My son Gamini loved electrical work and dreamed of becoming an electrician one day. While studying, he started working as an electrician part-time. In 1989, he was only 21 years old. On 28 October, while he was on the way home with one of his friends, everything changed. At around 12 pm, some army and police personnel blocked the road about 500m from our house. My husband and I rushed to the place where a crowd stood. The perpetrators covered their faces with masks and clothes so we could not clearly identify them. My son and a number of other boys were blindfolded and tied to the trees and lamp posts nearby. We were not allowed to approach our son and were told that if we did, we would be shot. My son and three other boys were shifted into a vehicle which then left the scene. We followed in a van and heard our son shout in fear. Suddenly the vehicle stopped and our child was pulled out and beaten heavily with a branch from a nearby tree. They put him into another vehicle and left, which we also followed. The vehicle entered the Hunumulla Army Camp where we were stopped and refused entrance. When we asked the guards to release our son, they brandished their guns and asked us to leave immediately. We never saw our son after that. We went to the police station but they refused to record our complaint based on the instructions of two army personnel. We knelt in front of both of these men and pleaded for our son’s release. One man asked if we had raised our sons to be involved in the JVP (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna) and tried to kick me. Both the police and army echoed our son’s link to the JVP. We still maintain that he never had any connections to them. We never returned to that police station to inquire about our son again. We did make complaints to the Red Cross, IGP, and Army Commander. We visited many police stations and army camps to see if our son could be found there. We never found any information about him. We complained to the presidential commission and were paid Rs. 25,000 and received a Death Certificate. The certificate said: “Disappeared for more than one year so the victim is suspected to be dead.” We were paid a monthly allowance of Rs. 500 which stopped when the UNP was in power in 1989 and returned to power in 2001. A monk visited us and told us that he was abducted by the army and taken to Badalgama Bridge. The army shot and pushed a number of boys into the river. However, the monk had jumped into the river before they shot him and swam to safety. He had seen our son and confirmed that he had been shot and sunk into the river. We just could not believe this story so we continued our search for him. When the Divulapitiya Mass Grave case came up in Court, we were summoned. The men accused included former police OIC Nimal Fernando, Army Major Dean, Minister Ariyaratna Jayathilaka and police member Kudahetti and a few others. With the instruction of the Attorney-General, all of the men escaped except for Nimal Fernando at the Magistrate Courts. They transferred the judge who initiated this case to a Fundamental case related to this incident. The case eventually progressed to the High Courts. However, we did not participate because we feared an attack by UNP supporters. I suspect my son was abducted because my husband supported the opposition party at the time, the SLFP (Sri Lanka Freedom Party). It is likely a Minister Wijepala Mendis instructed the police to disappear our son at a request of a UNP organizer in our area.

Testimony by Mrs. M.P. Leelawathee, Gamini Sugatasiri’s mother

Jayarathna Senanayaka is my husband. He and I are from the same village. We became very close because our houses were close to each other. That's why we fell in love and got married. We lived beautifully. We had a son and a daughter from our marriage. My husband worked at Peradeniya University. So we had to come to Peradeniya from Manikhinna. We got an apartment because of my husband's job.
One day the Peradeniya police came to our house. They said that they are looking for my husband because he is connecting with JVP. The husband was not at home at that time. After saying that, the police went away. After my husband came home in the evening, I told him about that. A day later, he went to the Peradeniya police. That day my husband went to the Peradeniya police but was not sent back. I went to Peradeniya police. There, the police officers said that they could not let my husband out. I was given permission only to bring the foods. They didn't even let him talk. He was in police custody for 19 days. On the 20th day, I went to the police to bring him back because they was told that he would be released. After my husband was released, we went down to the road from the police and about 50m away, a white van came and abducted my husband on 20.11.1989. I went to the police, but they said, ""There is nothing we can do, we were released him.""
I went to Boossa camp with my husband’s father to look for my husband. I went to every possible place in Sri Lanka, I asked the scriptures, but nothing gave me the answer I was hoping for. I got 20,000 rupees as a compensation with my husband's death certificate.

My name is Leelawathi, I had one younger brother only. I lived without any major difficulties. I got married at the age of 22 years and had four children. We built this house in Magalegoda in Veyangoda and ran a grocery shop too. We lived happily. We educated our children, worked hard and lived peacefully. We did not have any major problems until my elder son completed 20 years. On 19th November 1989 around 11.30 pm, Police officer Kaviratne of Veyangoda Police station and a Grama Sewaka named Gamini Corea came to my house. They have taken my son Anura Priyadharshana to the police station.We were not told what the wrong thing my son did or any other reason. All over the country in that period, there were incidents and information about arrests of young men and taking them to police stations. In our area, young people those who worked for Sri Lanka freedom Party (Nidahas Pakshaya) were taken away like that. It was the United National Party’s government ruled the country at that time. The police officers in the country did not work according to the set laws. A few days prior to taking my son away, my husband was told to put up a poster in front of our house announcing that he had left the Sri Lanka freedom Party (Sri Lanka Nidahas Pakshaya). Some families who received similar threatened warning had put up such posters. But some did not do so. We also did not put up a poster.Other than that reason, there was no any other reason to be angry with us and commit such a crime. After taking away my son, we were waiting for him, but he did not come home. I went to Veyangoda Police station and explained them about the disappearance of my son and said I need to lodge a complaint. The police officer did not record my complaint. After the child’s lost, I noticed that my husband was not mentally fit. So the flowing day, I went to Gampaha police station. I was badly scolded with dirty words which I couldn't even stay listening and I was chased away from the police station. My complaint was not recorded. There was nothing we could do to find our son in those days. When Mahinda Rajapaksa formed the ‘Mothers’ Front’ (Maw Peramuna) and had a walk to Katharagama, I also joined with that. In 1994 after many years, I received 15,000 Rupees as a compensation for my son. A mother who gave birth to the child and brought up with breast feeding cannot fix a price for her child. Child is priceless for a mother.

