By Ruwan Laknath Jayakody and Kavindya Chris Thomas –

We heard Former SDIG Anura Senanayake order “Hema ekatama weapons daanna (Put a weapon near every body {bodies of the 27 dead inmates}).” – new eyewitness Sahan Hewadalugoda says

“Alleged hired hand turned killer of monks Manjushri was primary target on kill list.”

“Prison Official Madushanka was tortured for leaking photos of the deceased prior to weapons being placed on them,”

Complains of lack of safe environment to testify at Committee of Inquiry into the Prison Incident 2012/C.I.P.I.

Sahan Hewadalugoda (also Hewa Dalugodage Sahan Sri Keerthi/Sahan Hewa Dalugoda/Sahan Sri) has thus far remained unspoken about his encounter at the Welikada Prison during an incident (massacre) that took place on 09 and 10 November, 2012 which claimed the lives of 27 prisoners. He has been accused of being a Sinhala Kotiya (a Sinhalese Tiger, the latter a reference to Sinhalese with pro-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam sympathies), detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) as a “political prisoner” and later on was defamed as lackey of a non-Governmental organization when he attempted to voice his experience of the events at the Prison. Breaking his silence, Hewadalugoda spoke to the authors to reveal his side of the story.

Q: First of all, tell us how you were incarcerated?

A : I was imprisoned under the PTA as a political prisoner in 2007 together with W. Sudesh Nandimal Silva (another eyewitness to the Prison massacre and the first to publicly testify in this regard). We were arrested by the Terrorism Investigation Division. I served eight years and was eventually released after being cleared of all charges in 2014.

Q: What happened on the day of the incident?

A: We saw Security Officers deployed outside the Prison gates on the morning of 09 November, 2012. We didn’t think twice about it because we thought it would a routine inspection. In the evening, a battalion of armed Special Task Force (STF) Officers entered the Welikada Prison complex and commenced a search operation in the L Ward, despite the protests of the Prison Guard at the gate. However, upon being notified that they were there on the orders of high ranking Defence Ministry Officials, no one would have opposed their actions beyond that. Subsequently, around 700 STF Officers stormed the Chapel Ward. We were at the Temple Ward at the time it started happening. From what we heard, they were searching for drugs and mobile phones. According to international law this country has ratified, this was a violation of the rights of prisoners and as the prison inmates were aware of this law, they argued with the Prison Officials and this turned into a heated argument. Eventually the STF started assaulting the inmates as well as the Prison Officials who attempted to intervene. The inmates obviously, reacted and started retaliating. And the number of inmates outnumbered the STF Officers who stormed the prison wards, who we later learnt had entered with a Court order.

How this was possible is beyond me. This is why we believe that many of the Prison Officials were previously aware of the incident that took place. It was premeditated and methodically strategized.

Subsequently, when the inmates started retaliating against the STF Officers, the STF Officers forced them into the back of the ward, locked the gates and had fired tear gas into the complex. We could hear the shouts and the screams of those inmates and most of us rushed to the ward. The inmates who came to assist the ailing inmates locked inside the Chapel Ward were being suffocated by the tear gas, as well as those who came to plead with the STF Officers were also severely beaten. The prisoners were so distraught at the manner in which the Security Forces were attacking them that they had even taken the bricks that were brought for building construction and began a violent reprisal. They had surpassed their breaking point and the violence was inevitable.

The inmates’ ferocity surged in great waves that resulted in both the STF Officers and several Prison Officials retreating from the shower of rocks, bricks and stones thrown from the roof of the Prison complex. We saw several inmates who had climbed on top of the roof, some on walls throwing whatever they could find at the Officials. The former Superintendent of the Welikada Prison and incumbent Commissioner of Prisons (Supply), J.A. Gamini Jayasinghe was with us at this time. He spoke to us and he asked the inmates to settle down and he attempted to calm the situation. But it was already too late. The STF Officers who retreated started shooting tear gas canons from outside, and was only met with jeers and hoots. The inmates, including myself, who were out in the open within the Prison premises, quickly went into our wards.

