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JVP Founder Rohana Wijeweera's Widow Breaks 26-Year Silence

The widow of JVP founder Rohana Wijeweera has broken her 26-year silence to criticize the party's neglect of her family. She reveals that her well-educated children have faced discrimination and struggled to find jobs due to their father's legacy. Despite multiple requests for help over the decades, the JVP has failed to support the family or help them resettle outside of the navy camps they have lived in for over 25 years. She no longer has faith that the JVP will help her family now that they must leave their current navy camp home.

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Thavam Ratna
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452 views9 pages

JVP Founder Rohana Wijeweera's Widow Breaks 26-Year Silence

The widow of JVP founder Rohana Wijeweera has broken her 26-year silence to criticize the party's neglect of her family. She reveals that her well-educated children have faced discrimination and struggled to find jobs due to their father's legacy. Despite multiple requests for help over the decades, the JVP has failed to support the family or help them resettle outside of the navy camps they have lived in for over 25 years. She no longer has faith that the JVP will help her family now that they must leave their current navy camp home.

Uploaded by

Thavam Ratna
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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JVP founder Rohana Wijeweeras widow

breaks 26-year silence

Says JVP has neglected family, children have no place to go and


family has no faith in JVP
Reveals children discriminated against as father is Wijeweera,
therefore well-educated but jobless
Accuses JVP of using family to build party image and JVP Leader
Dissanayake of avoiding calls for help

By Shanika Sriyananda-Thursday, 24 September 2015


Q: For how long you have you and your children been living in the
Navy camp?
A: From 1989 to 1992 we lived in the
Ganemulla Army camp. Later, the then
Government transferred us to the Tissa
Navy camp in Trincomalee. We stayed there
for nearly seven years. Since 1999, we have
been living in the Gemunu Navy camp in
Welisara.

Q: Why didnt you try to go abroad?


A: Yes, we could have gone abroad easily as
our lives were under threat those days, but
no one helped us. I was also not concerned
very much about starting a life abroad, as I
was shouldering the burden of raising six
children. But since the children started
schooling, I had been requesting the JVP to
help my family to go abroad as they were
subjected to harassment.
Once the then JVP Leader Somawansa
Amarasinghe, Secretary Tilvin Silva and
Nihal Galappaththi visited us and I informed
them that my children could not live in Sri
Lanka as they were discriminated against in
their schools when other children came to
know they were Rohana Wijeweeras children. All my pleas to the JVP have
fallen on deaf ears and they refused to help us, giving various false

excuses. I think the JVP could have easily helped us.


I will not deny that the JVP helped us on some occasions, but they misled us
for 26 years and now they are boasting about the things that they did for
us. They say that they looked after us. I dont know why they lie.

Q: You said your children are still harassed by society. Why?


A: Yes. They are all well-educated but facing the problem of finding jobs.
When they go for interviews, they get disqualified when the interview board
comes to know they are Rohana Wijeweeras children.

Q: Do you mean to say that the JVP hasnt looked after or helped
the family of its founder leader Rohana Wijeweera?
A: I have read some news reports about the JVP saying they helped us. Yes,
they helped us in some ways, but do you think that we would be
languishing in military camps for nearly 26 years if they really helped and
looked after us? We are in this situation as they have done nothing to look
after us. They didnt help us the way they preach. If the JVP or its
breakaway groups had done something for us, we would not be facing this
pathetic situation. The JVP could easily take us out of the Navy camp but
they never helped us.

Q: When were you asked to leave the Navy camp?


A: In February this year, the Navy informed us to vacate the house in the
Navy camp before 1 October. We dont have a place to go.

Q: Did you seek support of the JVP after you were informed to
move out of the Welisara Navy Camp?
A: Yes I first called Tilvin Silva to inform him about moving out of the camp.