Janaka Saman Kumara and Rev. Chandima (Chaminda Srinath Weerasinghe) I had two sons: Janaka Saman Kumara, my oldest, and Chaminda Srinath, my youngest. Chaminda was ordained as a monk and was called Chaminda Thero. Both of my sons were abducted from our house in Panvila, when they were 18 and 17. On 19 November 1989, at around 11 pm, two men knocked on our door claiming to be the police. When I opened the door, I found a mob outside. They barged into the house, grabbed both my sons, and took them away in a vehicle. They did not let us come out. A couple of minutes later, I heard a series of gunshots. I wondered if they had shot my sons. Later I learned that my sons were told to kneel in front of a neighbor’s house and were forced to reveal their friends’ names. That night, they abducted 5 more from our village. Out of the seven, only two came back after some time. Ten days after the abduction, a beheaded person’s carcass was left in front of our shop. The person was a father of a seven days old baby girl. Many people in my area were killed brutally like this. Some said it was the work of the JVP. I visited Panvila Police and several army camps but never got any information. The police only recorded my complaints in 1990. I heard that, before the abductions, Janaka had some argument with a bus conductor and had been threatened by the conductor that Janaka would live only for three days. On this incident, I thought JVP could have done this to take revenge as these sorts of things happened those days. On the other hand, taking 7 children from our village including my two sons, and taking them in a jeep, could it be done by the Police or Army?. I am still unsure if my sons are dead or alive. The government paid me Rs. 30,000 and provided Death Certificates for both of them. I donated this sum to a monk. Should we live in this country without knowing what happened to my two children?.

Testimony by Ashoka Weerasinghe, Mother of Janaka Saman Kumara and Chaminda Thero.

Laal Prasantha
Our family – me, my husband, and our four children. The eldest, Sudath Prasantha, goes to my mother’s house as a habit before going to the beach every morning. He was caught by the army. I was informed that my son is in trouble and has been forcefully captured by the army. I ran towards Dickwella, Matara, where I was told that my son was beaten severely and bound to a pole before being taken away. On 1989.08.06, at about 8 in the morning, my son was arrested during a raid by a team of army soldiers. But up until today, my son has not returned.
My husband and I have searched in every possible place we could think of, but to no avail. We filed a complaint at the police station and went by every commission there was, but to no effect. We went to the military camps in Boossa, Anuradhapura, Matale, Nuwara, Hambanthota, and Ratnapura, but our son was nowhere to be found.
A few days later, my second eldest son, Dharamasiri, went to the Kottegoda temple for a Bodhi Puja (a Buddhist ritual to worship the Bodhi tree). I told Dharamsiri, “Go ahead, Maddu; I’ll come right after.”. We call Dharmasiri Maddu (an endearment for the second born of a family) at home. When I went to the temple, the monk told me not to come further, as there was an ongoing raid. My second eldest son was also forcefully captured by the army, and to this day, there is no information about him.
The next morning, I took a bus to Dickwella police station, where the army stopped the bus and told us to get off before asking it to continue. Several people came along with me to file complaints, but our complaints were not accepted by the police. When I got back home, I was told by a man that my third son, Laal Prasantha, was killed and taken away. The man had climbed a tree out of fear.
Sumanawathi, Laal Prasantha’s mother.

I am Consi Sashen Jayalath, the elder sister of Sunil Jayalath. He is my fifth younger brother. After his G.E.C. O/L exam, my younger brother engaged in small businesses. My father is an indigenous doctor (Wedamahaththaya). I was the only girl in the family. We had not any problems at that time.Our life was very relaxed. We lived in the village of Godapola in Gelioya. 1989/1990 was a time of intense terror. While I was travelling the bus, I had seen that young people had been cut to pieces, killed and left on the side of the road. Since 13th January 1990, our lives also been completely changed. On 12th January, a group of policemen from Peradeniya police station came to our house around 12 midnight. We identified two villagers who accompanied them. One was a very close person to my brother who got many helps and benefits from my brother. One person came inside the house and told everyone to come and sit. The moment my younger brother about to sit down, they hold him by hand and took him away. We don't know anything about our brother. At that period, there was no one who we can speak to on this or no one who is ready to listen to us. Both our mother and father died because of this grief. I settled my mind with great difficulty. As there is nothing we could do for my younger brother, my friend Jayanthi Dandeniya and myself got together and decided to raise our voice for the missing people. I had never met anyone who speaks like this except those who had lost a family member. None of the people from the villages of the missing persons, monks or catholic fathers had spoken about this. In the year 1994 during the time of President Chandrika, a compensation amounting 25,000.00 Rupees was received along with a death certificate. Without seen the carcass, how can we accept the fact that my younger brother is dead?