Speaking to the prisoners, Jayasinghe had promised justice and urged the prisoners to assist in bringing this situation under control. It was Silva and I who brought the inmates together to listen to him. Since he wanted to talk to the STF Officers who were still firing tear gas at the complex, we let him go. However, he didn’t come back for a long time.

I had two phones with me at the time. Even though it is illegal, it was one of the many luxuries we had because we were on good terms with most of the Prison Officials including Jayasinghe. When Jayasinghe didn’t come back, I called him from one of these phones. When he answered he said that he cannot stop the Security Officers. He said that he cannot stop the assault, adding also that the Forces are here with orders from ‘higher authorities’.

This resulted in the second implosion. Because of the unending siege, the inmates were increasingly becoming anxious and desperate. This is when a group of inmates decided to break into the armoury. While one group took to the roof in protest of the tear gas attack, another group had broken into the weapons store by making holes in the visiting area wall and had obtained several weapons, but they did not have the ammunition for the weapons. Hence the prisoners had obtained Type 56 assault rifles and repeater rifles, but not a single weapon was fired that day.

By 6 p.m. the tear gas attack had stopped and was replaced by the firing of weapons. By then all the inmates were tired of everything. Sure, we could have held the Prison for at least two days. But we were already feeling hunger from not having eaten all day and thirst. This was also when some of the injured inmates were being escorted outside in a three-wheeler. They were not trying to escape but they were shot at nevertheless. By 8 p.m., the prisoners started shooting blanks into the air with the weapons they had acquired and also beyond the Prison gates. Some of the other prisoners had also broken into the Prison dispensary and helped themselves to the various drugs stored there while others had started getting high on the narcotics that had been smuggled in.

Using the mobile phones, we at this point notified the media (Hewadalugoda specifically mentioned the British Broadcasting Corporation News Sinhala), and others outside of what was going inside. I called Jayasinghe and asked what we should do. I told him that we were fed up and we want this to end. Our only demand was that the Security Forces do not enter into the compound again. Jayasinghe told us to collect the weapons and hand them over to Chief Jailor, Class I Jailor P.K.W. Kudabandara. He agreed to our conditions and said that he will tell it to the authorities outside. Since we had reached a decision, Silva, myself and E. Thushara Chandana a.k.a. Kalu Thushara (Remand 4230) went outside the wards to collect the weapons that had been obtained from the armoury.

Q: How many weapons were broken out of the armoury? Did you find them all?

A: I don’t know how many weapons were released. But we recovered almost all of them from the inmates. Kalu Thushara was there to help us out. We collected all the weapons we could find – some were on the ground while some were in the possession of the inmates – and handed them over to the Chief Jailor. When I called Jayasinghe to say that the weapons had been collected and were kept safe, he said that the STF wouldn’t allow the Prison Officials in and warned us to return to our wards because the military was planning to storm the premises at midnight. However it was at around 11.45 p.m. when another barrage of bullets was fired into the Prison by the security forces demanding that the prisoners hand over any remaining weapons. However, by this time the prisoners did not have any weapons in their possession as they had handed everything over to Kudabandara. When the military and the STF barged into the Prison, Kudabandara tried to safeguard the inmates but it didn’t work.

Q: What did the military and the STF do?

A: Once the inmates surrendered and the shooting stopped, the Prison Officials who ran in the initial stages, Jayasinghe and several plain clothes Officers entered the Prison and they were calling out the names of certain prisoners and gathering them one by one.

