Netherlands Embassy honours Dutch War Dead in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO – The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on Monday (4) commemorated Dutch Remembrance Day with a solemn ceremony at the Commonwealth War Graves section of Jawatta Cemetery in Colombo, honouring Dutch nationals who died in war and are buried on Sri Lankan soil.
Acting Ambassador Iwan Rutjens laid floral tributes at the war memorial and at the individual graves of Dutch victims, followed by the observance of two minutes of silence in keeping with the Netherlands’ longstanding national tradition of remembrance.
A total of 36 Dutch nationals who died during and in the aftermath of World War II are buried in cemeteries in Colombo, Kandy and Trincomalee.
The annual observance forms part of the Netherlands’ National Remembrance Day, held every year on May 4 to honour Dutch victims of war, persecution and peacekeeping missions since the outbreak of the Second World War.
The Netherlands has marked the occasion since the end of World War II, and since 1961 has officially commemorated all Dutch victims of the war, including more than 102,000 Dutch Jews and members of other persecuted minorities, together with those who lost their lives in subsequent conflicts and international missions.
In the Netherlands, the principal national ceremony takes place at Dam Square in Amsterdam in the presence of King Willem-Alexander and representatives of the Dutch government and parliament. At 8:00 p.m. local time, two minutes of silence are observed nationwide, with simultaneous remembrance ceremonies held across towns and cities.
The Colombo event mirrored that national tribute, underscoring the continued significance of remembrance and the enduring ties between the Netherlands and Sri Lanka through shared wartime history.
-ENCL
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