He told me that the JVP doesnt have money to buy a house for us. But I
read in newspapers him saying they will take care of the family. I think now
they make these statements as they are afraid of tarnishing the party
image. They always try to show that the JVP is fighting for justice in this
country. But this party which is clamouring for justice never demanded an
inquiry into the murder of my husband who was the party founder and
made a lot of sacrifices for the party. Over 60,000 people died during the
JVP insurgency but the party couldnt do justice for those people by
requesting an investigation into their deaths. But they are demanding a
probe into the killings that took place in the north. Therefore, how can they
do justice to my family? It is very simple, if they did justice to Rohana
Wijeweeras family, we wouldnt have to suffer this much.

Q: Why didnt you contact JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake?


A: When Anura Kumara became the Leader, I called Tilvin and requested
him to give me Anuras number as I wanted to tell him about our plight,
especially how my children were
harassed and the pathetic situation that
they live in. But he didnt give me
Anuras number. Then I found Anuras
number through a party supporter. I
called him for the first time and he
didnt know that it was me. I told my
story and requested him to provide us a
place to live. Believe me, I make over 20
to 30 calls every day but he never
answers as he wants to avoid me.
However, with the news about our story, the JVP is active in giving press
statements about supporting us. The JVP has said that it will never allow me

and my children to fall into the streets. I think now they are just trying to
protect the party image.

Q: Do you still have hopes that the JVP will support your family?
A: No. They couldnt help us for the last 26 years, how are they going to do
so now? I dont have any faith in the JVP. I dont expect their help now. We
were in a well for the last 26 years and I think we have to come out of that
well by ourselves. I request the JVP not to make any comments about us. I
have high hopes that this Government will support us to solve the problem.

Q: You never spoke about your plight for over two-and-a-half


decades. Why now?
A: Yes, I was tolerating everything and never thought of coming out with
my story. But I thought of coming out as I dont have a place to live with my
children once we are moved out of the camp. I have no political agenda or
other motive in telling my story. I dont want to sling mud at the JVP but I
need to tell the truth about our situation. Though my children are educated
they are still jobless as they find very difficult to find jobs due to the
mentality of the society.

Q: The JVPs former Leader Somawansa Amarasinghe has said that


the Central Committee of the JVP had decided to allocate Rs. 10
million to provide a house for your family four years ago. Your
comments?
A: I want to ask him, if the party had decided to donate that amount of
money, why didnt they give us that money when the children were in need
of support?

Q: A peaceful environment now prevails in the country. But still do


you prefer going abroad?
A: Yes. Sri Lankan society still doesnt accept my children well. They are
always subjected to discrimination and society looks at them in a different
way. They have suffered enough by growing up in military camps. They
need a peaceful mental status to live.

Q: Are you going to enter into politics?


A: No, I dont have any idea of entering into politics. If I wanted to, I could
have done some years back. Today, I only want to see justice meted out to
my children. My only hope is that the government will intervene and help us
to find a place to live.

Tilvin Silva, General Secretary of the JVP


The JVP is ready to provide support and protection to Rohana Wijeweeras
family. For the last 20 to 26 years, the JVP has been supporting the family
on several occasions when they required help. We dont want to list out the
help we offered the family. We will continue to support them. The JVP will
not overlook their requests for help.

Somawansa Amarasinghe, former JVP Leader:


When I was the leader, the JVPs Central Committee took a decision to
allocate Rs. 10 million to provide housing facilities for Wijeweeras family. I
think that fund still exists with the JVP. It is a good move if the JVP can take
the responsibility of his family. I think the Government also has a
responsibility of supporting Wijeweeras family as the then Government
assured the safety of his family when they surrendered.

Commander Indika De Silva, Navy Spokesman


President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) to
extend sheltering the Wijeweera family for another six months from 1
October. He has taken the decision after a discussion with the members of
the Security Council.
They are given all facilities and protection at the camp but considering the
prevailing peaceful environment in the country, the former SLN Commander

Rear Admiral Jayantha Perera issued a letter on 26 February this year


requesting the Wijeweera family to move out. Considering the present
situation of the family, the President has ordered the SLN to allow them to
stay at the Gemunu Naval Base Welisara for another six months.

Posted by Thavam

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