Country weeps for Delgoda massacre victims

Dharma Sri Abeyratne

DELGODA: They all were crying. None in the long queue of mourners could believe this glaring instance of man's inhumanity to man. Five members of the same family - father, mother, two boys aged five and seven and their aunt - lay still in their coffins, their lives brutally snatched by heartless killers. Delgoda, and indeed the whole country, is still in a state of shock over this massacre.

K.M. Thilakaratne (37), S.A. Ramyalatha (35), sons K.M. Lakshan (5), K.M. Dilshan Madusanka (7) and aunt S.A. Pabawathie were hacked to death by unidentified persons on Saturday. Police are yet to arrest the murderers.

Janaka Srimal, a neighbour and relative, was the first to see the horrific murder scene. "I called 'Sudu Mama' (uncle) a few times and I got curious when there was no answer from him. I then looked through a window to see whether anything was amiss.

Then I saw the daughter lying on the living room floor in a pool of blood. I cried out for help."

"Ranjan, another neighbour, rushed in. We broke the rear door and went into the house. Unfortunately no one was alive except the 12-year-old daughter and we took her to hospital," he said.

They said even though the house is surrounded by many houses no one had heard the inmates scream as they were stabbed.

"I came running when I heard Janaka and Ranjan shouting for help. I couldn't believe my eyes," said A. Rohitha, another neighbour. He mentioned that Thilakaratne had a land dispute with a family in the same village. Further investigations are being carried out by Meegahawatte Police on the instructions of Deputy Inspector General of Police (Colombo North) Sarath Jayasundara.

OIC Meegahawatte Police Inspector Ajantha Pushpakumara told the Daily News that three suspects were questioned.