The Special Report

19th March 2000

Shattered lives and dreams

By Hiranthi Fernando

• He spied something fishy
• Tears and shock
• Night of terror
• Tigers at his doorstep
• He died to save others
• Where was justice?

He spied something fishy

The man who unwittingly thwarted the elaborately planned bomb attack at the Ayurveda junction on Friday the 10 th, had no idea of the horrors that were soon to be unleashed. Innocent civilians travelling home after a hard days work and Police personnel posted for duty at that busy junction were killed and many injured, some still in a critical condition.

Although the scale of the tragedy was great, had Rohitha not been alert, the consequences to the country may have been even greater. If he had not spotted the intruders on his premises and raised the alarm, claymore mines, suicide bombers and armed terrorists would have gone into action when VIP convoys travelled back from Parliament.

Rohitha and his wife Nandani still in shock, spoke to The Sunday Times seated in their home -the location of which cannot be disclosed for obvious reasons.

Until a few months ago, the couple and their three children had lived in a little tumbled down house at the corner of Cotta Road/Castle Street, from where the violence had erupted that Friday. They had moved there in 1983, as squatters, having put up a little hut on the empty three -perch block which belonged to the State. Being an unauthorised structure, it was demolished two years later. Finally they had been given a permit to occupy the premises on the condition that they would hand it back anytime it was required. As they still not been asked to give it up, they are its virtual ownerst. Though they no longer live there, Nandani conducts tuition classes in Sinhala and Arithmetic for primary school children in the house. She also looks after the garden, which has Mango, Coconut and two Jak fruit trees, she said.

"As a rule, I check on the premises everyday because we have already had four robberies. My wife also conducts classes in the evenings from Monday to Thursday. I join her there and we go home together after the class. On Fridays and Saturdays, although there are no classes, I go there and light a lamp just to show it is occupied," Rohitha said.

Usually, Rohitha goes back home after work, picks up the house key and goes to the Cotta Road house.

That Friday he had collected a pair of shoes his wife had given for repairs opposite the Ayurveda Hospital and went to check on the house, before he went home. By some twist of fate he got there earlier than usual. "I found the wire on the gate untied and the bamboo across it removed. As I entered I saw a man running towards the overgrown garden next door. I immediately thought thieves had entered. As I had not collected the house key, I peered through the keyhole. As I placed my hand on the door, it opened. It was dark inside but I saw two figures moving towards me. I did not see any weapons then. I ran outside, shouting out to whoever was inside to show themselves. I had no idea they were armed terrorists. I waited at the gate but there was no response from the house," Rohith recalled.

"About 20 minutes passed as I stood there, looking towards the road. This is a busy stop with buses often stopping here to drop off passengers. Just then another came up to me and asked what I was doing there. When I told him the story he too ran off to bring the Police.He returned in a three wheeler with two policemen. I later found out that he too was a policeman in civils.

"As the Policemen got off from the three wheeler, a man lying on the ground, raised his gun and started shooting at us. We jumped on to the road. It was then that I heard a deafening blast, followed by another one. I ran for dear life down Cotta Road, towards Borella. One of the policemen ran along with me, falling over his gun. I don't know what happened to the others. I still can't believe that I survived.

"We heard the sound of the blast," said Nandani,taking up the story. "We felt the vibration through the house. We ran to my brother's home at Welikada, taking a short cut. I was frightened and anxious when I heard that the blast was at the Ayurveda junction. I knew my husband was going there. Leaving the children at my brother's house, I somehow managed to get to the junction with my brother. There did not seem to be anyone near the house, so I went to a neighbours to inquire. I heard to my great relief that Rohitha had escaped, even though the blast was detonated from our premises.

"When I walked back to our house in the corner, some Army personnel were there. It was a gruesome sight that greeted me. The road was littered with bodies, pieces of flesh, broken trees and other debris from the blast. I gave thanks that my husband had managed to escape. It was after nine that night when I finally saw for myself that he was actually unharmed. We are still worried about his safety," she said.

Tears and shock

By Faraza Farook, Tania Fernando Nilika de Silva and Sanjeewa Tennakoon

As families who lost their loved ones at the bomb blast and cross-fire at Rajagiriya, are still trying to come to terms with their tragic and sudden loss some who narrowly escaped are still suffering from the shock.

Many of the grieving families were preparing to hold the seven-day alms givings when we met them last week. While relating their nightmare, they relived every anxious moment.

Although the tragedy occured duirng peak hours of traffic, the families of victims had been optimistic that their loved ones would be safe somewhere. Their delays in returning home were attributed to traffic diversions and certain areas being cordoned off.

It was like any other Friday evening, with plans for the weekend probably being the foremost thing on peoples' minds, until an explosion rocked the peaceful flow of traffic on Castle Street.

