Defenders of the Nation

Dr. Narme F. WICKREMESINGHE

NATIONAL HEROES: Most countries which have experienced war or armed strife keep a day to remember those heroes who have defended their country with blood, sweat and tears. They honour the official armed services - not militants, rebels or terrorists who wage war against the sovereign people and the law of the land.

A peacenik once said that we should honour those who fight on both sides, and a religious leader postponed an honour ceremony in a leading school for the same reason. But there are no two sides in patriotism.

We honour those who defend the State - the patriots, no country honours the aggressors and traitors - even though honest in their convictions. Then the World War II Allied Forces countries should be honouring Adolph Hitler and the Gestapo.

Then we should also be honouring other law breakers and criminals in this county, like rapists, rogues, murderers and corrupt persons!

The Americans have their Memorial Day, the Commonwealth Countries their Remembrance Day, Australia and New Zealand their ANZAC Day, and most countries their Armed Force Day. In Sri Lanka we have our Rana Viru Day on June 7.

Elephant Pass debacle

How did Rana Viru Day came into being? It was April 2000 when the terrorists surrounded Elephant Pass and threatened to anihilate 40,000 troops stationed in the Jafna Peninsula, unless they left their armoury behind. The Government was not prepared to hand over its weapons on a platter to a group of brigands.

Chandrika Kumaratunga then president was concerned about the expected large loss of life and loss of morale both in the military and in the country as a whole and started preparing to deal with a possible 40,000 grieving families, mainly in the rural areas.

However, the brave soldiers, sailors and airmen in a joint effort enabled the entrapped personnel to break through the Tiger trap and the expected catastrophe did not take place.

Support for Ranaviru

However, the Human Intervention Unit (HIU) formed at the Presidential Secretariat and consisting of a Doctor, Psychiatrist, and some Psychologists and a Biochemist continued to assist the combatants, the disabled, and their families, and the families of those missing and killed in action.

From an intention to support the grief stricken and traumatised they changed gear to additionally attend to social problems confronting the said categories of persons.

Thousands of letters flowed in showing a myriad problems faced by them. A large number of volunteers under the direction of Dr. Visaka Dissanayake, Psychologist Shehani De Silva, Ms Maduka Chaturani and myself sorted these complaints into categories and proceeded to communicate immediately with various authorities to solve these problems. The Psychologist dealt with the mental health problems.

A Ranaviru Help Desk was established at every Government Ministry, Provincial and District Secretariats and the Transit Camps of the Combatants.

Ranaviru Day Proposal

Organisations of the missing, killed and disabled in action kept close contact with the HIU (subsequently called the Ranaviru Surakum Ekakaya - RSE) of the Presidential Secretariat. There was also a fund of support from the private sector - prominent among them being Armyne Wirasinghe, Lal De Mel, and Cubby Wijetunga and Charmaine Mendis.

At a meeting of these groups including psychiatrists and psychologists and chaired by the Presidential Advisor Dr. Tara de Mel, a proposal was made to have a National Ranaviru Day to honour the combatants living, disabled, missing and killed and their families. When this was conveyed to the then President, she named it to be on June 7 annually.

It was also a day to muster financial and moral support for the welfare activities for those in the Armed Forces and the Police Service, the disabled and the families of the lost.

Soon after the formation of the RSE, Brig. Ananda Jayawardhena the CEO of the Ranaviru Authority in the Ministry of Defence informed that the Ranaviru Seva Authority (RVSA) Act, had not been implemented as the Board had never been appointed.

When President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was notified of this, she immediately appointed the RVSA Board and its first Chairperson Dr. Tara De Mel with effect from June 7, 2000 the first Ranaviru Day.

On this day Chandrika Kumaratunga summoned all Parliamentarians and high officials to the Presidential Secretariat to commemorate the occasion and then they went to their respective electorates to collect funds.

At Mt. Lavinia the terrorists blasted a bomb killing several persons including the genial Minister C.V. Gunaratne and his wife and injuring others in the procession like Newton Gunarathne the Head of ITN.

National remembrance park

In the following year in 2001, Ranaviru Day was commemorated in Atthanagalla with Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne as the chief guest and in 2002 in Kandy town with the Diyawadana Nilame as the chief guest, and with thousands of the families of the combatants and the disabled in attendance.

Since 2003 Ranaviru Day has come to be commemorated at the National Remembrance Park in Mailapitiya, off Kandy on the Randenigala Road with full military ceremonial and with the incumbent President gracing the occasion.

The National Remembrance Park was set up on a concept paper by Dr. Tara De Mel and a project team co-chaired by Lt. General Denis Perera of the Ceylon Tobacco Company and myself of the Ranaviru Seva Authority with Lakshman Nugawela and Priyantha Kulatunga as Co-Project Managers, and architectural support from Mano Ponniah and the late Turner Wickremesinghe.

The names of the 25000 killed and missing in action are engraved in granite at this serene spot. It is the strife heroes and their families who have suffered most as a result of this needless conflict. They yearn for peace.

In our quest for peace let us not forget those who sacrificed their lives and limbs on behalf of all of us. Ranaviru, on this Ranaviru Day 2006, we remember, salute and honour you, for having fearlessly sacrificed your today for our peaceful tomorrow.