I am Pushpa Wanniarachchi. My younger brother Wanniarachchige Don Ajith Lakshman always had a very close relationship with the church. We lived in the village Halpe, Katana in Gampaha District. My Malli (younger brother) regularly reared animals. My brother who had a silent character was popular among everyone as a person with a very innocent demeanor. My brother was born on 20.05.1971 and I had a very close relationship with my brother. On that day too, that is the twenty first of the tenth month in nineteen eighty-nine, our daily routines were carried out as usual and as a member of the youth club, Malli also participated especially for doing the decorations for the feast of Pathangigodella Church. I too went to the church when the decorations were being done and I was able to see that there were other neighbor friends of the same age as Malli. I waited for a little while in the church and came home again for a need of my mother. Since Malli went to the church to spend the night, and while all of us were getting ready to sleep we heard a knock on our main door. As my mother opened the door a few people came in. One of them put off the lamp in the house and Antony Paris and Patrick Weerakkody who were our neighbors also entered the house. Patrick Weerakkody was a Provincial Council Member by then and Antony Paris served as a Home Guard. Also a few others who were wearing dresses similar to that of the army began searching the house calling out Malli’s name. When they came to know that my brother was not at home, they left the house. Although my mother followed them, she returned after a while in a big dilemma. My father who returned at night after work was suspicious and had gone to the church and inquired about Malli. The group of people who came to the house had also gone to the church. Malli’s friends of the same age who had been hiding here and there had said “Uncle, uncle, Ajith was taken away...” Later, as my father was leaving the church, a trinket vendor who had come to prepare for the festival fair, found out that Malli had been taken away by a group of people and had put his bed sheet on the fence to show that he had been taken. After that, we searched for Malli in several places and on 27.10.1989 a complaint was lodged at the Kochchikade Police Station, but there was no progress. In 1994 we received a compensation of Rs.15000 for Malli’s disappearance. Later we filed a court case against Patrick Weerakkody and Antony Paris but we have not yet received justice.

I was a school principal. Like me, my children loved education. My son, Chaminda, used to stay at my brother-in-law’s house in Pugoda. On 16 December 1989, my brother-in-law who worked for the police called me and told me my son was abducted. We called a Member of Parliament and went to the police station to file a complaint. An officer asked us whether we had raised children to join the JVP. I refused that my son was involved with JVP. Then he opened a file, showed me a list of names suspected to be JVP supporters, and pointed to the name Chandana Senanayake. I reminded him that my son’s name was Chaminda and he said sorry and made a note. We searched for my son relentlessly. We informed the Member of Parliament in the area, Lakshman Jayakody, and wrote to the IGP and the UN’s Human Rights Commission. With the UN’s help, we received permission to visit a number of camps. Two days after my son’s disappearance, we visited the Assistant Superintendent of Police in Negombo. He asked us if the police were a benevolent God who could find lost children. We met another officer of the police, Kudahetti who told us that our search was fruitless and pointed to a White Van. Chaminda had been taken because his name appeared on a list. However, we persevered with our search. We did whatever we could, which included visits to soothsayers, also. Meanwhile, my children’s education and household concerns were abandoned. Where was Chaminda? Who took Chaminda? As there were no updates, we believed our son was killed. We re-visited the police station to obtain a copy of the complaint we made to receive his Death Certificate. However, we were told our complaint was lost. As an educator, I never joined any political party. I believe the UNP (United National Party) leaders in our local area must have mistakenly believed our son to be a part of the JVP (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna). Near my school, there was a place where bodies were burned and the smoke reached the school premises. Sometimes we had to temporarily close the school to escape the smell of burning flesh.

Testimony by Francis Senanayake, Lakshman Senanayake’s father

My son, Hemantha Chandrasiri was a university student when he disappeared. On 12 October 1989, my son and my wife were at our home in Horagalmulla because the universities were closed. Around 4.30 pm, they were gardening when two people arrived and asked for him. They wanted his help to find an address. He told that he did not know the address but they forced him to come with them. He refused and when those two tried to take our son away, my wife started to scream for help. One of the men pulled a pistol to intimidate my wife into silence and pushed Hemantha into a jeep. As they shuffled him in, he yelled that those people were union students at the university opposite his one. My wife had run behind them asking them to release him. Two boys from the neighborhood had tried to trail them on a motorbike but had lost them at a junction further up the road. I was not at home when the incident took place. When I rushed home after hearing, the incident we and some neighbors started searching for Hemantha. My eldest son made a complaint at the Divulapitiya Police Station but they never conducted an inquiry. We visited several army camps such as Racecourse, Naiwala, and Boosa, but we received the same response every time: “No one is here by that name.” Our relatives visited Essalla where dead and burned bodies were dumped into a pit continuously but we never heard or found him. We did, however, find the owner of the jeep which was used to abduct my son. He revealed that his vehicle was taken by men in civilian clothes in army uniform for a couple of days and then returned. In 1994, I found an article written by Member of Parliament, Patali Champika Ranawaka. He described that he had noted my son as an active member of a student movement linked to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).  He further said, while my son advocated for the JVP at the start, he later became a fierce critic of the party’s objectives and behavior. In his article, Champika wrote that, when Champika heard my son had been abducted, he wanted to find him. The next day after he heard the news of the abduction, just after visiting a Buddhist monk in Colombo, to inquire about my son, Champika was also abducted and kept him also for a long period at Colombo University which was used to function as a torture chamber. Champika wrote, once he heard Hemantha’s voice calling out another detainee but because Champika was blindfolded, he could not visually identify Hemantha. Another detainee Sarath Wijewardene, a convenor of IUSM who was also held there and tortured, had told Champika that Hemantha had been beheaded before his eyes, in that camp. However, my wife and I held onto our hope. After the troubled period was over when we attended a remembrance held at the University of Colombo for the disappeared from the Colombo Campus, we both fainted because we saw a photo of our son, there on the list of the disappeared from the university. As my wife was taken to the hospital and only returned about two hours later, we missed the opportunity of meeting Champika, who was also there. We could never contact the people who could have provided us with more information about our son’s time in the torture camp. So we were forced to believe that our son had been murdered. Since the incident, every government has failed to respond to our questions. Who killed or disappeared our son? Why did they kill or disappear our child who was only 26 years old?. Testimony by B. Carolis Silva, Hemantha Chandrasiri’s Father.

