Ranga Bandara MP talks to the AHRC about the arson attack on his house and office

"I have no doubt at all that this is a completely political attack directed to ruin me completely politically and otherwise. Now all that I had is lost. Even the basic equipment I used for my work has been burned down. I do not have any money at all to buy any of these things back."
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Interviews by AHRC

(October 07, Hong Kong/ Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Mr. Ranga Bandara, a Member of Parliament gave a live interview to the Asian Human Rights Commission, based in Hong Kong, on October 6th about the arson attack on his house and office and about the political environment in which this attach took place.

Following is a summary of the recorded interview:

A group of people entered my premises on Sunday night, the 4th October after breaking the decorations outside. They arrived in two vans. After entering my premises they spread highly inflammable liquid throughout the premises and set the premises on fire. The spread of the liquid had been done very carefully to ensure that they could raze the premises to the ground in the shortest possible time. Then they left the premises.

I was away attending to election work on behalf of my party at the time. I learned that the neighbors gathered immediately but were afraid to go in because they were aware of recent experiences where bombs were placed inside when this type of attack is done. The people tried to throw water from outside to stop the fire. It was only after one of my employees, a lady, rushed to the place and entered the premises that others also entered and tried to put out the fire. However, they could not do much to stop everything from being destroyed.

My house and office is situation next door to each other. All the documents relating to my work as a member of parliament was inside both premises. I also had five computers for the purposes of my work. There were many other pieces of equipment which were also used for communications. And there were also the household goods. All has been burned down and the total damage in monitory terms is about Rs. 11,000,000/=.

Immediately when the news about the fire had been spread the police were informed and they in turn informed the fire department of the Negombo area. The head of the fire department and the chairman of the provincial council were also informed. Initially, the fire department asked for Rs 15,000/= as costs for putting out the fire. The police informed that they will pay the money but the order had not been given for the fire department to move. So, they did not come at any time to deal with the fire. In fact, during this same time the vehicles used by the fire department were seen in the roads in Negombo being used for putting up flags for the ruling party.

The police in the area of Negombo also has water bowsers but none of these were sent despite of the information that they had to help in putting out the fire.

After I arrived at the place with several others I received a lot of detailed information about who was involved. It is a member of the provincial council who had given orders to the group of people who attacked my house. According to the information I received they will be protected because he, the provincial council member, received these orders from high above. I have also been told about the names of several of the persons who participated in this attack. I have also got to know the number of one of the vehicles which was used for this attack.

However, there is a big problem. The people who confided in me and gave me this information are mortally scared. They don’t want to take the risk of coming forward to give evidence in these matters because it means very serious trouble for them. Of course they fear is real and everybody in the country would understand that kind of fear.

Among those who talked to me were two police officers. They gave me a lot of information about whom and how this attack was carried out. However, the also told me that they simply have to keep quiet because if they try to do their duty in terms of the information they have received, they will lose their jobs. Once again this is not a surprising revelation.

A complaint about the incident has been made to the police and three witnesses have given statements regarding what they have seen at the initial stages of this incident. The police have said that they will also record a statement from me. I will make that statement. However, I do not have the least amount of faith that there will be any sort of credible inquiry. It is not simply possible for the police to do that kind of inquiry in Sri Lanka now because of the political directions that they have to work under.

So here we have evidence about who did this act and how. But what is the use of that information? The police are not going to do what they are expected to do under the law on the basis of such information. On the other hand these people who come forward to give information would be put at very great and real risk. That is the situation that I am facing about the investigations into this system and regarding that I do not know what to do.

I have no doubt at all that this is a completely political attack directed to ruin me completely politically and otherwise. Now all that I had is lost. Even the basic equipment I used for my work has been burned down. I do not have any money at all to buy any of these things back.

Now I have been reduced to a position below zero.

The political environment of today is such that opposition politicians are first exposed to such attacks to ruin them from engaging in their political activity. On the other hand there are constant death threats. My possible assassination by this regime is a very real threat. I have been under threat all the time. Earlier there were two occasions on which bombs were planted at my political offices in my electorate. On one occasion as I received information earlier I was able to get the bomb squad to disarm the bomb. However, the second one exploded on the same day.

While such attempts are made to intimate me as a member of the opposition there have also been constant attempts to buy me over. This has happened at the very inception of my political career nine years back and it has continued until now. Persons coming on behalf of the present regime have offered me huge sums of money and positions if I join the government. A deputy minister approached me and offered me up to Rs. 20 -50 million if I joined the government and also offered a deputy minister’s post. Then another politician close to the president approached me with similar terms. Then there is a family known to me in Colombo. The lady who had connections approached me and offered me the same terms. I have informed all this to the leader of the opposition. I have also mentioned these things to some newspapers in the past.

Today, the existing political environment is a very dangerous one. The opposition political party members are not only prevented from doing their jobs but even the media is afraid to give us any space. Several media channels which earlier invited me to attend various public broadcasts no longer invite me. The media does not report what we say properly. Sometimes when the media try to do their jobs properly I was told they are called by someone from the top and severely warned to desist from giving such publicity.

I have a wife and three children. My son is 16-years-old and my daughter 14-years-old and they are both at school. The youngest child is very small. It is the political culture today to assassinate the wife and children if you cannot destroy the person who is your target. I am afraid that my family will be exposed to serious threats to their lives merely to teach me a lesson. That is how bad things are.

For years I have been writing to the international bodies of parliamentarians and the international bodies of the UN complaining about the threats I have been facing. I have copies of all the letters written to them. The file containing all these letters is now about one and a half kilos in weight. Despite of all such threats I had to face this arson attack and the threats to me, my family and my supporters.

I can do nothing but to appeal to all those people in the international community to come to my assistance and ensure protection to me and my family. There is no one else to appeal to. So I appeal to all persons with good hearts in the international community on this occasion for understanding of this situation and also to take steps for protection.



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About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.

-Sri Lanka Guardian