BY
FAIZER SHAHEID
Anger and frustration surrounding war crimes allegations has haunted many a man, but it never went to the extent of self-immolation as done by former military Staff Sergeant T.V. Piyasena.
Known to be a man of deep patriotism, Staff Sergeant T.V. Piyasena, 72 years of age at the time of his demise, had resigned in 1980, according to his son, Chandima Priyantha. He had been an ardent fan of Sri Lankan politics and craved for peace and harmony in the country. He was anti-racist and prayed for all those who died during the war including the Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims alike.
Throughout the war he had hoped and prayed that a leader would rise to put an end to the misery faced by the people. Having condemned the atrocities committed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), he had keenly followed the political situation in the newspapers and news channels on the radio and television.
Piyasena used to gather knowledge by reading political related books and plan his own ideas on how to end the ethnic conflict in the country. Being so, he was jubilant when the LTTE was defeated in 2009. He had commended President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka for their efforts to end the war.
Apart from being an avid political follower, he had also been a loving parent to his children and grandchildren. Since the death of his wife four years ago, he had spent much time passionately following the politics of the country and playing with his grandchildren at leisure.
He had also developed anger over the sudden turn of events where several countries made allegations of war crimes at Sri Lanka. “He was obviously angered and agitated with the countries that repeatedly insulted the military victory over the LTTE blatantly disregarding the prevailing peace”, said his son Chandima Priyantha.
The day of immolation
T.V. Piyasena had been living an ordinary life until the day he set himself ablaze. He would carry his National Identity Card (NIC), his wrist watch, his bag and an umbrella wherever he went.
On that ill-fated day, his son Chandima Priyantha reports that his father had not been different. “He had his breakfast as usual, he played with the little kids for a short while and then we all committed ourselves to our daily chores. We saw nothing different in him”, he said.
He had then got ready and left home on the pretext that he was going to Malabe, according to Priyantha. However, on that day, Piyasena had left behind his wrist watch and NIC at home though he had carried his bag and umbrella.
He had then proceeded towards the US Embassy in close proximity to the Temple Trees, but the Police had not allowed him to get any closer to the embassy for security reasons. The closest he was able to get to the US Embassy was the Colpetty Police Station, adjacent to the Temple Trees. Sitting on the pavement opposite the Colpetty Police Station around 10.30 in the morning, he had taken out a bottle of Petrol concealed inside his bag and poured it all over him, before setting himself ablaze.
The police had got near him, but he had begged them not to stop him. “Do not stop me. Do not douse this fire. I am dying on behalf of this country” he had screamed as the police tried to douse the fire. He had also screamed “Let Navanethem Pillay, Vickremabahu Karunaratne, Mangala Samaraweera and Nimalka Fernando take me as an example. They should not hinder the peace in this country. We now have peace, let them not disrupt this peace”.
Dr. Nimalka Fernando, when contacted, refused to comment on the incident. “I was out of the country and arrived only on Wednesday (3), I refuse to comment on the issue as I have no idea why he did it”, she said. She also expressed serious concern about the security outside of Temple Trees. “If the police near the Presidents abode cannot prevent things like this, I am deeply concerned about the security in this country”, she said.
The police however, defended this allegation. D. G. Hewawasam of the Police Media Unit said it was because of the prompt action of the police that Piyasena survived a bit longer. He also claimed the incident had not occurred because of any lapse in security, but because of increased freedom to move around in the country.
“People have the freedom to move around in this country. Perhaps during war time, we might have asked people to open their bags and run a few checks. But in this day and age, we have peace in the country. If we begin to check bags now, people will view us with disgust”, he said.
Hewawasam claimed that people carried all sorts of stuff in their bags, and it was impossible to check every person if they carried objects like petrol.
Nevertheless, the police had managed to douse the fire and rushed the man to the National Hospital. His body had already been burnt up to 70% by then. The doctors managed to treat him, but not for too long. Minutes before the victim passed away in the presence of the media on the same day, he had once again repeated the names of Navanethem Pillay, Dr. Vickremabahu Karunaratne, Mangala Samaraweera and Dr. Nimalka Fernando.
Priyantha also claimed that his father had no political affiliations. No such political figures were seen at the funeral either. “He had no connection to any politician. If he did, they would have attended his funeral. Only Army Commander Lt. Gen. Daya Ratnayake contacted us and that was why Army personnel were positioned outside of the funeral parlour to assist us with anything we needed”, he said when interviewed at the funeral parlour.
The controversy
It is common knowledge is that the good name of Sri Lanka in the international arena had been largely tarnished by the human rights allegations by United States of America (USA) and other countries aligned with the USA. The allegations of war crimes had been raised ever since the war had concluded in 2009. Subsequently, two resolutions were passed against Sri Lanka by the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) on 7 March, 2012 and 27 May, 2014 respectively.
Navanethem Pillay who had played a major role in encouraging the UNHRC resolutions and initiating an international investigation into the war crimes allegations too had recently retired from her post. Being so, what was it that compelled Piyasena to mention the names of Navanethem Pillay, Mangala Samaraweera, Dr.Vickremabahu Karunaratne and Dr.Nimalka Fernando?
His son opined that there was no explanation as to what led him to commit such action particularly at that point of time. He said his father loved the country more than he even cared for his family. However, explaining Piyasena’s dislike towards Navanethem Pillay, Priyantha said she had instigated and initiated the process that led to a chain reaction which had eventually led to the present on-going international investigation.
“We do know that many of the Tamil Diaspora had spread out in many parts of the world and influenced countries to a large extent into believing that Sri Lanka had committed war crimes. This is an absurdity, because the Army certainly did establish a ‘no fire zone’ where civilians were not shot at. Navaneetham Pillay, being a staunch supporter of the Diaspora herself, held a premeditated opinion and accused Sri Lanka of war crimes”, he said.
He then said, “How come they never recognized Prabhakaran and the atrocities he had committed? Where was Navanethem Pillay when he wreaked havoc and bombed so many civilians? She barely even questioned any of those bombings. My dad was obviously angered by her conduct, and his frustration grew with time”.
Mangala Samaraweera, a United National Party (UNP) Parliamentarian, his son said, had openly declared his willingness to give evidence before the Missing Persons’ Commission appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa or the international investigation panel appointed by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Piyasena had viewed Mangala as a traitor who would easily be subdued by the investigation panels.
Dr. Nimalka Fernando claimed she did not know why her name had also sprung among others. Priyantha claimed not to know either. However, Dr. Fernando is known to be a prominent human rights activist and her stand against human rights violations in Sri Lanka. She had also declared that the UN resolutions needed to be taken seriously before the situation further deteriorates. It is likely that Piyasena had held a strong opposing view against Dr. Fernando.
Courtesy:Ceylon Today