In a poignant and politically bold address to Parliament, Minister of Science and Technology Professor Krishantha Abeysena called for national recognition of the youth from Sri Lanka’s Northern Province who, in his words, “spoke for true justice” and paid the ultimate price.
“These youth are heroes,” he declared, adding that he had shed tears not only for the young lives lost in the South but also for those in the North during the country’s troubled past. His voice, firm yet emotional, carried across the chamber as he urged the nation to rethink how it remembers its dead beyond regional or ethnic lines.
According to the Minister, it is his political belief that someone may be seen as a patriot by one and as a traitor by another but both are part of the same national story. “Commemoration must not be selective,” he stated. “The youth who died in the North must also be honored, just as we do for the South.”
Emphasizing the inclusive stance of his political party, Professor Abeysena reiterated that neither he nor his colleagues held racist views. He extended that assurance to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake as well, saying the President did not make any racially charged statements during the recent War Heroes’ Commemoration held under his patronage.
His statement comes at a time when public discourse around memorialization continues to be polarizing, with critics accusing the state of ignoring or vilifying Northern Tamil victims, while exclusively honoring fallen Sinhala soldiers. By naming the youth of the North as “heroes,” Abeysena disrupted that narrative and challenged Parliament to adopt a broader, more compassionate view of justice and sacrifice.
The speech, though not lengthy, was layered with emotional weight and symbolic resonance, a rare moment of cross-regional empathy within the halls of power.