Dharmasiri Prasantha
Our family – me, my husband, and our four children. The eldest, Sudath Prasantha, goes to my mother’s house as a habit before going to the beach every morning. He was caught by the army. I was informed that my son is in trouble and has been forcefully captured by the army. I ran towards Dickwella, Matara, where I was told that my son was beaten severely and bound to a pole before being taken away. On 1989.08.06, at about 8 in the morning, my son was arrested during a raid by a team of army soldiers. But up until today, my son has not returned.
My husband and I have searched in every possible place we could think of, but to no avail. We filed a complaint at the police station and went by every commission there was, but to no effect. We went to the military camps in Boossa, Anuradhapura, Matale, Nuwara, Hambanthota, and Ratnapura, but our son was nowhere to be found.
A few days later, my second eldest son, Dharamasiri, went to the Kottegoda temple for a Bodhi Puja (a Buddhist ritual to worship the Bodhi tree). I told Dharamsiri, “Go ahead, Maddu; I’ll come right after.”. We call Dharmasiri Maddu (an endearment for the second born of a family) at home. When I went to the temple, the monk told me not to come further, as there was an ongoing raid. My second eldest son was also forcefully captured by the army, and to this day, there is no information about him.
The next morning, I took a bus to Dickwella police station, where the army stopped the bus and told us to get off before asking it to continue. Several people came along with me to file complaints, but our complaints were not accepted by the police. When I got back home, I was told by a man that my third son, Laal Prasantha, was killed and taken away. The man had climbed a tree out of fear.
Sumanawathi,
Dharmasiri Prasantha’s mother.

Shantha Kumara was my oldest son. At 15, he dropped out of school and worked as a daily wage earner to help our household. My son was taken by the police on 9 November 1990, while he and his friends were playing in a field near Bogambara. The police physically assaulted a number of children, there and arrested a couple of others, including my son. Apparently, they had been arrested on suspicion of theft. I rushed to the Kandy Police Station and found Shantha at the station. I filed a complaint about my son’s arrest and even hired a lawyer. In the three days I visited, the police said they would release him once the inquiry was over which may take about one week. On the fourth day, they told me that my son had escaped from the station. But I refused to believe this—if my son had escaped he would have contacted me. How did my child who was in police custody for three days suddenly disappear?. Many boys were arrested like this. They were taken in, physically assaulted, and tortured by the police. Some people had seen how my son was beaten. Another child who was arrested with my son was released a week later. The police had forced them to work. I pressed for more details but the boy was hesitant to answer out of fear. I later learned that the police had tortured my son to the point of extracting a false confession for the theft. I never stopped my search. I even wrote to the president. In 1996, I complained to the Presidential Commission and I received Rs. 15,000 as a response. I did everything I could but I never learned what happened to my son. A police team from Colombo searched the Kandy Police Station but to no avail. When I went to the Kandy office of SP, I was told that my son had been transferred to another detention center but they never mentioned where. They promised to find my son. But, my son never returned. The police disappeared my son.

Testimony by Veeran Kadira, Shantha Kumara’s father

My son, Gamini, used to be a mechanic. When he was 22 years old he disappeared. On September 19, 1989, at around 11.30 pm, two army jeeps came to our house in Wavinna. Ten men in military uniforms jumped out of the jeep, shouted Gamini’s name, and knocked on my door. I was very scared but they threatened to break the door if I did not open it. When I opened it, they rushed inside, pointed their guns at us, and told us to stay still. I screamed and they told me to shut up. I panicked and fainted. They had searched the house for Gamini who was asleep at the time. They had entered his room, pulled him out of it, and pushed him into a jeep outside. When I regained consciousness, I went to Gamini’s room and saw that his bed sheet and sandals had disappeared with him. They most likely took the bed sheet to cover his face. The next morning, I traveled to the Madulkelle camp where many boys were detained. An army officer informed me that no one called Gamini could be found there. However, a person in the tea plantation near the area told me that they had seen my son in the backyard of the camp. When I went to the police station, they refused to record my complaint. Still, I persevered and searched the other camps in Matala, Pallekele, and Boossa. On the bus, I met a person who told me a story about Gamini. He had overheard a conversation between some soldiers who had taken my son by mistake. They were in search of a worker called Gamini from the Madulkelle Post Office. Someone at the Post Office had mistakenly pointed them to my son who was also named Gamini. Upon learning of their mistake, they never tried to correct it by releasing my son but just to hide their mistake they disappeared my son. They eventually found the worker from the post office and killed him too. I submitted a complaint to the presidential commission about my son’s disappearance. The police only recorded my complaint in 1996, but I still could not find my son. I received Rs. 25,000 as compensation but if my son was alive, he would have earned more money than this. There is no point in anything without my son. I am unsure about my future as I am alone. The state should play a better role in caring for the families of victims.

Testimony by H.G. Yashohami, Wasantha Gamini Abeywickrama’s mother.

Janaka Saman Kumara and Rev. Chandima (Chaminda Srinath Weerasinghe) I had two sons: Janaka Saman Kumara, my oldest, and Chaminda Srinath, my youngest. Chaminda was ordained as a monk and was called Chaminda Thero. Both of my sons were abducted from our house in Panvila, when they were 18 and 17. On 19 November 1989, at around 11 pm, two men knocked on our door claiming to be the police. When I opened the door, I found a mob outside. They barged into the house, grabbed both my sons, and took them away in a vehicle. They did not let us come out. A couple of minutes later, I heard a series of gunshots. I wondered if they had shot my sons. Later I learned that my sons were told to kneel in front of a neighbor’s house and were forced to reveal their friends’ names. That night, they abducted 5 more from our village. Out of the seven, only two came back after some time. Ten days after the abduction, a beheaded person’s carcass was left in front of our shop. The person was a father of a seven days old baby girl. Many people in my area were killed brutally like this. Some said it was the work of the JVP. I visited Panvila Police and several army camps but never got any information. The police only recorded my complaints in 1990. I heard that, before the abductions, Janaka had some argument with a bus conductor and had been threatened by the conductor that Janaka would live only for three days. On this incident, I thought JVP could have done this to take revenge as these sorts of things happened those days. On the other hand, taking 7 children from our village including my two sons, and taking them in a jeep, could it be done by the Police or Army?. I am still unsure if my sons are dead or alive. The government paid me Rs. 30,000 and provided Death Certificates for both of them. I donated this sum to a monk. Should we live in this country without knowing what happened to my two children?.