The officers who entered first asked the remaining Prison Officers to kneel down. All seven of them amidst protests followed the military orders. They were ragged (ordered to jump up and down, kneel and crawl on their bellies). And then they were instructed to find several inmates. They called out certain names and the Prison Officials had to point them out. First they looked for former Basnayake Nilame of the Vapikaramaya Temple in Galgamuwa in the Kurunegala District, Pathirage Harsha Manjushri Manikeerthi Perera a.k.a. Manjushri (Remand 662), who was incarcerated for his alleged involvement in the murder of two Buddhist monks with a sword. We heard him being assaulted and dragged outside by the plain clothed Officers. We knew he was going to confess to his act, several days prior to this incident taking place. He was going to confess that it was a political contract that went wrong which saw him behind bars. His body was found later that day. There were many such inmates whose names were read out of a list, were subsequently pointed out by the Officials, assaulted and dragged out. We didn’t see them being shot but we saw our Prison Officials witnessing the incident and we heard the gunshots.

The Security personnel had demanded that the prisoners show them where Kalu Thushara was hiding, but at the time, he was hiding under the desk Silva and I were sitting on, but no one gave him up. We were sharing a cigarette when this Police Narcotics Bureau Officer called Rangajeewa came looking for Thushara (Attempts to obtain a contact number for Rangajeewa were unsuccessful). And it was another Prison Official who saw him under the desk and dragged him out. Rangajeewa didn’t recognize him at first until the Officer pointed him out. Thushara was kicked several times and dragged outside. He was begging not to be killed. We heard him crying and pleading for his life and for his child. His body was found shot and killed outside later that day.

Q: Can you identify any of the Officers who were present that day?

A: Rangajeewa was present. We believe that he had a personal vendetta against the inmates on this ‘kill list’. Most of the inmates had filed fundamental rights cases and petitions against him, prior to their deaths – or executions rather.

I saw former Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Anura Senanayake that day. He was the one who dropped weapons – weapons that were returned to the armoury – near the bodies of the 27 dead inmates. This happened in the early hours of 10 November 2012. We heard him ordering: “Hema ekatama weapons daanna (Put a weapon near every body).” (Silva too confirmed such. However, when contacted by the authors, Senanayake was not available for a comment.)

Even the Prison Officials and some of the Jailors who witnessed these murders have the responsibility of coming clean with the truth. But they are enjoying lavishes, in silence occupying higher places now. Most of them have climbed to the top of the State and Governmental hierarchy. I remember that on 10 November, many of the Prison Officials left the Prison in a hurry once everything ended. They told us that they had been summoned to the Defense Ministry for an urgent meeting. We could only guess what happened during that meeting because none of these individuals are prepared to speak the truth.

Q: What do you think is the ulterior motive behind this incident?

A: The primary goal of the incident, as we learned, was to kill Manjushri. He had told all of us what had happened and as to who had contracted him. He was going to confess that he was politically contracted for his job and when it went wrong, he was taken out in the most extreme way possible.

Then there were the others in the kill list. Rangajeewa wanted to remove all the Court cases against him.

There was a growing political agenda at that time to take over the narcotics business into political hands. Taking control of narcotics was not with a patriotic goal obviously. Therefore, this was the best way to get rid of those who could not be controlled by the then hierarchy. Get rid of the competition and the business was all theirs.

Therefore, this entire Welikada incident has layers and layers of agendas and motives overlapping each other. It was the most efficient kill two birds with one stone scenario ever to take place.

Q: Why have you not come forward with this evidence?

A: When the Criminal Investigation Department initially took statements from me and all the other inmates, it was completely forced. One of the Officials told me that I should give the statement according to what they said.

When the new Government commenced its fresh inquiry in 2015, I tried to give evidence before the new Committee. But one Prison Official called Madushanka who had been tortured and manipulated by a group of military personnel for leaking photographs to the media of the deceased prior to having had weapons being placed on their persons, had subsequently given false information about me to a popular radio programme, in an attempt at a cover-up and to deflect the blame. This group was under the orders of former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa (Attempts by the authors to contact Rajapaksa failed). The said Officer admitted such with me. I was branded as a Sinhala Kotiya once again in that radio programme. I filed a Police complaint but nothing happened. Because of that I didn’t bother testifying before the Committee.

