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Udatalawinna Mass Murder : Voter describes how he was beaten up

by Kumar Wethasinghe

A 22 year old farmer from a remote village in the Kandy District yesterday described to court how a group of armed uniformed men attacked and dispersed voters at the Meegammana Polling booth during the last General Elections.

Iddawagedara Sarath Kumara told the Udatalawinna Mass Murder Trial-at-Bar that the men had assaulted him, threw him to the ground and stamped on him with their heavy boots.

The Trial-at-Bar comprised High Court Judges Eric Basnayake (President), Deepali Wijesundara and Sunil Rajapaksa.

At the outset, the witness remained quiet and commenced his evidence too softly. May be he was journey sick or nervous, this was his first ever experience before a Court of Law, and that too before a Panel three High Court Judges in Colombo.

However, the witness soon responded positively when the Court expressed its willingness to provide him with seat in case he was tired.

The witness answered the Court and said that he had left the village at 3 am in order to attend Court and had taken his breakfast at the canteen that day.

Thereafter, examined by State Counsel Mohan Seneviratne, Sarath Kumara aged 22 of the Meegammana village in the Patha Dumbara electorate related his first hand experience of the election day violence on December 5, 2001.

According to Sarath Kumara's testimony, he was born at Galagedara, his mother Karunawathi's village. His father is Iddawgedara Gunasena. The witness, his two brothers and the parents all lived at Meegammana, in the Patha Dumbara Electorate for the past two decades.

The witnesse's father was a farmer and cultivated the paddy fields belonging to the Raja Maha Viharaya in their village. Having studied up to grade eight (8), the witness had left school. Thereafter, he too took to cultivation work and looked after the cattle and also worked as a labourer.

The General Election was held December 2001 but he couldn't recollect its date. The witness and his family did not canvass for any political group. But it was in that election. The witness was going to vote for the first time in his life.

State Counsel: Do you know Mr. Ratwatte? Witness. He is an Army Officer. I saw him only on TV.

State Counsel: How do you know that. He is an Army Officer? On TV he was attended in a military uniform.

Witness Sarath Kumara was aware that the Ratwatte he had seen on TV during 2001 was from Kandy.

The election was in December 2001 but he couldn't exercise his franchise due to the violence at the Meegammana school polling booth. The Meegammana village belonged to the Pathadumbara seat. He also knew Kandy but was not certain as to whether Meegammana also came under the Kandy District.

State Counsel: Have you visited the Sri Dalada Maligawa? Yes it is in Kandy.

Q: Then in which area are you? Kandy District.

During December 2001, there had been an election campaign in the Meegammana village. He had seen an election meeting of 'Keheliya Mahattaya'. It was a UNP meeting. But their family did not take part in electioneering.

There were no other meetings he had seen and had heard of the Podhu Peramuna and the Janata Vimukthi Peramuna too. However, he did not know who the PA candidate was.

The witness could not remember the date of the Election. It was in December 2001. He had no previous experience in casting the vote. Their Polling booth was at the Meegammana school. It was 1/2 a mile from his house. On the election day he had left home at 6 o'clock in the morning. At 6.30 am, he had gone to the polling booth. There were about 50 others from their area in the queue.

The witness and his father were standing in the queue to vote.

While waiting for his turn to vote he had been thinking as to whom he should cast his vote. Then he had decided to vote for "Keheliya Mahattaya" of the UNP.

When it was about 7 am, a convoy of vehicles had arrived at the Meegammana voting centre. There were about seven or eight open-hood jeeps of different shades. Then nearly a ten-member, unknown, armed gang emerged carrying heavy fire arms on their shoulders. They were attired in big jackets, denim trousers and heavy boots. The witness could identify the Samurdhi Niyamaka Sunil Parakrama among them. Sunil was pointing out some voters and the gang attacked everyone there to chase them away out of the polling centre. They had threatened to shoot and had shouted "Ali Duwapiyaw" (Elephant get out).

The villagers who were thrashed ran away without casting their votes. The witness and his father too became helpless victims. It was the first time Witness saw such heavy weapons and the strange gang in their village.

One of the attackers attempted to lift and dash the witness on the ground. His old father had intervened and saved the victim from being smashed. Yet two of the attackers had put him on the ground and had kicked and trampled his body with their heavy boots.

A policeman on duty had just then arrived ordering the attackers to release the victimised witness and threatened to open fire if not.

Then the gangsters had remarked "We have better stuff". Then the policeman had gone away.

The witness who had suffered injuries on the head and body was bleeding all over and finally managed somehow to escape from his captives.

On his return to the village he had come across a few other victims at the Meegammana violence. But the witness avoided talking to them.

He had gone to the Udatalawinna hospital to take treatment but it had been closed and locked. In view of the prevailing unrest he did not go to the Police to make a complaint.

Later at home his neighbours had put some medicine to the witnesses wounds.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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