"We allowed enough time for her to come home, knowing that most people were getting home late due to traffic problems. It was 10 o'clock when we actually began to panic, and then my husband and mother visited the hospital," said Dharshi, the sister of one of the victims Dilrukshi Kandaramage.

Dilrukshi and Udeni who were close friends, worked together and travelled in the same office van. Fate decided that they should also leave this world together.

Dilrukshi the youngest in a family of three was working at the Commercial Bank for five years, and was also a CIMA student. Having suffered serious injury to her head, she was taken to hospital in an unconscious state and was put on a life support system. Although doctors had carried out scans, an operation was not possible and Dilrukshi passed away on Saturday.

Udeni Samanthika Dayananda (27) who also suffered gunshot injuries to the head had died on admission to the National Hospital. Another colleague of their's at the Commercial Bank, Srimathi Damayanthi Premaratna who was also travelling by van was killed in the blast.

It was not just Udeni and Dilrukshi, but all the others except for two who were travelling in the van were killed. Many of them died due to the cross fire that took place soon after the blast.

G.V.A Thushmal Asanka Perera, who was looking forward to celebrating his birthday on March 25th, was the driver of the ill-fated van.

Twenty three-year-old Asanka would set out from home every morning at 6 and return at 7 in the night. After doing his rounds in the morning, he would park the van at the Sampath Bank and return home by bus for lunch. He would go back in the evening, around 3 to pick up the office staff and take them to their homes.

Asanka began the van transport business just eight months back. Most of those who travelled in the van were female bank employees. This day was no different from any other. But neither Asanka nor his passengers could make it home that evening.

Wasantha Kumari, of Gabadawatta Homagama was another victim from the area. She was on her way home in the ill-fated van from her work place 'Pan -Audio' at Kollupitiya.

"Generally Wasantha is dropped at home by the person whom she was going to marry. On that particular day she was travelling by van and was caught in this tragedy," Wasantha's mother said.

"It was my birthday and my daughter called me around 5.00 p.m. and told me she wanted me to prepare a tasty meal. She wanted me to avoid fish and beef. She said her fiancé was also due to come that night. That was the last I spoke to her," she said. We had heard about the blast, but we began to panic when we saw the tragedy on TV. It was only then that we visited the hospital and saw our daughter's body at the morgue," she said.

Mangalika Wickremesinghe celebrated her birthday a week before the bloody terror.

For Lakshmi Vinitha Rajapaksha who got caught in the blast it was sheer fate to be in that death van.

Ms Rajapaksha, an employee of Sampath Bank was married to the OIC of the Bandaragama police station, IP Sunil Piyaratna.

According to Vinitha's mother her daughter had missed the office van on the particular day and was heading home in a car coming towards Pannipitiya.

"However at Borella my daughter had seen the van and had decided to travel by it. In less than five minutes she was caught in the incident at Rajagriya," she said.

It was Vinitha's son, Lakruwan who had spotted the ill-fated van bearing 53-5147 on TV and alerted the rest of the family members.

It is ironic that Vinitha's husband was on that very day providing security to VIPs who were guests at a school sports festival at Bandaragama.

Roshini Fernando (24) was one of the survivors in the van. Having received injuries to her head and right hand, Roshini is still being treated at the National Hospital. She married a naval officer last July, but her husband is away overseas and is unable to be by her side.

Having witnessed the blast she said, "I was sitting at the back of the van. Suddenly I heard this big blast and saw a flash of light. I immediately covered my eyes. That's all I can remember.

Night of terror

It was a sleepless night for residents at the Serpentine Flats who did not know what was in store for them when terrorists encroached into their compound.

Seeing four terrorists entering the compound of the flats, all the people fled into their flats, and locked and bolted their doors. This reaction was triggered off after terrified inmates passed on the message 'koti enawa., koti enawa' (tigers are coming, tigers are coming).

As doors were closed and lights were switched off, the terrorists took cover on the third floor of the C block.

They first stopped at a shop, from which flat dwellers usually bought their necessities. "They knocked on the door calling 'Mudalali, Mudalali.

They looked like Army personnel and were heavily armed," H.A. Rohini, a mother of two said. Fooled by their attire, Rohini opened the door only to find that they were LTTEers. She relaized this only when they started speaking in Tamil.

"They said they were hungry in Tamil, whereupon my brother asked them to take whatever they wanted and locked ourselves in the bedroom.

"After taking some packets of biscuits, mega bottles of soft drink off the stand,some plantains and a bottle of jam, they left closing the door behind them,"Rohini said.

Meanwhile, Rohini carried her two-and-a-half month old baby and beckoned the other two children (her's and her brother's) to follow her out of the back door and hurried to another flat and spent the night there.

"My brother and mother spent the whole night under the bed, because there was heavy firing going on. The windows of the bedroom were shattered, and even the wire grills were bent out of shape" she said.

