Wednesday, 7 August 2013 00:04
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Second victim, 18-year-old Ravishan, to be buried today
Magisterial inquiry on Weliweriya deaths tomorrow
Govt. MPs get poor reception at funeral home
Post-mortem reveals third victim Nilantha Pushpakumara died of blunt trauma
Archbishop issues scathing condemnation of use of force inside Weliweriya church
By Dharisha Bastians
A sea of white flags continue to flutter throughout Weliweriya today as the small town in the Gampaha District prepares to bury the second victim of deadly clashes with the military during a public demonstration for clean water last Thursday.
18-year-old Chamli Ravishan Perera, an Advanced Level student at St. Peters’ College, Udagampola, who was shot in the head and succumbed to his injuries at the Colombo National Hospital last Saturday (3), will be laid to rest at the Weliweriya General Cemetery at 3:30 p.m. today. He joins fellow resident, 17-year-old Akila Dinesh Jayawardane, the first fatality of the clashes, whose final rites were concluded on Sunday (4) evening.
Had he lived, Perera, who was a commerce stream student, would have been sitting his Advanced Level exams which started on 5 August this year. Posters and pennants bemoaning his passing fill the walkway to the young boy’s home in Kochchiwatte, Weliweriya yesterday. Many of the posters highlighted the fact that Perera had paid with his life for the crime of asking for clean water.
The town remains shadowed by the violence last Thursday, with many residents suspicious and wary of visitors to the area. The heavy military presence visible the day after the clashes and the elite police teams deployed for the funeral of the first victim have been contained within the Weliweriya police station premises.
Three people have died and over 20 injured when residents alleged the military deployed to control the demonstration fired into the crowd and stormed a church in which protesters and bystanders took refuge.
Perera’s relatives say the only two Government representatives to visit the funeral home were Minister Mervyn Silva and Gampaha District MP Upeksha Swarnamali, both of whom received a cold reception from mourners on the premises.
Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe paid two visits to pay his respects to the body, while several other UNP politicos, including Gampaha District MP Karu Jayasuriya and MPs Ruwan Wijewardene, Eran Wickremaratne and Harshana Rajakaruna, had arrived to pay their respects.
Meanwhile, the third victim of Thursday’s clashes, 29-year-old Nilantha Pushpakumara, an employee of Stretchline of the MAS group, is a resident of Gampola. He was a boarder in Weliweriya and the father of a one-year-old.
According to his neighbours, Nilantha had left his boarding house at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday (1) to catch the staff bus to his workplace. When the clashes erupted in the street, Nilantha was among those who fled to the St. Anthony’s Church, Weliweriya for refuge. He called his wife from the church, neighbours said, and reported the trouble and said he believed he would be safe inside the church.
According to the post-mortem, the third victim died of blunt force trauma to the head. He suffered a large intracranial haemorrhage, according to hospital sources and died during the second surgery performed to attempt to save his life. Nilantha Pushpakumara’s funeral will be held in Gampola.
The Magistrate’s inquiry into the three deaths from the clashes between residents and the military at Weliweriya will take place tomorrow at the Gampaha Courts.
