During the second JVP uprising, in the 1980's, I was consultant surgeon
at the General Hospital (Teaching), Kandy. Work stoppages were
everywhere. Terror reigned supreme. An anonymous death warning on a slip
of paper, pasted on a wall, would stop work in any institution in the
Island. People would be terrified to enter the designated building.
These threats were, if not obeyed, often carried out. An anonymous
caller would walk into the house and shoot a person dead. The other side
also would catch anyone suspected of being a member of the JVP and
kill, in various ways. Heads were decapitated and exhibited on bridges
to the morning traffic. Bodies were burnt on tyres and left to smolder
on highways, for passers-by to see. Youngsters were lined up on the
walls of bridges and shot to fall into the flowing river below. The
problem of disposal of the body was thus, made easy. The bodies came up
bloated, downstream. They frequently entangled fishing nets. Public
transport ceased after 6pm. We saw for the first time THREE or FOUR
people riding on motor-bikes or scooters and like in India, people
traveled on rooftops of buses and lorries. Terror reigned supreme.
The work in the hospitals went on. The difference was that there was very little work at night. The attendance in the OPD was also low. The night duty staff came in early and the day duty staff also finished early, as transport home was difficult.
One day in the morning, during this period, as I drove in to the parking lot at the General Hospital Kandy at 7.30am, I noticed that all the staff in the hospital were waiting near the entrance to the hospital. On inquiry I found that notices had been put up, all over the hospital, warning hospital workers from entering the hospital, on pain of death, from 7am that day. No one wanted to enter their places of work and be marked down for death. While we were taking the shock of this, the patients were peeping out of the windows of the upper floors of the hospital. One of the patients in labor came ponderously walking down the stairway, crying out loud. She pleaded with the staff standing outside, not to abandon her in her distress. It was Dr.Zubair, who was the Resident Obstetrician, who walked forward and consoled her. He told her that we will not abandon her, and took her to the labor room. The spell was broken and all of us dared, to get back into the hospital and started our usual work. During the night on that memorable day, some youngsters had walked into the hospital. They had pulled out intravenous drips from patients, including the ones on the innocents, in the pediatric ward. Prominent among the despoilers was a male student nurse, who was identified. Apparently he was a strong supporter of the JVP.
The battle went on and the state security services got the upper hand. In due course the male student nurse disappeared. It was rumored that his body was seen on a burning tyre, somewhere on the road to Teldeniya.
I write this, without judgment on either side, as a witness to history. People talk of the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia. We were building up for one here, in Sri-Lanka. The guardian deities of Sri-Lanka saved us in the nick of time. The price paid was very high. Wife's lost their husbands, children lost their fathers, parents lost their children and the grand-parents wept, in silence. The "Pied Piper of Hamelyn" had paid a visit to Sri-Lanka, a second time. The first time was in 1971.
About 3000 years ago, the effect of a similar incident, on the psyche of a nation, was recorded in the following words:-
"A loud wailing was heard from Rama. It was Rachel, weeping for her children, and she would not be comforted"
For in the ultimate analysis, they were all, children of our mother, Sri-Lanka.
Extract from 'The Cry of the Devil Bird' by Philip G Veerasingam.
Comments
The work in the hospitals went on. The difference was that there was very little work at night. The attendance in the OPD was also low. The night duty staff came in early and the day duty staff also finished early, as transport home was difficult.
One day in the morning, during this period, as I drove in to the parking lot at the General Hospital Kandy at 7.30am, I noticed that all the staff in the hospital were waiting near the entrance to the hospital. On inquiry I found that notices had been put up, all over the hospital, warning hospital workers from entering the hospital, on pain of death, from 7am that day. No one wanted to enter their places of work and be marked down for death. While we were taking the shock of this, the patients were peeping out of the windows of the upper floors of the hospital. One of the patients in labor came ponderously walking down the stairway, crying out loud. She pleaded with the staff standing outside, not to abandon her in her distress. It was Dr.Zubair, who was the Resident Obstetrician, who walked forward and consoled her. He told her that we will not abandon her, and took her to the labor room. The spell was broken and all of us dared, to get back into the hospital and started our usual work. During the night on that memorable day, some youngsters had walked into the hospital. They had pulled out intravenous drips from patients, including the ones on the innocents, in the pediatric ward. Prominent among the despoilers was a male student nurse, who was identified. Apparently he was a strong supporter of the JVP.
The battle went on and the state security services got the upper hand. In due course the male student nurse disappeared. It was rumored that his body was seen on a burning tyre, somewhere on the road to Teldeniya.
I write this, without judgment on either side, as a witness to history. People talk of the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia. We were building up for one here, in Sri-Lanka. The guardian deities of Sri-Lanka saved us in the nick of time. The price paid was very high. Wife's lost their husbands, children lost their fathers, parents lost their children and the grand-parents wept, in silence. The "Pied Piper of Hamelyn" had paid a visit to Sri-Lanka, a second time. The first time was in 1971.
About 3000 years ago, the effect of a similar incident, on the psyche of a nation, was recorded in the following words:-
"A loud wailing was heard from Rama. It was Rachel, weeping for her children, and she would not be comforted"
For in the ultimate analysis, they were all, children of our mother, Sri-Lanka.
Extract from 'The Cry of the Devil Bird' by Philip G Veerasingam.
Comments
- Victor Gnanadurai During the 1970 uprising, I was on duty almost every day and night at the A&E CGH. We were awake throughout the nights dealing with badly injured military personnel who were brought in ambulances and helicopters. None of the JVP youth were brought, we were told they had burning tyres around their necks and were disposed of in the sea. Quite often the late M.N.T. (Neil) Fonseka and I were working together non-stop. There was strict curfew from 6pm to 6am. One morning, quite tired, I dared to go to my quarters for a shower at 5.30-45am. Suddenly without making any noise a jeep came by with guns pointing at me. A stethoscope around my neck saved me from being taken away. Mrs. B was the PM, and was said to be quite brutal with the terrorists. Neil and I became experts at managing severe trauma of an uprising.
Cherine Sosai Thank you for sharing history as we know history repeats and we also know not to repeat history s lessons learned
Gamini Edirisinghe A
Nice recollection Dr. PGV. A nightmare beyond the imagination of
present day youth who holler about " White vans " , " State Terror " and
snow white JVP ! Oh I remember those times very well !
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