Daily Mirror Feature By Senaka De Silva and Jeevani Pereira Pics by Samantha Perera On November 26, 2007 Leelawathi, Ekanayake, Hemapala and Punchi Banda of Mahawilachchiya, Anuradhapura met their unhappy fate at around 8 a.m. when entering their fields to begin work. Two weeks before, a farmer had disappeared from the field and a week before that another disappearance had occurred; thus fear was foremost in their minds.
Ekanayake who was wheeling his bicycle towards the shade of Okra plants saw a suspicious movement near the clump of trees he was heading for. According to the police, Ekanayake who had seen an unfamiliar man lying in wait in a crouch, would have pretended that he had not seen the man. But, before he had reached his usual parking place, Ekanayake had apparently abandoned his bicycle and had broken into a run. The man realising he had been discovered had shot Ekanayake, killing him on the spot.
Meanwhile, hidden from view at various points of the 125 acre field, men suspected to be LTTE cadres had shot at Punchibanda. Two LTTE terrorists had taken Leelawathi and Hemapala, (husband and wife), several meters away and killed them as well. It is believed that as a result of Ekanayake running away and the sound of gun fire, the lives of many other farmers entering the field that day had been saved.
“There are more than 40 farmers who work their land in the Mannaram Handiya area,” commented the OIC. “And we believe that the six LTTE cadres who came that day, were counting on killing more after abducting them away from there.”
The incident sparked off a massive effort by the police to ensure the safety of the villagers, not only around the area the incident had taken place, but also in the 12 Gramaseva divisions of Mahawillachchiya, surrounded by the Wilpattu forest. With the participation of the chief monk in the area and other relevant authorities, the police began a campaign to educate people in the villages and arranging to provide a 24 hour protection system by recruiting people from each village to form civil defence forces.
“We want to continue farming, this is all we know. Where are we to go if we leave this place? We cannot go beg at refugee camps. But now we are not sure what will happen to us, we fear for our survival,” N Gunatillake who has been farming in the Mahawillachchiya area for nearly 50 years said adding that with troubles escalating in the North they were going to be affected more than ever.
With a shotgun tightly in hand, K.A Lionel told us tentatively that he was not sure whether he was going to continue tending his pumpkin and green chillie Chena during the next season.
He, like many others in the Mannaram Handiya village in Mahawillachchiya, Anuradhapura were unsure of their lives each day they come to work their land; especially after four farmers were killed by suspected LTTE terrorists in the very same field in November last year and a recent attack at one of the bunkers set up to protect the area.
Threatened village
Fringed by the Wilpattu forest with no more than 10 kms. to cross over to Vavuniya, the farmers in the threatened village fear mostly that the security put in place for them by the police would not be enough if the war should escalate and rebels should trickle down. However, police pointed out that recruiting more than 400 to the Civil Defence Force recently and positioning them to guard the mouth of the forest at various points would counter the problem adequately.
“Soon after the murders, we held a meeting with the relevant authorities as well as farmers of the area and wasted no time in assuring security for the civil population,” explained OIC Mahawillachchiya G K Abeynaike.
“Also we will be receiving Rs 15 million from the government to clear 200m into the forest for 34 kms. up to the Ittikulama stream, areas which are exposed to threat, and build bunkers,” said Jayanta Atapattu, ASP Tantirimale.
More than 550 shotguns were also distributed among villagers for protection and according to the OIC, updates with the community are done each week building up close relations with the people in the area.
“The dedication of recruits from the village to protect the area has to be specially commended,” he remarked, adding that they were people willing to sacrifice their lives during cordon searches in the forest.
Furthermore, the Civil Defence Committee set up among the villages has proved informative about the problems they encounter, as well as any suspicious activity in the area.
The people of the threatened villages in Mahawillachchiya however, find it difficult to get back to normalcy. Meeting people who had farmed in the area for more than 50 years at a stretch, they said they had hardly encountered such a grave situation before.
Protection increased
“We were getting ready to come in the morning when we heard the news,” said Damayanthi Perera adding that she had been farming as long as she could remember, with her parents, and now with her husband. “Protection has been increased but still we are afraid. Some of us live close to the forest and if nothing happens to us in the fields we are scared that something will happen to us in our houses.”
Gunatillake who has been farming in the area for nearly 50 years said that with troubles escalating in the North they were going to be affected more than ever. “We want to continue farming, this is all we know. Where are we to go if we leave this place? We cannot go begging at refugee camps. But now we are not sure what will happen to us; we fear for our survival,” he said.
“We are unsure of the next season,” wife of murdered Punchibanda, told us. “I will go to the fields now because I have to see to my survival, but I do not know what will happen the next time, and I know of no other way to survive.” Her husband who set off earlier that morning was to be joined by her. However, house work made her promise to come later. “My husband was abducted before in 1996 by LTTE terrorists. They questioned him in the forests; he might have been killed if a group of young people from the village did not go looking for him and saved him,” she said adding tearfully that the second time he had not been so lucky.
According to K A Lionel they had asked for security when the abduction of a farmer took place during the previous week but nothing was done. “It was after the killings that the authorities looked up and decided to do something about it. They gave us guns but I don’t think anyone can handle a mammotty and a gun at the same time,” he said.
Nothing attempted
He also pointed out that authorities had promised to begin clearing 200m of the bordering forest by 5th January. However, up to date nothing has been attempted. Many of the villagers echoed that they would feel much safer with the bunkers around.
Kabellawe Dhamma Buddha Thera, priest at the Mahawillachchiya temple who has been actively involved in communicating and educating people said that only a little of the money promised for the bunkers had been released and they were awaiting the full amout before clearing the borderline of the forest – without touching Wilpattu itself.
“The bunkers will be set up and safety will be ensured,” he stressed adding that with a protective strip already in place from Tantirimale, Indiweva up to Kudakakkul Kotuwa internally the bunkers at the borderline would provide added safety for civilians.”
In the silence of the fields of Mahawillachchiya, that spread as far as the eye could see we encountered newly established hillocks with two or more Defence Forces standing guard. Men from the village itself stressed that they too would afford no more chances for any civilian to be hurt.
‘Defence Forcer’, Nandasena said that the safety of villages was ensured with the recruitment and that they were doing their best to keep harm at bay.
“After we started guarding the area for 24 hours, people started coming earlier than they used to. Before they used to come by 10 a.m. and leave by 2 p.m. He continued saying that this gave little time for pumpkin farmers to ensure the pollination of male and female flowers of the plants, something they had to do themselves when the bee season was over.
S.M Madhura Kumara, another Defence Forcer who joined after the four murders said that they are sent on cordon searches in teams almost three times a week. “We go into around four kilo meters of forest – that is as far as we can communicate with our equipment,” he said. “We do these not because we have to, but because the people of this village are our parents, friends and relatives.”
Repercussions of war
Thus the battle for survival goes on and despite the best efforts by authorities, fear is a constant affliction for these people living in threatened villages. Forced to dealing with failing crops and wild animals at the worst of times, they are now burdened with repercussions of a war they had never asked for.
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