Soldier who cheated death many times

The sole survivor of the LTTE attack on the tiny Talgasmankada army camp last Monday evening L/ Cpl. S.A.R.S. Dissanayake is truly a living legend as his contingent was overrun and despite he himself being shot in his right buttock, had managed to get out of his camp clutching his rifle and call army headquarters while hiding in the jungle using his cell phone to get help.

Thereafter, he had kept vigil and managed to link up with the reinforcements that reached the outskirts of the camp around midnight. The following morning he had another narrow escape when the tractor that was taking him and the bodies of his dead comrades along with four other soldiers who came to retrieve the bodies, ran over a pressure mine planted by attackers, possibly targeting reinforcements.

This blast killed the driver of the tractor on the spot, while injuring the four accompanying soldiers and left Dissanayake with a shrapnel wound on his head and some other superficial shrapnel wounds. When we visited the scene of the tractor blast on Wednesday evening, it was obvious that L/Cpl Dissanayake and the four soldiers too would have been killed in the massive explosion had the trailer run over the mine. Fortunately for them one of the big rear tyres of the tractor had hit the mine breaking the engine almost in two and shards from the blown up tyre were found as far as 30 to 40 metres away. They had only been able to retrieve the top part of the driver’s body.

Even prior to these incidents, according to army sources Dissnayake had cheated death twice in battle. He was initially warded at the Matara Hospital and then transferred to Army Hospital in Colombo Even though Army Dr Maj. Mangala Kannangara who gave him initial treatment said his wounds were not life threatening we were not allowed to visit and interview him at the Army Hospital.