WITNESSES RECALL W’ERIYA ATTACK AT MAGISTERIAL INQUIRY

When a man identified as Brigadier Deshapriya Gunawardena asked us to move away from the road the protesters said they would do so in ten minutes, a resident Jude Nishantha told the magisterial inquiry into the killing of three people at Weliweriya.

“I can’t give you ten minutes. Leave now… hit the…” the Brigadier said.

“Just then the Army started attacking us with poles,” Nishantha said.

In his evidence before Gampaha Magistrate Tikiri Jayathilake, Nishantha said while some soldiers attacked the civilians, the others shot at street lights.

“While one section of the Army were attacking the civilians with poles another group was shooting at wires and lights. I wanted to flee to the Church to save myself from the attack but villagers told me not to go there because the Army was shooting inside the Church. Therefore I got home using another route,” he said. Q: Magistrate: Was there anyone else who participated in the protest? Witness: The entire village was present. Villagers from adjoining villages were also present without any influence. Females, elders and even children participated in the protest.

Giving evidence at the inquiry Nilantha Pushpakumarage’s wife Nisansala Prasadini (29), a mother of one, said her husband told her that he was inside the Church. “I did not hear from him after that,” Nisansala whose husband Nilantha was killed in the shooting said.

“Around 8.10 p.m. when I spoke to my husband he told me that there was a protest and that tyres were burning and tear gas was being fired and he had no place to go. So he said he was going into the Church.

I called him around 8.35 p.m. and even at that time he was inside the Church. During the call he told me that there were a lot of people inside the Church and that the protest was still going on. He said that they were shooting and firing tear gas and that they had no place to go.Thereafter I tried calling him at 8.45 p.m. but there was no answer, I kept trying to call him till 9.20 but there was no response. Then when I called him again at 9.30 p.m. the phone was switched off. All my attempts to contact my husband till the next morning failed.

Then I contacted the landlady of the boarding in which he

During the post mortem examination the Coroner said he had died due to injuries suffered from blows to his head with a blunt weapon. I have nothing more to say, my child and I now are destitute

stayed. She told me that Nilantha left with a friend to work but did not turn up. She said the friend he left with had also inquired after him from her.

Prasadini said that she left her residence in Gampola with the parents of Nilantha and came to Weliveriya that night. She said she was informed that her husband was at the General Hospital but she was prevented from seeing him until the next morning.

She said that she was informed of his death on August 4.

“During the post mortem examination the Coroner said he had died due to injuries suffered from blows to his head with a blunt weapon. I have nothing more to say, my child and I now are destitute,” she said.

Giving evidence Chintaka De Silva (21) who was injured during the clash said that soldiers who were in “two Army trucks near the shed shot at them.” Q: Magistrate: Where did you get shot? Witness: The main junction in

the Weliveriya town Q: Magistrate: At what time was this? Witnes: Around 6.30 in the eve-

ning Q: Magistrate; Do you remember what happened? Witness: Civilians and the Army were arguing, after that the Army started shooting. I got shot on my leg. Q: Magistrate: What did the civilians do? Witness: Some started to pelt stones and the others started running Q: Magistrate: What did the Army do apart from shooting? Witness: I saw them attack civilians with poles. There were only Army officers there, the Police weren’t there. Q: Magistrate: Is there anything else that you have to say? Witness: The Army came in two trucks to the shed and started shooting from there. Q: Magistrate:What do you mean by trucks? Witness: Two vehicles similar to armoured trucks Premala Perera (45) giving evidence said he had not participated in the protest, but was assaulted by the Army.

“All of us ran into the Church. Then some 15 soldiers stormed into the church. A soldier hit my face with his rifle while I was near the altar. Three of my teeth fell off due to the impact. Later they continued to assault me with their rifles and poles even when I was lying on the ground,” he said