Testimony by Ashoka Weerasinghe, Mother of Janaka Saman Kumara and Chaminda Thero.

My husband, who was a wood contractor, was in the Janata Vimukthi Peramuna in 1971. But later he left the team. On October 9, 1989, at around 6:30 in the morning, an army jeep without number plates came to my house. A friend of my husband came with the army. After asking about Samarasinghe, they searched the house. They took Rajakaruna, my husband's brother, in the jeep to find my husband. My brother-in-law later informed me that when they found my husband, they left him on the road and drove away. We immediately went to Wattegama police station but my husband was not there. We waited for two hours to see if the jeep would arrive at the station. My friend Chitra informed me that she saw the jeep driving towards Kandy army camp. Her husband had seen someone pass a nana (lunch) packet to my husband. I went to the camp and requested to meet the captain in charge of the camp but was not coiled. Another officer dressed in civilian clothes near a shop in front of the military camp told me that he was the one who had come to take my husband on the orders of the captain. He said in an apologetic mood that he had to carry out the orders of his superiors. Later I came to know that my husband has been taken to Pallekele army camp. I visited the camp several times but did not hear anything about my husband. I filed a complaint with Mattegama police but not sure if they recorded it correctly. Minister Lakshma Kiriella wrote a letter to a Major Mendis and tried to get news about my husband but to no avail. During one of the visits, a man said to me, “Your husband tried to attack the army personnel, so they attacked him and seriously injured him.” I came back with a lawyer and we were informed that it would take some time to release him. A friend of my husband informed me that he met my husband at Sylvester Army Camp while he was also there. I continued my search for about three months but did not know what happened to him. My husband was a fan of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna but he never joined JVP work. Since my husband was a supporter of Mr. Rathwatte of the opposition party, I believe that his disappearance was an act of revenge by UNP Minister Vijayasiri. A senior police officer in the Central Province named Udugampola was believed to be responsible for these incidents. He had a list of names to be killed and led the 'Green Tigers' organization in Kandy at that time. I submitted my complaint to the Presidential Commission on the disappearance of my husband in 1996 and I received Rs. 50,000 and a monthly payment of Rs. 500. After 2001 that monthly payment was stopped. My husband's disappearance had a huge impact on our children's education. Can my husband disappear as a punishment even if he commits something wrong? The government should take full responsibility for these disappearances.

Testimony of Elsie Welikumbura, wife of Girambe Samarasinghe

Sudath Prasantha
Our family – me, my husband, and our four children. The eldest, Sudath Prasantha, goes to my mother’s house as a habit before going to the beach every morning. He was caught by the army. I was informed that my son is in trouble and has been forcefully captured by the army. I ran towards Dickwella, Matara, where I was told that my son was beaten severely and bound to a pole before being taken away. On 1989.08.06, at about 8 in the morning, my son was arrested during a raid by a team of army soldiers. But up until today, my son has not returned.
My husband and I have searched in every possible place we could think of, but to no avail. We filed a complaint at the police station and went by every commission there was, but to no effect. We went to the military camps in Boossa, Anuradhapura, Matale, Nuwara, Hambanthota, and Ratnapura, but our son was nowhere to be found.
A few days later, my second eldest son, Dharamasiri, went to the Kottegoda temple for a Bodhi Puja (a Buddhist ritual to worship the Bodhi tree). I told Dharamsiri, “Go ahead, Maddu; I’ll come right after.”. We call Dharmasiri Maddu (an endearment for the second born of a family) at home. When I went to the temple, the monk told me not to come further, as there was an ongoing raid. My second eldest son was also forcefully captured by the army, and to this day, there is no information about him.
The next morning, I took a bus to Dickwella police station, where the army stopped the bus and told us to get off before asking it to continue. Several people came along with me to file complaints, but our complaints were not accepted by the police. When I got back home, I was told by a man that my third son, Laal Prasantha, was killed and taken away. The man had climbed a tree out of fear.
Sumanawathi,
Sudath Prasantha’s mother.

In 1989 nearly everywhere in the South, school children were on the streets protesting about the quality of education in rural schools compared to Colombo schools. On 16 November 1989, an incident occurred at my son’s school and he returned home with a torn uniform. I asked him not to return to school but he went to school, the next day.
Usually my son returns home around 2 pm but he did not return that day. I heard my son was taken away by the police in an orange vehicle in a rally held near the Wattegama Maddumabandara Madya Maha Vidyalaya. After that, I rushed to the station and found an orange vehicle but the police told me my son was not in the station. When my husband returned home just as he did hear the news, we went to the police station together. We were refused entry because there was an order to prevent anyone’s entrance and they failed to record our complaint. We were not allowed to stay in the premises and was scolded in expletives and chased out.
On 5 December, we filed a complaint with the permission of the ASP. Sergeant Lokubanda recorded my statement on a scrap of paper rather than the formal police entry book. When I questioned him about this, he scolded me and demanded that I do not question him any further. However, I went home and recorded the events in my diary.
Later, a driver told me that he had transported some children from the police station to the Pallekele camp. He had spotted my son with the other children. We went to Pallekele but the army officers did not allow us to enter saying there was no one by that name. We also visited other camps but to no avail.
When I was called to the president commission, I was asked to produce a copy of the police complaint. However, when I tried to find a copy, I learned that they had never recorded the complaint. Five years later, I found my diary and filed a complaint in a formal police entry book for the first time.
A couple of months later, a man called Priyantha Somasri, also from our village, aggressively said that he had helped in the abduction of my son. He was intoxicated at the time and had my son’s shoes on. I did not complain about him because I was afraid he might hurt the other members in my family. The disappearance impacted my other children’s studies too.
Members of the UNP (United National Party) destroyed my house because I supported the People’s Alliance. The UNP took revenge on me by disappearing my child. We received Rs. 15,000 from the presidential commission. I used the money to build a statue of Lord Buddha.
I not only lost my son but also his pair of shoes.

