An Eyewitness Account of the Welikade Prison Massacre

Ilankai Tamil Sangam

by S. A. (Solomon Arulanandam) David, November 1983

Dr. Rajasundaram walked up to the door and pleaded with them to  spare us as we were not involved in any robberies or murders and as Hindus we did not believe in violence and as Buddhists they should not kill. The door suddenly opened and Dr.Rajasundaram was dragged out and hit with a iron rod on the head. He fell dead among the crowd. The rest of us broke the chairs and tables  in the cell and managed to keep the crowd at bay for half an hour. The Army arrived, threw tear gas bombs and dispersed the crowd. The two soldiers lined up eight of us and were taking aim to shoot us when the Commander called out from below to them to come down. Then the soldiers chased us down and all who escaped death were lined up on the foot path in front of Youth Ward. As we walked out we saw corpses of our colleagues around us and we were allowed to live.

Gandhiyam - An Appeal for Support by S.A. David in Tamil Times, 1982, p. 8

Veteran Tamil activist and humanist reaches 88 in exile

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From "Detention, Torture and Murder" by S.A. David, B.A. (Architecture) Melbourne, Diploma in Town Planning (Leeds, UK), the then President of the Gandhiyam Society, and published in November 1983. The writer was one of the lucky ones who escaped death in the infamous Welikade Prison Massacre in July 1983. He later escaped from the Batticaloa jail. First posted in 'TamilNation.'

Under the Buddha Dharma regime of President J.R. Jayawardene in Sri Lanka anyone can be arrested and detained without trial, anyone can be murdered and buried without inquest.

S.A. David

Still  Sri Lanka is a model democracy of the third world praised and supported by the Capitalist nations of the world led by America and followed by Germany, Japan, Britain and the White Common Wealth and the Arabs. This is a crying shame to the intelligence' and conscience of 20th Century humanity.

Although the Prevention of Terrorism Act refer to the whole of Sri Lanka its application has been reserved for the Tamils and particularly the Tamil youth.

Under the PTA of Sri Lanka a person can be detained for periods upto 18 months (renewable by order every three months) if the  Minister has reason to believe or suspect that any person is connected with or concerned in any unlawful activity. Unlawful activity includes even pasting posters on walls punishable with death.

Welikade Prison 2007?

An Eyewitness Account of the Welikade Prison Massacre by nelvely