Above the shop in the flat is the house of a lawyer. With the security personnel and the terrorists exchanging fire, 69-year-old Gunawathie and her lawyer son huddled together near the bathroom. The walls were drilled with bullets and the windows were all shattered. Even a book on the bookshelf had a bullet wedged in it. Looking at the scene of devastation it almost seemed a miracle that they survived.

The residents in the flat below the one that the terrorists were hiding in said they had seen the terrorists dodging into the building and soon got into their houses. They thought the terrorists would leave through a different exit they said. Instead the terrorists climbed up into the third floor of the block, and holed themselves up fortified with enough food to see the dawn through.

"We spent the entire night stretched out on the floor," said, Sudath Mallikarachchi. The only time I opened a door was to go the toilet, it was greeted with a volley of firing and I retreated immediately.

"In the early hours of the morning we saw Commandos moving in. There was heavy exchange of fire and a sudden explosion. After this at 15-minute intervals several other explosions took place. We later learned that those were sounds of suicide bombers exploding themselves," he said.

Please see pg 5 for more

Tigers at his doorstep

By Chris Kamalendran

Ishan Sahar and his elderly mother, residents of C. Block were compelled to spend the night with at least four LTTE suicide cadres hiding close to their doorstep.

Until the suicide bombers exploded themselves the following morning and the army tapped on the door Ishan spent the night under the bed with his mother. He narrowly escaped death when suicide bombers blew themselves up right in front of their flat.

Twenty two year Sahar describing his experiences told us on that fateful Friday he had seen the Tigers entering the flats.

"We had no time to escape. By the time we knew what was going on they were at the landing of the upper floor of the C block, just a few metres away from our flat.

"The only thing we could do was to close the door, switch off the lights and remain indoors. We had heard the sounds of explosion and gunfire earlier," he said.

He pushed his mother under the bed and told her to get close to the wall for more protection.

"We were too afraid to even listen to the radio to find out what exactly was going on. After an endless wait, around 5.30 a.m. we heard a gunshot and one of the terrorists on the landing screaming. Immediately thereafter three others on the landing moved towards our front door. TThen we heard the rest of the suicide bombers blasting themselves causing extensive damage to the front part of the flat. 'It was a miracle that we escaped," says Sahar.

He died to save others

Last Monday a cloud was cast over the usually sunny afternoon, with the roundabout near Kanatte decorated in white, and sombre banners declaring that the people were mourning the death of police officers who died in action last week.

Six policemen were among the 22 people who died in the crossfire following the explosion last Friday evening. They were Sergeant Malawadana Bennet Maldeniya of the City Traffic Police, Y. Wickremesingha and L.G. Dayaratne of the Borella Police, J.M. Jayasundera, Divulpitiya Police, H.M. Dayaratne of the Kirullapone Police, and G.A. Dharmasena, Elpitiya Police.

One of the most courageous acts that took place at the Ayurveda roundabout that is now being talked about, is the one involving Sergeant Bennet Maldeniya who was killed in action.

Sergeant Maldeniya was not at the Ayurveda junction when the incident started. Upon hearing a loud noise, it was he who called Police Headquarters and informed them that something was happening. He had also volunteered to investigate.

It was Sergeant Maldeniya who took immediate steps to divert the traffic towards Borella, Kanatte, thereby saving the lives of many more civilians who would have otherwise rushed unknowingly to the danger zone.

The wife of Sergeant Maldeniya, Lakmali, spoke of how her husband had left home after lunch, to do the evening round. "He told me he wouldn't get late," she said brushing aside the tears.

With the bread winner gone, this family has a bleak future ahead.

"All I ask for is a house to live in,"said Lakmali, who is trying to come to grips with what her husbands death would mean to her three growing children. At present they are at the Police flats in Borella, but Lakmali fears that soon they will be asked to leave.

Although the brave actions of Sergeant Maldeniya and his colleagues saved the lives of so many, their deaths left their families with no place to go.

Where was justice?

They fight for justice, but there was no justice for two lawyers who were travelling home after a hard days work at the courts.

D.S. Rupasinghe, a father of four children, was travelling to his residence in Nugegoda, with another colleague when they were caught in the bomb blast at Rajagiriya.

His family like many others panicked when he was late getting back home." I received many calls to say they had seen his jeep at the bomb site," said a distraught Mrs. Rupasinghe.

Mrs. Rupasinge said she never thought her husband might have got caught in the blast although he was getting late. "He never gets late to come home, he normally comes around 4.30 pm. But that day I thought some work was probably holding him up. When there was no sign of him, I informed my brothers and neighbours and they started looking for him".

"I wanted to go to hospital along with my family, but they were unable to take me. I called some relatives who are doctors to try and get some information. My brothers found my husband in hospital where he died," she said.

Thilak Balasuriya, also a lawyer was travelling with Mr. Rupasinghe on that fateful Friday evening. He had wanted to stop at the Fab to buy a cake for his son's birthday, when the terrorist struck.

Inside the glass house

Editorial/ Opinion Contents