Their life

Mahakachchikodiya, a remote village in Vavuniya, is reputed to have been the home of Nandimithra, Dutugemunu's famed warrior. Today, it is the location of a forward defence bunker line of the Sri Lanka Army.

To reach the Forward Defence Line (FDL) we drove along bumpy country roads, where armed soldiers on picket duty, watchfully scanned the surrounding areas. Yet, life seemed to go on as usual as we passed through quiet villages. In the paddy fields, farmer families were harvesting in the blazing sun. Cattle ambled along the roads or grazed by the sides. At the further end of a paddy field, Major Gunasekera, who accompanied us, pointed out the line of bunkers, which marked the FDL. It seemed very much a part of the village. 

Turning off on a gravel track, we drove up to the bunkers, which are protected by two barbed wire fences beyond which is a stretch of so called 'no man's land', which the soldiers say is dominated by the enemy. At this point, the FDL had fallen back by about seven kilometres after the Wanni debacle in November, Major Gunasekera explained. 

Inside the bunker the soldiers have stacked their clothes, personal belongings, bottles of water and a few cooking utensils. Water, for the inevitable numerous cups of tea, which they drink to while away the time, is boiled over a simple wood fire. The soldiers' meals are supplied by the camp nearby, but they do rustle up an occasional 'pol' sambol for extra spice. 

"We have manned this bunker for two months now," said Lance Corporal Preethiviraj, who was on duty that day with Pvt. Wijesinghe and Pvt. Nalaka Silva. These soldiers have between two and a half to three years experience in the Army. "We take turns to keep watch. There is an observation post further ahead and they give an alert if enemy movement is spotted. We then stand ready to attack. We are fairly relaxed during the day but at night are particularly watchful. Sometimes, we hear the sound of firing and immediately stand alert, ready for action." he said.

The base camp guarding the Mahakachchikodiya FDL, located nearby, was manned by battle-hardened soldiers of the Sri Lanka National Guard (SLNG) set up in 1990. 

Sgt. Piyatilaka, who has 11 years experience in the Army is married and has one child. "I joined the Army because I felt young men like me should save our country," he said. Having served several years at the front, Sgt. Piyatilaka recalled his most memorable experience, a near brush with death. "I was deployed in Kokkuthudai in Welioya in 1993, when we were ambushed by the LTTE. Most of my comrades died in the fighting and I was left alone, wounded. I saw two tree-stumps on the ground and lay still between them pretending to be dead. A terrorist came up to me but seeing the blood, left me for dead. He stepped over me from one stump to the other. I was later taken to the hospital by our men who came looking for us. I will never forget that experience," Sgt. Piyatilaka said. 

Brig. Tissa Jayawardena, 211 Brigade Commander and Co-ordinating Officer for Vavuniya, said the Mahakachchikodiya FDL provides security to the villages in the area. Apart from the village of Mahakachchikodiya, five to seven other small Sinhala villages are located in the area, surrounded by Tamil villages. About 500 families, mostly farmers and some teachers and a few engaged in small business enterprises, make up the Sinhala villages and in their isolated state are particularly vulnerable to terrorist attacks. 

"We have set up several camps in the area to provide security to the villagers, both Sinhala and Tamil, to enable them to cultivate their lands and carry on with their work," Brig. Jayawardena said. "We also cooperate in the civil administration of the Sinhala and Tamil villages." The Brigadier said that apart from one villager who was killed in a claymore mine intended for the Army, about two months ago, there have been no other incidents recently. With the Army camps located in the area, they manage to maintain stability.

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