north and eastern parts of the country.

Despite the crushing of the rebels, heavy security is being maintained in the capital with several roads closed for the public. (dpa)