Mahakongaskadawa Untold Story - Reminder to LTTE

It was 9th October 1988.

Night was falling. My Kiri Amma (grand mother) retuned through paddy field directing a herd of cattle back home. She had vaguely seen some strange boys in dark suits sitting by the pathway, in unusual places. She was old, eyesight was poor. If not, that wouldn't have been the last time she returned home. There were 13 homes in our village. Many were poor farmers. There was one home with a TV. As it was Sunday, we all gathered there to watch the tele drama. Seneviratne mama was cleaver; he said "we all should not stay here for long". He came to the road & found some strangers positioning around the place we gathered. Having nothing for his defense, he shouted. That was a call for others to flee. We heard gun fire, it was for Senevi mama. He laid down his life and saved some lives, because tigers had to start shooing before they circled the village completely.

Though we tried to run away, tigers were around us. My chuti nangi was 4 yrs then, she did not eat without listening to a story. My brother was writing something in his school book. Suddenly tigers hit the front door. It was not made up of strong wood, so my father kept pushing from inside preventing force opening. When that failed, tigers fired several shots at my father thru the door, he fell still trying to keep it closed. They dashed inside, kicked my father's body away and chopped the head away. My mother held 3 of us firmly, trying in vain to cover us with her hands. When a tiger aimed his gun at us, she pleaded to leave the children. He went back and came with another lady tiger. She had a sword. She grabbed my chuti nangi away from my mother's lap and cut her neck off. Then my brother because he tried to say something. Then my mother. When tiger girl hit my mother's neck with the sword, I fainted. Whole night long, I cried trying to wake up my mother. She jerked few times, and became silent. Her blood was warm, same warmth 3 children cherished until this day.



Whole night, I heard gun fires and my relatives crying. With each gun shot, their voices dwindled. I heard Renuka nenda crying next door, pleading them to kill her. Later I learnt why she pleased that way. A tiger man beheaded her mother, father, 3 brothers and only sister and brought all 6 heads to the road. They shot at the house opposite mine, then dashed in. There they killed Nawaratne mama's mother (my kiri amma), his elder bother, nanda and two daughters.


Following morning, many people came to see this wonder, one big person (a politician) even came in a helicopter. Bodies were collected by Army men and prepared for last rights but they could not reach the village cemetery because, tiger men were still waiting in ambush. There was another fire fight too. Then a bulldozer came and cut a mass grave and all bodies were laid in it and closed. Those killed on this day were,



1. K.R Amarasinghe Karunaratne


2. Punchiralage Somawathi


3. Saman Ravidralal Amarasinghe


4. Kumudu Nalanee Amarasinghe


5. A.Hethuhami


6. Nimal Karunartne


7. Mallika Damaynthi Karunaratne


8. Nadeeka Sandamalee Munasinghe


9. Pradeepa Sandamalee Munasinghe


10. Pulinguralage Chandradasa


11. Kapuruhamige Dhanapala


12. Sumudu Seneviratne


13. Murugathage Tikiribada


14. Jayantha Jayasiri Ranasinghe


15. Tikiri Bandage Siriyalatha


16. Piyadasage Nandaseeli


17. Gunasekarae Nimalwanshe


18. Piyasenage Wijesena


19. Nimal Wanshage Sriyani Surangika Nomalwanshe


20. Nimal Wanshage Priyanthe Nimalwanshe


21. R.D.A.Chadradasa


22. Malhami Punchibandage Kumarashinghe


23. Podi Appuhamige Seethawathi


24. Kumarasinghage Sisira Kumarasinghe


25. Kumarasinghage Samantha Kumarasinghe


26. Kumarasinghage Malkanthi Kumarasinghe


27. Mudalihamige Piyasena


28. Herathamige Tikirihami


29. Piyasenage Piyanka


30. Piyasenage Sunethra Nandani


31. Piyasenage Milinawathi


32. Piyasenage Nuwan Kumara


33. Piyasenage Rohana Sisira Kumara


34. Niluka Thilakasiri


35. Kumarasinghage Gamini Upathissa Kumarasinghe


36. Manthihamige Piyasena


37. Mudalihamige kalyanawathi


38. P.Sriyani Kusumalatha


39. P.Ramani Niranjala


40. P.Manori Priyanga


41. Mudalihamige Rangiethana


42. Wickramadasage Ranjana Jayakodi


43. Kandappurale Bedderalage Malhami


44. Siral Mohottalage Bebi Ethani.