To be honest, I knew my testimony would be abused and manipulated to the advantage of a political agenda. It will be diluted beyond recognition and I will be yet another joker under unintentional servitude of the Government in power. I didn’t want that to happen. However, if a just Court case into the Welikada incident is ever to take place, I will make my presence there and give my testimony.

Corroboration of the Main Interview

A fellow prisoner at the time who bore eyewitness to the State sponsored massacre and the first to publicly testify in this regard, W. Sudesh Nandimal Silva concurred with the account narrated by Hewa Dalugodage Sahan Sri Keerthi/Sahan Hewa Dalugoda/Sahan Sri, specifically the aspect pertaining to Former Basnayake Nilame of the Vapikaramaya Temple in Galgamuwa in the Kurunegala District, Pathirage Harsha Manjushri Manikeerthi Perera a.k.a. Manjushri (Remand 662) being the primary target of the deadly intervention.

Speaking to the authors, Silva said that it was Manjushri who along with A. Jothipala a.k.a. Kapila (Convict L – 17877) and husband of actress Anusha Sonali, K. Malinda Nimendra Pelpola a.k.a. Marlon (Convict L – 19844), were the first killed.

Manjushri was incarcerated for his alleged involvement in the murder of two Buddhist monks at the Kotte Rajamaha Viharaya with a sword.

According to a State Officer cum Senior Prison Official (a Chief Jailor) who was present during the entire incident and spoke to the authors on the condition of anonymity, he had, though not directly, “heard them (those who came into the Prison from outside including the Army, the Special Task Force {STF} eight man teams, a Police Narcotics Bureau Officer called Rangajeewa, amongst others) asking around and looking for who was involved in the killing of the said monks.”

Speaking further about Manjushri, Silva noted that, “Manjushri was not achchu karala (a convict). He was only a suspect at the time. At the time, he did not act or behave violently nor did he cause trouble. However, it was an open secret that he had shared with other prisoners and Prison Officials that he was aggrieved at the attempt to, according to him, wrongfully convict him for the said crime and that he would therefore reveal all including about the alleged involvement of former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the killing of the monks. He was scheduled to make a statement in Court in this regard, to this effect.” Attempts by Ceylon Today to contact Rajapaksa failed.

Previously, Kapila who was involved in the drug business had filed a fundamental rights case at the Court against Rangajeewa prior to his incarceration. “He was made to kneel and shot because he had stated that he preferred to be shot than assaulted,” the jailor who wished to remain anonymous added.

On the other hand, Marlon had taken up firearms during the incident after the armoury was broken into. He had also picked a fight with an Army Official who initially came to search the wards with the STF. He had been slapped by the said Army Officer and Marlon too in turn had slapped the Army Officer. “I will not say anything about Marlon’s death. He was going about here and there with a weapon and he even attempted to shoot me. Marlon tried to send me out of the Prison in order to set fire to the Accounts Branch which contained all the details of the prisoners, the files of Officers, the dockets belonging to the Welfare, the charge-sheets and the computers,” the jailor explained.

It was later that the bodies of Marlon, Kapila and Manjushri were piled and dumped in one place. Manjushri’s body was found when the Chapel Ward was searched. His arm was broken. He had fallen from the floor of the building he was in. Marlon’s body was recovered among others with bullet wounds.

“We could see what was happening outside and we were later told that prisoners like Kapila, Manjushri and Marlon, were brought in. We heard them shout ‘Ammo’. They were assaulted and then taken to the M Ward and shot. We heard the gunshots,” Silva pointed out.

The jailor further added that he “saw Kapila being taken away” and that later when he “was walking with another Officer to the storage, Kapila’s body was lying on the side of the road.”