Testimony by Gannoruwe Gedera Seelawathi, Nisantha Weerasinghe’s mother

My father is U. P. Wimalanatha. My Father, Mother, younger sister, and I were living very happily and were a beautiful family. But after some time due to economic problems, my mother had to go to the Middle East to support the family. I can remember that my father managed the money sent by my mother, very carefully. But he never let us face any shortcomings. He was running a shop. So the income came from my mother’s earnings and from the shop. Though our mother was not with us our father looked after us very well.
On the 15th of December 1989, we were sleeping at our home. Suddenly I heard a knock on the door. So my father woke up and opened the door. As soon as he opened the door, the army people about 6 or 7 came into the house. Then they questioned my father his name, and what he is doing. Though my father answered all the questions truly yet they took my father outside. There was a cousin's brother who was living with us. Then they took him also away. We became very afraid. I started crying. Then someone from that group said, “Do not cry. We will get your father back, soon”. Then they took my father and the cousin's brother away. My sister and I also followed them. There were some big army trucks. When they got closer to the trucks someone said tie their eyes”. After that, they took our father and the cousin's brother away, separately in two vehicles.
As our mother was away we lived with the support of our grandmother. When my father disappeared my mother also faced a lot of problems in Kuwait, during that time. She could not send money. So we had to suffer a lot. However, after my mother came back she tried her best to find our father and cousin's brother. She went to several Army camps, Meerigama, Anuradhapura, Galle, Maathara, and Colombo. We did not get any news about our father and the cousin's brother. In 1996 we got Rs. 50,000 as compensation. We got compensation but we did not get our father or cousin brother.

We were branded as JVP and people tried to evade us. I am W.P. Piyasena, a mother of three children. The second one, Lalith was in Peradeniya University. Ranjith was my youngest son, married with two children, then. He worked in a garment factory. But today, I have my eldest son. Only. Both our younger sons were taken away from us. Lalith was the president of the Socialist Students' Union on the Peradeniya campus, affiliated with JVP. So the police came to our house in searching for Lalith, several times. After Police started visiting our house Lalith never came home. On December 10, 1989, when we were at a relative's house, The Police crashed into our relative’s house and was asking about Lalith. Then they took my husband away in a white van, demanding to produce Lalith. Two days later, the younger son Ranjith was also taken away by the police, by force. He was also taken to the Colombo police station where my husband was also being held. They were kept in separate rooms. At that time, Ranjith was 28 years old. My second son, Lalith, was 30 years old when he disappeared. Lalith did not come home after visits by the police. We still do not know what happened to him. On January 2, 1990, my husband was released from police custody, but Ranjith was not. My husband went to the police several times and inquired about my son, Ranjith. All that time, the police promised my husband that they would send my son home after questioning him. But Ranjith never came back. Until today, we don't know what happened to our two sons. If they were killed, why? By whom and for what reason? They are still unanswered by anyone. After the inquiries conducted by the presidential commission in 1996, they issued two death certificates for our two sons and Rs. 25,000 each as compensation for both. After some time, I was given 500 rupees per month for several months. In 2001after the new government came into power, that allowance was also stopped. Though there was a court case about Ranjith’s disappearance. Nothing came out of it. Ranjith's two children suffered very much due to their father’s disappearances, with their mother.

b. Kapila Bandhula
We lived very happily at our home town in Nugegoda. At that time, there was a great terror in the country due to the 1988-89 insurrection. There was trouble everywhere. But we lived quite happily. My family included me, two elder sisters, younger brother, my mother, and my father.

My younger brother, Kapila Bandhula had taken his Advanced Level exams and was awaiting the results in 1989. He was exceptionally intelligent from an early age. For instance, he did not take any further tutoring for his ordinary-level examinations. He was a responsible person. In April 1989, when our house was being repainted, he told everyone that he would pay for all painting charges next year. He was someone who cared deeply about his family. He was popular and well liked among neighbours and even children. He even played with those children, and they liked him a lot.

It was a Sunday, September 17, 1989, and my brother was home. Suddenly, a friend of his arrived and took my brother with him. Usually, his friends come to visit him frequently. It was also normal on that particular day. My brother went with his friend. He did not come until that evening. Later, we got to know that my brother was kidnapped. We do not believe that my brother is related to or involved in anything. But this happened because of the person who accompanied my brother.

My brother was the pillar of strength of our family. His disappearance put a lot of pressure on us. My mother searched for him everywhere. Boossa, Matara, Anuradhapura, Colombo, every military camp, and every place she could go to. My mother visited psychics and other auspicious places and prayed. Problems began to arise in our household as my mother searched for my brother despite the fact that she was constantly away from home. But one day, one of the psychic places my mother visited to find clues about my brother's whereabouts, told her that Bandhula had passed away. It was only after 5 years that our mother stopped looking for him after giving alms.
After that, my mother grew sick. My sister also got sick, and my father passed away. My mother's illness worsened after my father's illness grew. I had to quit my job because there was no one to take care of my mother and sister. We didn't even go to see my younger brother's advanced-level examination results. He had applied for a job. We received the job offer letter after his disappearance. We received 15000 rupees in restitution during a restitution program held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall. But is my younger brother worth only 15,000 rupees?

