Islamist terror
Although the pain for many families remains, and many in the 2.5-million-strong Tamil community still feel disadvantaged, the end of the war did open a peaceful new chapter in which Sri Lanka's economy and tourism boomed.
But this peace was shattered April 21 when Islamist suicide bombers targeted three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 258 people, including 45 foreigners.
The attackers were homegrown extremists — the Islamic State group also claimed credit — and riots since saw dozens of homes, businesses and mosques of Sri Lanka's Muslim minority vandalized. One man was killed by a mob wielding swords.
According to the ICG, the Easter attacks "compounded the general anxiety, tearing again at the social fabric, unleashing further violence and complicating the road to sustainable peace."
Evoking memories of past dark times, a state of emergency has been in place since April 21 with the return of some wartime restrictions on free movement.
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Sri Lanka's army chief Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake has said his troops will ensure that this year's commemoration goes ahead peacefully.
"As much as we mourn the soldiers who were killed in the war, (minority Tamil) civilians also have a right to commemorate their war dead," he said Thursday. (VOA)