When queried about former Superintendent of the Welikada Prison and incumbent Commissioner of Prisons (Supply), J.A. Gamini Jayasinghe’s involvement during the events that unfolded, Silva claimed that Jayasinghe knew nothing of what would eventually take place until the moment the Army arrived. “He was in shock. He kept making calls to those outside the Prison requesting them to stop, to refrain from shooting, stating that the prisoners were requesting the same from him too, and that he could not control the situation inside. It was then that the tear gas attack took place, at which point he went out of the Prison to speak to those involved in the events from outside, and he was subsequently not allowed back in,” Silva revealed.

However, the Class I Jailor had a different view of things concerning Jayasinghe. According to him, of the approximately 150 to 182 Prison Officials (jailors of different classes {Class I and II}, wardens, professional advisors cum consultants, storekeepers, overseers, dispensers, amongst others), who should have been on duty inside the Prison including those who should have reported to work at 5.30 p.m. on 9 November, 2012 who would have had to continue till early dawn on 10 November, only a number between 20 and 25 were present in person on the night of 09 November and on 10 November. Of those who were supposed to be at work and on duty, the majority had fled.

“When I informed my higher Officers including Jayasinghe to intervene, they did not and instead ordered me to wait where I was,” the jailor recalled. At this point, Silva realizing that there was nothing else left to do, had in violation of the law concerning the use of phones by prisoners, had given a call to Jayasinghe, who had in turn told him and the others with him “to wait with Class I Jailor P.K.W. Kudabandara and to not go anywhere.” The Prison Official further observed that “Jayasinghe on the other hand when contacted was in mortal fear at the time. Those outside knew that these prisoners would be killed.”

When contacted by the authors, Jayasinghe said that it was “not nice” for him to comment on the matter as he was a Government servant and also because, in a reference to the ongoing case before the Court of Appeal filed by petitioner Silva, no final decision had been taken with regard to the matter in question.

1. Thushara Chandana a.k.a. Kalu Thushara (Remand 4230) had brought in a stock of gold alongside some heroin from abroad and had been arrested for possession.

Of the events leading up to the death of E. Thushara Chandana a.k.a. Kalu Thushara (R 4230), Silva recalled that on 10 November, 2012, “At 4 a.m., I saw Thushara who was hiding under a desk in the welfare office, which was near where I was.” There had been several Prison Officials including the then Commissioner General of Prisons, P.W. Kodippili present at the time. (Attempts by Ceylon Today to contact Kodippili failed). At this point, “Rangajeewa came with several Army personnel, shouting and asking after Thushara and demanding that he be shown, and issuing an ultimatum that he would kill the Officials too otherwise.” A Prison Official had then informed that there could be problems to other Officials as well if they did not comply and then he himself had proceeded to show Thushara in his hiding place. “Rangajeewa then grabbed a hold of Thushara like someone who saw something he liked to eat – ‘Me inne bande (here is the goods)’, he said. Thushara was then assaulted. Thushara then shouted, ‘Rangajeewa mahaththayo (Mr. Rangajeewa)’, don’t kill me.’” The military present had then hit him with the butts of their firearms. “We could see through the door, him being dragged on the floor and being shot near the industrial factory building gate. We only saw the light of the gunfire going off. He was shot in the neck below the ear. I was an eyewitness to Thushara’s murder, so I am willing to give evidence before any Court or commission.”

Although Thushara was incarcerated, the arresting Officer, Rangajeewa, had not returned the gold that was taken during the apprehension. Thushara had subsequently filed a complaint cum case against Rangajeewa at the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka. The gold had not been produced before Court.

The jailor who spoke to the authors explained that Kodippili had been present when Thushara was being shot. “‘Sir, don’t kill me. I have two daughters,’ Thushara shouted. Kodippili just laughed and said that it was the end of Kalu Thushara too,” the Prison Official observed.

Thushara’s body was among the executed. A weapon was found planted near his body along with another three weapons near those who had been similarly killed.

The Kill List

A total of 27 inmates were killed during the course of 9 and 10 November, 2012. Some were hospitalized. And according to the jailor, the majority of the deceased or rather the executed inmates had some sort of connection to Police Narcotics Bureau Officer Rangajeewa who was present with the Army inside the Prison when things went downhill. Eyewitness testimonies record that Rangajeewa was wearing a yellow coloured t-shirt on the day.

