In this tweet, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe wishes his twitter followers a happy Sinhalese and Tamil New Year. Both the Sinhalese and Tamil New Year fall around the same time of year (mid April). The festivities are celebrated in similar fashion as well. The civil war from 1976-2009 was fought over sectarian divisions between Tamil and Sinhalese Sri Lankans. Perhaps this is a gesture to demonstrate that this is a new Sri Lanka where the Tamil and Sinhalese can coexist peacefully. Despite the war being over for almost a decade, there are still tensions. The important question is, what will the government’s next move be to ensure that neither side takes up arms again?
Help Received: Tamil and Sinhalese New Year Wikipedia pages.