ISSN: 1391 - 0531
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Vol. 42 - No 01
News  

After the blast: The shock and despair

By Nadia Fazlulhaq and Isuri Kaviratne

The one who survived

Coming from his office in Colombo 2 to his residence in Moratuwa, Gerard Jayasekara routinely picks up speed from Maliban Junction to Mallika junction. But luckily for him, on that fateful Monday, two cars overtook him, miraculously saving him from the blast.

“I heard the sound of a big blast and then there was a huge plume of black smoke. I was confused and couldn’t move at all. So, I stopped the car in the middle of the road and what caught my eye was a pool of blood.

He said next he remembers two STF personnel, bleeding all over, coming up to him and asking him whether he could take them to hospital. “They noticed that I was in shock because they asked me, “Mahattaya can you drive?” I still can’t recall whether I said yes or no but I remember driving so fast that even the injured were asking me to slow down. I was able to get the injured to the Kalubowila hospital within 15 minutes. When I stopped at the hospital entrance I realised I was shivering,” he said.

“What I witnessed that day was terrible. I felt dizzy for two whole days as the incident kept haunting me,” he said thankful for the narrow escape.

It was peak hour on Monday evening when the claymore mine blast occurred in Ratmalana maiming and killing those who were passing by or on their way to the market.

Those who lost their kith and kin are still in shock over losing their loved ones so suddenly.“I looked for my husband among the injured little realizing that he was lying among the dead and I had passed by his body without even realizing it. When I realised that it was the body of my husband that was lying there I suddenly felt lost. I was later told that I had been unconscious for two hours and had been admitted to hospital,” said Sujatha Balachandra, wife of A. Balachandra.

The scene of the blast. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara and Saman Kariyawasam

According to Mrs. Balachandra, her husband was to fly abroad the next day and had gone to a boutique to do some last minute shopping. “I told him not to go out as he had an appointment with some Korean representatives at 6 p.m.,” she said with tear-filled eyes.

Mr. Balachandra (69) born in Maalamulla, Panadura started his career as a teacher and later held several high posts in the Administrative Service being the Post Master General, Chairman of the Ports Authority, Ministry Secretary of the Janasaviya, GA Ratnapura and Managing Director of Distilleries Corporation. At the time of his tragic death he was the Sri Lanka representative of SAMSUNG Corporation, Korea, playing a major role in the Greater Galle Water Project.

“In our 38 years of marriage, although it was a proposal, we were very much in love. He was a good husband and guide to our son. He was an honest and dedicated worker and devoted Buddhist. I find it difficult to bear his untimely death.”

On hearing about the blast, Mrs. Balachandra had stood by the gate and waited till her husband returned. Then her neighbour informed her that her husband’s car had been caught in the blast.

A few hours after the blast, Samantha Gunerathne (33) was battling for his life at the National Hospital with serious head injuries, while his wife Suneetha was carrying on with her daily chores thinking that her husband had gone on a hire. Samantha eventually lost his battle.

Samantha’s three-wheeler was usually parked at the Belek Kade junction although he and his wife lived in a rented house in Panadura with their 7-year-old son.

“Although we had lots of financial difficulties we led a happy married life. He was so happy when our boy was born as he always wanted a boy,” said Suneetha while hugging her son.

According to Chandrani Fernando her younger sister Irangani Fernando (53) lost her life on the way back from the market with her husband. Ayrangani’s husband P.H. Navaratne escaped death but suffered untold emotional and physical pain.

He had carried his wife and put her into an ambulance paying little heed to his own wounds. He was also admitted to the hospital and discharged on Thursday.

Unfortunately, he didn’t know that his wife had died from serious head injuries and had been inquiring about her continuously, even after getting home from hospital.

“My sister took care of both my mother and aunt who are both emotionally disturbed. They didn’t realise that my sister had died and kept asking whose body was lying in the house,” Chandrani said.

Irangani not only leaves behind her husband, parents and sister but also her daughter, Piumi (23) who is still in shock over her mother’s untimely death.

B.K. Weerasinghe, an employee of the Thusitha Bookshop, Ratmalana, was admitted to Kalubowila Hospital with wounds in the chest, legs and arms. He had to undergo surgery as well.

“I heard a sudden blast and felt a terrible pain searing through my body. I remember running towards the bookshop shouting in pain and some people bringing me to hospital in the bookshop van,” he said.

Damayanthi Weerasinghe is still in the Intensive Care Unit of the National Hospital after undergoing several operations, one that lasted for 8 hours. She suffered from injuries to the legs and stomach following the blast.

According Damayanthi’s sister Lilani Dasanayake, her sister had gone to buy bread from the bakery when she got caught in the blast.

“We are just praying that she will recover soon,” she said. Damayanthi had been making arrangements to go to Russia, for her only son’s graduation.

No breakthrough in investigations

By Asif Fuard

Despite several arrests by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) over last Monday’s Rathmalana claymore blast which killed 8 and injured nearly 30, there has been no breakthrough due to insufficient evidence.

“Many people are afraid to come forward and give evidence. This is a problem. However, we have managed to carryout cordon and search operations in the area and have questioned many people But we have not yet made a breakthrough,” CID’s Deputy Inspector General, D.W Prathapasinghe said.

The CID investigators are also trying to ascertain what exactly was the target of Monday’s attack as investigators are not sure whether it was aimed at the Special Task Force truck carrying nine personnel who were on their way to the Gonahena STF camp from the Katukurunda police training camp or soldiers who were flying back to the Ratmalana airport from Jaffna for their vacation.

The Claymore mine which is believed to have had 10Kg of C-4 explosives, had been kept on the roof of a video shop in Belekkade junction. The owner of the shop, Pushpa Ramyani the staff nurse of the Colombo National Hospital has also been questioned by the CID.

Ironically, at the time of the explosion Mrs. Ramyani had gone to the Mt. Lavinia police station to complain about the presence of some suspicious individuals at an adjoining shop. The man who ran the video shop had reportedly informed his land owner Mrs. Ramyanee that two youth had entered one of the two adjoining shops two days before and had left after cleaning up the area. Ever since then the two shops had remained closed.

The STF truck along with four vans, two cars, three trishaws, two motorcycles and bicycle that had been parked on either side of the road were badly damaged in the explosion. According to STF sources, the truck belonging to a camp in the operational areas of Ampara had come to the Katukurunda police training camp on Saturday carrying a group of STF personnel for a special training course.

The truck had then left for the Gonahena STF camp in Kadawatha to collect provisions and welfare items on Monday evening. Nine personnel including an STF Sub Inspector who was in charge of the group were reportedly in the truck at the time of the incident.

On information provided by the CID, the Army and police, in a combined cordon and search operation in Wattala arrested 12 Tamil civilians on Friday night on suspicion that they had links with those involved in the Ratmalana incident.

CID sources said the majority of those arrested were residents of Northeast, and they had been detained in the Wattala police station for further questioning by the CID.

Police further said they were taken into custody when they failed to prove their identity by producing national identity cards and other legal documents.

Some of the suspects had failed to give satisfactory reasons for their stay in Colombo, police said.

Some of the suspects were staying in private lodges and others with their relatives.

 
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Copyright 2007 Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.Colombo. Sri Lanka.