In a fiery speech delivered in Parliament, Jaffna District MP Ramanathan Archuna declared that he would not hesitate to honour those who died fighting for the LTTE during Sri Lanka’s three-decade civil war as war heroes stating that, as a lone voice in the chamber, he is unafraid to call the fallen Tamil fighters what they were to his people.
“I represent the people of the North, and I will call the LTTE fighters who died during the war heroes,” Archuna asserted. “They may have been called terrorists in the South, but for the Tamil people, they were seen as leaders. They fought and died for what many believed was our cause and we still respect them.”
But his comments didn’t stop there. Archuna turned his criticism toward the current government, which boasts a 159-member parliamentary majority, accusing them of lacking the political courage to properly honour the Sri Lankan Army personnel who died in service to the state. “Even with such numbers, this government doesn’t have the backbone to call their own soldiers war heroes,” he said. “That is what surprises me the most.”
His statement stirred unease among MPs, tapping into long-standing tensions about how different communities view the legacy of the war and those who fought on either side. Archuna’s words appeared to reflect a deep-rooted division over national memory, with many in the Tamil community still revering fallen LTTE fighters, while the official narrative in the South continues to treat them as terrorists.
In a separate but equally pointed remark, Archuna criticized Minister of Industries Sunil Handunnetti over what he described as a “baseless” allegation regarding the transportation of salt from the North to the South. According to Archuna, the Minister mischaracterized his intentions. “I never said salt shouldn’t be taken to the South. What I said was that salt harvested in the North should be packaged and distributed locally at a lower price, so people benefit directly, rather than sell it to companies who then resell it at higher prices.”
The dual statements one about war heroes and another about economic exploitation highlight Archuna’s positioning as a vocal critic of the government and a defender of Tamil identity and regional fairness. His remarks are likely to stir both condemnation and support in equal measure, reigniting debates over national reconciliation, recognition of the war dead, and economic justice for Northern communities.
With Parliament deeply divided on these issues, Archuna’s declaration serves as a stark reminder that for many in Sri Lanka, the wounds of the past remain unhealed and the struggle for recognition, dignity, and justice continues to be fought on the floor of the nation’s legislature.
