Fear stalks a once peaceful village

The first time villagers of Ranminitenna, a remote and peaceful village in the Tissamaharamaya police division observed suspicious signs was in October. Some villagers had reportedly seen an armed gang believed to be LTTE cadres roaming their village predominantly inhabited by chena cultivators.

However the area Deputy Inspector General of Police Jayatha Gamage says there was no evidence to believe they were LTTE cadres. Since early October, a string of incidents including the killing of five villagers have changed the course of the life of the inhabitants of this otherwise peaceful village and by last night they were taking maximum precaution to prevent any more brutal attacks.

Villagers fear that LTTE cadres had entered the small hamlet during the attack on the Thalgasmankanda army unit on October 15. A week after the attack, villagers of Ranminitenna had panicked following reports about the presence of suspected LTTE cadres in their village. However police had dismissed those reports and had assured the people that the men were wood cutters dressed in black.

On October 29 three Chena cultivators – Sarath Abeydeera, Ajith Kumara and Sisira Kumara had gone to Bendawewa area where they maintained their chena cultivations and herds of cattle and have not been heard of since then. According to villagers one person had witnessed the three men being taken away with their hands tied. The nearby army camp had been informed of the incident.

Less than a week later, armed men had stormed the chena of.K.Piyasena where he stayed with his wife Premawathi."It was around 7 p.m.when five men dressed in military type uniforms and carrying weapons came and shouted out. They didn’t seem to be fluent in Sinhala. They tied my hands and legs and blindfolded me before putting me on the ground. I knew they were taking my husband away,” Premawathi said.

"They came later on looking for me. But I had managed to crawl into the adjoining chena and hide. The next morning I managed to untie myself. It was then that I saw that my husband had been killed and dumped near the fence,” she said. P.P.G.Ariyalatha too lost her husband N.H.Piyadasa in a similar manner. "Three men came in and demanded food and tea and I offered them tea. Later they tied my hands while they hacked my husband to death near the gate,” she recalled.

The other victim was another farmer, W.K.Pemananda. A tractor driver Wasantha Dharmasiri says he saw a gang of men moving towards the village the night these three killings occurred. The escaping armed men had reportedly also planted an anti-personnel mine and a villager Malindage Piyasena lost his leg when he stepped on the mine.

They had also attempted to detain another villager, Galwalage Gunadasa, who had managed to escape and report to the Army camp. The following day two more bodies were found raising further fears among the villagers. They were identified as J.A.Padmasiri and R.M.Abeywardena.

On the same night this gang had reportedly accosted two other villagers, but one of them fired into the air and the men carrying large bags had escaped into the jungle.

In the early hours of Friday armed men had also burnt a van parked in the Yodakandiya area .Police said more than nine guard posts have been set up and more than 350 policemen have been deployed while the army has also beefed up the security.

Hambantota district, JVP parliamentarian Nihal Galapatti said the villagers need security and it’s the government's responsibility to provide such security so that the villagers could live without fear