Shantha is a twin-brother of a disappeared. Having witnessed his brother’s disappearance, he vows to turn his grief into victory in the fight against impunity. Still pained, he manages to exude joy being the best dancer during solidarity nights of AFAD.
Seemanmeru Pathiranage “Sudath” Deshapriya Pathirana was a young person who never became a burden to society in anyway. He always assisted others who needed his help. Born on 28 August 1963, he practically led a benevolent kind of life. His warmth and kindness was so overwhelming that he was a popular leader in school and in the community.
In 1986, he was employed in the Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital, located near the parliament complex. There, Sudath witnessed the various injustices done to the hospital workers by the authorities. He therefore initiated the formation of a trade union to protect the rights of the employees. This trade union obtained the assistance of the Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP) which was then taking measures to safeguard the rights of workers.
Representing the political party led by then popular figure Vasudewa Nanayakkara and acting as his trade union’s secretary, Sudath launched many bold campaigns to safeguard workers’ rights. As a result, he became a well -known labor leader among his people.
In early 1989, he was arrested by the anti- people UNP1 government under the emergency law. The period of 1988-1989 was a time of uncertainty for all labor and youth leaders such as Sudath. The UNP, under the pretext of suppressing JVP2 activists, tried to suppress all political opponents—youth leaders and trade union officials included. As a result, innocent Sudath became a victim of this barbaric drive.
In the midnight of 10 December 1989, a group of young military officers raided Sudath Pathirana‘s house at Borrella (Colombo – 8) where he, our parents, and our brothers and sisters lived peacefully. They knocked at the door and said “Pathirana, open the door .” They pretended that they were Sudath’s friends. But the door was not opened, for we became very suspicious. Sudath thought that they were from the armed forces. He also thought that the intruders might take me away, being his twin brother as we were similar in appearance. At that time, the strangers were already vehemently insisting in opening the door. Then, contrary to our advice Sudath opened the door.
As soon as the door was opened, a soldier dragged him and asked for his identity card. Wearing only a sarong (long skirt), Sudath said that he was working in the hospital. The army soldiers were composed of 12-14 uniformed officers, though some also sported civilian clothes. One of them dragged him out saying he wanted to question him. The weeping of our mother and sister echoed through the whole area.
When he was being dragged out, he asked the security personnel what wrong he had done. Instead of replying, they removed his shirt and used it to cover his eyes. Whenever this sorrowful scene comes to my mind, there emerges a great longing for vengeance against the rulers of the country.
The terrorists who arrested Sudath fired a gun to the air so as to control the weeping and asked us to close the door. We kept silent, unable to do anything to resist. Sudath was taken to a black jeep without any plate number, which was parked some 200 meters away and he was pulled into the jeep. At that moment, we could not accept that it would be his last journey.
Our dutiful father Wijayadasa who was a close supporter of the MP3 of the area was also the UNP government’s minister for transportation. He informed the said minister about the incident, but he was not able to get a positive response from him. Instead, Minister Mohomed Son Hussen verbally abused our father who, in his extreme wrath, jumped on Hussein and strangled his neck. Since that incident, our father broke all links with those callous politicians in the UNP.
Our mother Gnawathee and our father took great efforts in seeking him by visiting every detention camp which they suspected was where their son was detained. Complaints were forwarded to all relevant offices. But the police did not accept the complaint. Afterwards, MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara made an appeal to then Defense Minister Neranjan Wijethunga and urged him to assist in searching for Sudath. He even raised the question during a parliamentary debate.
I, Sudath’s twin brother, also attempted to obtain information on my missing brother which entailed a great risk. I met several officers and made the necessary complaints; but all were in vain. Once, I visited a detention camp in Pelwattha in Mathugama looking for mybrother where I too was detained and questioned for a day.
After about three months, Sudath’s family received information that he and one of his union members Somaweera had been shot dead in front of the hospital after being tortured and burned by dragging them to a heap of burning tires. But there were no reliable eyewitnesses to verify the information. It was rumored that when he was about to be shot Sudath asked, “are you going to kill us, you demons?”
Although there were rumors which circulated that one of the hospital directors requested the Ministry of Defense to do these killings, there are no adequate facts to prove these. However, Sudath Pathirana never returned.
Because of this incident, our mother became mentally troubled. Fortunately now, she has already recovered. Our father, assisted by Vasudewa Nanayakkara and his left-wing political party launched a program to assist the destitute parents of the disappeared. As an outcome of his endeavor, the Organization of Parents and Family Members of the Disappeared (OPFMD) was formally established.
Wijayadasa Pathirana provided efficient leadership to the organization from the beginning until the end of 1996 - until his death to my due to a brief ailment. However, as an honor to my father and to my brother Sudath who fought bravely for the course of justice, I am now working as the Secretary-General of the organization.
May this effort grant justice, not only to Sudath but to all innocent victims of enforced disappearances!
Let us not allow this crime against humanity to ever recur!
Footnotes
1 United National Party.
2 Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (People’s Liberation Front), a Maoist organization that sought to overthrow the government through force.
3 Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament.