Maala Jayakodi,
Sister (third eldest) of Kapila Bandhula 

As a single mother, I relied on my husband’s pension, who committed suicide, to raise my two children. October 9 1989 was my daughter’s thirteenth birthday and many of my children’s friends visited our house for the celebration. However, that night my son was made to disappear. A group of about ten men in civilian clothes accompanied by police officers, broke into our house and brandished their guns at us. They asked my son his name and then forcibly removed his clothes to check him. They also questioned my son about our family. When I asked them for their reasons for summoning my son, they responded that they needed him for a statement at the Divulapitiya Police Station and promised his return. As some of these men questioned me, they pulled my son into a van parked behind our house. Then they blindfolded him, tied his hands behind his back, and left. My son never returned in the morning so I traveled to the police station but they did not let me see him. Two weeks later, I spotted the men who had kidnapped my son at the Divulapitiya Junction. I felt very scared then. Every time I visited the police, they assured me that my son was alive and that they would send him back. I tried to file a complaint about the man responsible for his disappearance. I also met the president at the time, R. Premadasa, the Red Cross, and the presidential commission responsible for enforced disappearances. I also visited the camps to look for my son but he was nowhere. He had disappeared into ‘thin air’. As of yet, I have only received my son’s Death Certificate and Rs. 15,000. Is my son’s life equivalent to a mere Rs. 15,000? What happened to my son? Why did the government let such violence take place?.

Testimony by Nalini Upamalika, Samantha Kalyana’s mother

"I am Jennifer Weerasinghe. I am a Malay woman following the Islam faith. My husband had served in the Army and is on retirement now. He is a Buddhist. We came to an agreement and followed both religions at home. Therefore, we named our son Jamaldeen Dilan. The first name is from me and the other is from the father.
Since my son grew up in my ancestral home and also he liked to stay there, he followed the Muslim faith. He studied and also did his job while living in that house. Our daughter lived in our house in Kurunegala from her small days and studied with a tendency towards Buddhism. The son worked in a private institution.
On 17.09.2008 there was a call from my home saying that our son had gone on a trip with his friends yesterday and had not returned home yet. As there were issues those days with children being taken in white vans my home people asked me to come and see about it. Those who had come there to go with our son had left a note with a telephone number. When we talked, they said that they were going to Rajeev Nagananda's party with four other friends at night. When he went to get a haircut at Silk in Bambalapitiya, he had a call from Mubarak Anwar Ali and my son was abducted by a group of the Navy when he went to the house of Mubarak Anwar Ali for a money transaction. After that, my son did not speak. Since he did not come even after three days, my husband and I went to the houses of my son's friends to find out the information.
When we called Nagananda’s mother, she said there was no need to tell about this to anyone and that she would find her son. My husband and I went to Maradana Police Station and lodged a complaint. The Police asked us to get information about the other friends and what was being said by those homes. My husband and I told the Police details about the homes of those friends, where they did their jobs and other details from those who knew. But except saying that they were searching we did not get any new information. In the meantime, we complained to the CID. Even though we gave some information to the Police, we did not get any help from them. After about a year the CID told us that Mubarak had been a spy in the group that took the children away and that Lieutenant Commander Sampath Munasinghe of the Navy was behind this incident. I informed all the relevant places about all these matters in writing. I informed the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa the then Defense Secretary, the former President Sirisena in writing and asked for an opportunity to meet.
I did not get a satisfactory reply to any of these requests. I got together with another mother and filed a case against this. Now this case has been going on for over 13 years. Former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda, who has been indicted for this case, was also given a post of Governor. But we still live with faith in the judiciary.

I Know the People Who Abducted My Husband
After my A Levels, I went to the Free Trade Zone in Katunayake for work, met Kusumsiri de Silva, got married in September 1987, and a year later, we had a son in 1988. We were married for two years before they took Kusumsiri away from us on 11th November 1989.
Between 12-1 am, a group of Policemen forced us to open our door.
They took Kusumsiri’s Younger brother away while he was hiding under a bed for the fear of Police, misidentifying him as my husband.
After about 2 hours the Police team came back again, crashed in got hold of Kusumsiri, blindfolded him using a piece of cloth torn from his sarong, and took him away amidst our objections and protests.
The next day in the morning Kusumsiri’s father went with Kusumsiri’s sister and made a complaint at Jaela Police. Though they identified some Police officers who came to abduct Kusumsiri, yet they did not mention their names for fear, in the complaint. As Kusumsiri’s father was handling the canteen at Jaela Police station with the help of Kusumsiri’s sister they very clearly identified some Police officers who came to our house. The Police team was led by one SI Clement Fernando.
Days later, my younger brother and three other people who were abducted on the same day returned home. They revealed that they had been tied to lamp posts with only their underwear but had later been untied and released. Before they abducted Kusumsiri when I was at my home in Pamunugama my uncle’s house which was near my parent's house was set on fire but luckily no one was at home when this happened. The next day my father, mother, and I were taken to a nearby hotel which was used by Pamunugama Police at that time recorded our statements and were released. There we were shown a petition signed by village people against our uncle.
We tried everything to find some news about Kusumsiri but in vain.
I was given Rs. 50,000 and a death certificate later, after the inquiries of the presidential commission held at BMICH.