The State official provided a list of names and details of the deceased inmates including E. Thushara Chandana a.k.a. Kalu Thushara (Remand 4230), former Basnayake Nilame of the Vapikaramaya Temple in Galgamuwa in the Kurunegala District, Pathirage Harsha Manjushri Manikeerthi Perera a.k.a. Manjushri (R 662), A. Jothipala a.k.a. Kapila (Convict L – 17877) and husband of actress Anusha Sonali, K. Malinda Nimendra Pelpola a.k.a. Marlon (C L – 19844) {The backgrounds of the latter four deceased have been discussed elsewhere in this article}.

The details regarding their incarceration may be the reason behind them being murdered as they are undoubtedly connected to the aforementioned Rangajeewa of the Narcotics.

Nirmala Atapattu (R 2350) filed a fundamental rights case against Rangajeewa in the Court. He had alleged that Rangajeewa had planted narcotics in his possession prior to his arrest. Atapattu’s father had lodged a complaint at the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) against former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and against Rangajeewa. Rangajeewa had allegedly called Atapattu and his father several times ordering the case to be called off.

1. Susantha Perera a.k.a Maalu Susantha (R 1087) who was brought in for a burglary also had a Court case cum complaint and a HRCSL case against Rangajeewa.

Mohamed Wije Rohana a.k.a. Gundu (C O – 14427) who was involved in drugs also had an issue with Rangajeewa. Once he had taken an incriminating photo of him to which the Officer had opposed. Then Wije Rohana’s mother had testified against Rangajeewa for an assault and murder that had taken place in the Magazine Watte. Wije Rohana had called his parents during the incident and had said that they were being killed off one by one.

Devamullage Malik Sameera Perera a.k.a. Konda Amila (C Q – 21517) was convicted for aiding and abetting in a crime. He was brought into the Prison two days prior to the incident. His mother Jayasinha Arachchige Malani lodged a complaint at the HRCSL against former Magazine Prison Superintendent Emil Ranjan Lamahewage. “He was shot while in the three-wheeler. Konda Amila knows nothing. He was punished/penalized for possessing a phone in Prison which may have been planted. Because of this he got involved in a verbal spat with the Lamahewage and a case was put against him while in remand at the Magazine in Welikada. He had shouted at the Superintendent and the incensed Superintendent had singled him out to be shot.” (Attempts by the authors to contact Lamahewage failed)

A.M. Tissa Kumara (C M – 31136) was brought in for possessing illegal firearms.

T.H. Lester de Silva (C K – 4733) was killed by sniper fire in front of another Prison Guard whilst having a conversation.

Salalhudeen Mohamed. Aswerdeen (C Q – 21463) was one of the collateral deaths amongst many others. He was sleeping in the Kitchen Ward when a deflecting bullet, which could have been from a sniper, had hit him and caused his death.

Fifteen including Don Jayantha Pushpakumara (R 762), Ramanadan Balaperuma (R 1816), Asitha Sanjeewa Dissanayake (C Q – 16606), Diluk Sanjeewa Rajapakse (C Q – 20701), Sameera Malith Wijesingha (R 2403), Sanjeewa/Samantha Fernando (R 2019), D.M. Sugath Kumara (R 2631), R.A. Janaka Lasantha (C Q – 14436), W.T. Asanka Udayakumara (R 2768), Liyanarachchige Anura (C Q – 21646), Sambu Prasanna de Silva (R 604), W.A. Sarath Wijesuriya (R 2501), Rathnaweera Patabandige Leslie (C Q – 21298), S.P. Thilak Hemachandra a.k.a. P.A. Priyantha (C Q – 34159) and Wellage Lalantha Wijesiri (C Q – 20041), also died.

There was another prisoner going by the alias Ukku who was also killed.

To be continued ..