K.W., A Reader of Sangam.org

More on the Same Incident at Peradeniya#

I just want to add some more info to Easan’s note. I was an assistant lecturer at that time at Peradeniya University. Here is what happened and how this was triggered by the UNP’ers.

Some of the students of the UNP front got hold of some Tamil students from James Pieries and Hilda Obeyasekara halls and took them (First year students) by force and starting from the Medical faculty that is closer to the main entrance, they forced the Tamil students to strike out the Sinhala names on all the signs and name boards. When they reached the Hilda area after erasing all Sinhala names along the way, those Sinhalese students shouted that they have caught some pro-tiger students who were painting the Sinhala names out. Then, as pre-planned, their fellow UNP students fanned the flame by shouting and hitting the Tamil students. The message was passed on to other halls and all the students started hitting and chasing away the Tamil students.

Some students came to my residence at the campus and informed me. I had a motorbike at that time and, as I was able to speak thoroughly in Sinhalese, I was able to save some Tamil students to a certain extent and helped them to move away from the campus. Most of them climbed Hantana Hill, stayed for the night and flew to Kandy town and escaped from there.

I want to mention two interesting things that happened at that time. While the UNP’ers started this, the students who saved the Tamils were JVP student activists. As most of us know, Akbar Hall was out of the campus area and it was difficult to escape from there as it was very visible. However, JVP students took most of the Tamil students to their rooms and prevented the other Sinhalese students from attacking those students. I heard that the JVP’ers even fought with the UNP’ers to safeguard the Tamils. (It is sad that the attitude of the JVP is changed now).

The plan, as I heard from some Sinhalese students, was to close down the campus and send all the students home. The returning Sinhalese students would start riots from wherever they went. Being a staff member I attended staff meetings and I mentioned this in the meetings. Thanks to the authority for not closing the campus and keeping all Sinhalese students in the campus. By this, the plan to start the riots was prevented.

We can re-call how the 1977 riots started when Jaffna Campus Sinhalese students left the campus and spread the story that Sinhalese girls were raped and boys were manhandled and started those riots.

This incident at Peradeniya campus was clear additional evidence that the July pogrom was a pre-planned, organized event.