Testimony by Diwasiri Kotikawatta, Kusumsiri de Silva’s wife

We are the mother and father of Sanjeewa Deepal. We lived in Veyangoda.of Gampaha District. We had two daughters and two sons. The eldest son was born on 10th October 1971.He studied well. After his G.C.E. O/L exam, as he was reluctant to just wait for the results without doing any work, he went to the Mirigama workplace with his father. His father was always with him. Every day they together went to workshop and again return together. My son had not any association with friends. On 18th December 1989, around 11 pm at night, the police and the army personals came to our house and said that they need to take my son to the Gampaha police station to take a statement. Both of us refused it and screamed that we cannot let our son be taken out. Then they said, after taking the statement, they would drop him back home in the following morning, so told us not to worry. They said father does not necessary to accompany with them. But, still our son did not come home. The next day, as my son did not come home, we went to the Gampaha police station. But they said our son had not brought there. Then we went to Veyangoda police station and after that to Nittambuwa police station. Meanwhile, a complaint was lodged to the police on 29th December 1989 . But the son was not there. Since he was not in police stations, we went to military camps with the help of known persons. I went to Koggala Camp, Mahiyangana Gemunupura Camp, Polonnaruwa Camp and Minneriya Camp. I did not take mother (my wife) to these places. In some places, they were cooperative and information was shared, but in some other places, I got a lot of trouble. I did not tell those things to even my wife. Everywhere which I went, there were boys of my son’s age, but my son was not there. In some camps, the name list of detainees were shown' Thereafter, complaints were made to various departments $agencies about this disappearance. In 1994, the Presidential Commission of Inquiry summoned us and got the details' Madam Chandrika said that she would specifically look into the disappearances matter. We complained to the Human Rights Commission as well. We got to know that, 6,000 Rupees as an interim payment was allocated from 2019 budget for a died person. But still we did not receive it. In 1994, we received a compensation of 15"000 Rupees along with the death certificate. Is our son worth only 15,000 Rupees? The son was not even 21 years old when he was disappeared. My wife ¦ the mother of Deepal is not ready to accept the fact that son was dead. He should be somewhere. Our son has not done any wrong thing. This is a revenge act of jealous neighbors who did not tolerate our success. We live because the care of younger son and with the hopes of our elder son's return to us.

We were branded as JVP and people tried to evade us. I am W.P. Piyasena, a mother of three children. The second one, Lalith was in Peradeniya University. Ranjith was my youngest son, married with two children, then. He worked in a garment factory. But today, I have my eldest son. Only. Both our younger sons were taken away from us. Lalith was the president of the Socialist Students' Union on the Peradeniya campus, affiliated with JVP. So the police came to our house in searching for Lalith, several times. After Police started visiting our house Lalith never came home. On December 10, 1989, when we were at a relative's house, The Police crashed into our relative’s house and was asking about Lalith. Then they took my husband away in a white van, demanding to produce Lalith. Two days later, the younger son Ranjith was also taken away by the police, by force. He was also taken to the Colombo police station where my husband was also being held. They were kept in separate rooms. At that time, Ranjith was 28 years old. My second son, Lalith, was 30 years old when he disappeared. Lalith did not come home after visits by the police. We still do not know what happened to him. On January 2, 1990, my husband was released from police custody, but Ranjith was not. My husband went to the police several times and inquired about my son, Ranjith. All that time, the police promised my husband that they would send my son home after questioning him. But Ranjith never came back. Until today, we don't know what happened to our two sons. If they were killed, why? By whom and for what reason? They are still unanswered by anyone. After the inquiries conducted by the presidential commission in 1996, they issued two death certificates for our two sons and Rs. 25,000 each as compensation for both. After some time, I was given 500 rupees per month for several months. In 2001after the new government came into power, that allowance was also stopped. Though there was a court case about Ranjith’s disappearance. Nothing came out of it. Ranjith's two children suffered very much due to their father’s disappearances, with their mother.

I am Ariyawathi. I have an unfortunate story to tell. I had three sons and two daughters. As my husband had no a permanent income, I went to Jordan for a job as a housemaid. My husband had been taking care of the children. We were at Bandarnayka Mawatha, Veyangoda, Gampaha. My eldest son is Pradeep Kumara Weerasinghe. On 19th September 1989, army personnel had come to my house. My elder son had been sleeping when army come to house. They had woke up son and had asked to come with them. He had gone with them asking my elder daughter Ramani to shut the door. My son or daughter had not been informed even why he is taking away or where he would be keeping. We could only imagine that it was the army who took my son away. My second son Sugath Weerasinghe was working as a bus conductor. We only know that the army had come to him and took him away while he was sleeping in the bus. The villagers had identified people who helped the army to take my sons. They were members of the United National Party. After sometime, when I met ‘Selladore’, who was known to be the main responsible person for taking my children, I asked him directly about that. The villagers said that ‘Selladore’ had been angry. This boys had done a joke action to his families pretending and showing that it was Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna's (JVP – ‘People’s Liberation Front’) work. Even now my elder daughter says she does not know that her elder brothers had done any other wrong thing than this. But later, my elder daughter said that young people who worked for Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna were friendly to my two sons and helped them. She said, when Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna killed someone who helped to take my sons, they had told my daughter that they took the revenge of killing my sons. So without our knowledge, we don’t know whether my sons may had been working for that party. In 1994, we received 30,000 Rupees as a compensation for the two sons. We did not receive any help from Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse or Mr. Vasudeva even if they had spoken about missing people. In 2019, we heard about a money allocation, but still we did not receive the money. Only two daughters and one son are left in the family with me now. By following our religious steps, we managed our anger and settled our mind. Those who initiated the crimes against my sons got “results” and even powerful people had died on the roads.