The Hon. Harshana Rajakaruna

¶ 01 Thank you for the opportunity, Hon. Deputy Chair.

¶ 02 In my Gampaha District, in the Biyagama electorate, the Batalanda camp was located. Not only in Gampaha; such camps existed in almost every town and electorate. That is true. Those were army camps set up to establish security. There was a reason — the violent acts of the JVP. Without that, these camps would not have been set up unnecessarily. To control the terror then, camps were established everywhere. In Dompe, near my home in Kirindiwela, there was also a camp; today that site houses Sanghamitta Balika Vidyalaya. After the period ended, the camps were removed and schools and other buildings were built.

¶ 03 Think: why did you raise Batalanda now? Not out of your own desire, but to be featured by Al Jazeera. In that media interview this issue arose, and because of it we are here. But how did 88-89 terror arise? Along with the Indo-Lanka Accord protests. You know that when the Indian Prime Minister came, the JVP’s progressive group led protests. When they did so, did the government have to stand by idly? Even now, when cardboard placards are taken in protest, you suppress it. Then, you took up arms and used bombs. Shouldn’t the state have set up army camps and stopped it? What else could be done? These did not happen for nothing; they arose with your taking up of arms. Now you claim T-56s were fired. How did you get T-56s? By attacking army camps and looting. Let me list how many camps and police were attacked; I have a document.

¶ 04 On 15 April 1987, from the Nuwara-Pallekele Army Camp, 12 T-56 rifles and 78 sub-machine guns were robbed. On 15 April 1987, Saliyapura Army Camp on the Anuradhapura–Jaffna Road and Chellellai-Kudambai camps were attacked. On 7 June 1987, Ratmalana–Kothalawala Defence Academy; on 5 Sept 1987, Wadduwa Army Camp; on 28 Sept 1987, Modera-Rock House Army checkpoint. In each, army and police officers were killed and arms looted — for what? Then what should a government do? If you suppressed mere cardboard placards now, what else should be done then?

¶ 05 I table the document with these details.

¶ 06 Innocents like Minister Harshana Nanayakkara got caught up in this; nothing to be done. His father would tell you what the JVP did. Even his sister-in-law found it difficult to ask for votes in the Provincial Council election; only with security from Presidents J.R. Jayewardene and Premadasa could they campaign.

¶ 07 Now you build paddy stores — that is good. I went to a meeting in Biyagama. A gentleman told me he saw Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe visit a paddy store. That gentleman had worked there. He said in 1988-89 the JVP came and burned it. How many such paddy stores were destroyed? I’ll name a few: Yatiyana paddy mill with three huskers; Tebuwana five-mill; Hasalaka eight-mill; Middeniya mill; Ranahansa mill; Ranna–Unakuruwa eight-mill; Uragaha mill; Baddegama five-mill. I do not have time to list them all; I table the document with details.

¶ 08 Not only that. How were over 60,000 people killed in that period? You now say they were shot. How did you kill? In a single night, they took ten or fifteen people, lined them up, and killed them. When a child was nursing, they took the father outside, slit his throat, and placed the head on the wall. That is how people were killed. Now you speak of injustice.

¶ 09 You come to this Parliament and speak grandly. But you also bombed this Parliament. Now you go to exhibit the Sacred Tooth Relic; but you bombed the Temple of the Tooth. Deny it if you can. You bombed the Kataragama Perahera. Now you try to even close canteens.

¶ 10 You speak of promoting tourism; you also bombed the Katunayake Airport. How many venerable monks were killed? I will name a few: Premaloka Thera, Marambe Somaratana Thera, Agunukolapelessa Upali Thera, Kumbagoda Gnanaloka Thera, Kotikawatte Saddhanissa Thera.

¶ 11 Hon. Deputy Chair: Hon. Member, you have two more minutes.

¶ 12 I don’t know why my time is being cut.

¶ 13 (Placed in the Library.)