The trauma unfolds...

By Ranee Mohamed

Journalists of The Sunday Leader, The Morning Leader and Irudina who were looking for news all over the country, were heartbroken to discover early Wednesday morning, tragic news for the entire journalistic community that was happening at the very doorstep of the offices of Leader Publications.

The embers of  their  factory  and a burnt printing machine was the stark reality that burnt a hole in the press freedom that they believed in and fought for.

It was but a few weeks ago that journalists gathered to protest in Fort over what they called the unlawful arrest of  Leader journalist Arthur Wamanan.

Coming hot on the heels after the arrest of Arthur Wamanan was this arson attack, by a gun-toting, masked gang in this high security zone in the wee hours of the morning.

Hearts on fire

The trespass and arson of the publishing section of Leader Publications Ltd, was akin to setting fire to the hearts of the journalists who work for The Sunday Leader, The Morning Leader and Irudina.

Here was the machine that had printed millions of copies of the newspapers carrying our stories for the public, now lying burnt, black, surrounded in water that was used to douse the flames. It was as if the tears of the journalists and the workers had gathered around it. Hundreds of newspapers were strewn all over and the entrance and the factory itself was a pool of water.

The night had been silent, and it was on this silent night of Wednesday, November 21 that this dark deed was perpetrated. It was as if a slimy, slithering viper who had waited patiently, coiled in the darkness had leapt up and struck with its deadly venom and vengeance at a given opportunity.

As several sections of the  media reached out to console us, their concern choked us with emotion. It is our sad story today, but tomorrow it may be the tears and anguish of another media entity. It is a story that everyone is asking us about. "What happened?" they query in shock.

It happened at a time when the whole world slept, at approximately 2.15 a.m. but the workers in our factory were still up. The Morning Leader had just been printed and the workers were getting ready with the packing and dispatching. They were the wage-earners, doing a day's job of work to take home a salary to feed their dependents. These loyal, hard working factory workers who suffered the psychological trauma of a near death experience will have to live with it for the rest of their lives. Being made to line up and sit on the floor, they say that those black masked faces and the  clicking of the weapons near them is a vision that will haunt them and a  sound that they will hear for a long time.

Three in hospital

Today three of them have been hospitalised, the others are fighting with the nightmare and the trauma to get back to work.

M. Chandana who has been working with Leader Publications for 15 years said that he had never experienced such trauma in all his life. "I was very frightened. I thought we were going to die. They walked in with guns and wickets and threatened to kill us if we shouted. We have faced a similar threat earlier, but it was not half as frightening as this," said Chandana. He went on to say that the workers were helpless and had to do as they were told or face death.

"The printing of The Morning Leader had just finished and the second van of newspapers was just going out when the group came in," said Chandana. He said that their faces were covered and only their eyes could be seen. He also said that they spoke a mixture of Tamil and Sinhala.

"I have never experienced anything as frightening as this episode in my entire life," said Chandana.

Charaka Sudam Nilanga has been working in the factory of  Leader Publications for the past three and a half years said that he was counting the parcels of papers when he saw the gang. "The first thing they did was look for mobile telephones. They took our telephones and made us sit on the ground, they brought our factory supervisor along and made him sit with us on the ground. When I saw the weapons I began to think of my parents," said 21 year old Chandana.

Too scared to move

N. D. Cyril  who is also working in the factory of Leader Publications said that he was too scared to move when he saw the gang with their faces covered with a black stocking type mask.

"They were around 18-20 years of age and spoke broken Sinhala. They had guns and wicket sticks with them. We were too scared to even shout. They told us that they will not harm us if we do as they say. They had brought about two gallons of petrol with them and after making us sit they went and threw the petrol all over the machine," said eye witness Cyril. "We heard a loud explosion as they threw a bomb at the machine," said Cyril.

"This is the first time I encountered such a frightening incident. I really thought that I was going to die and my thoughts went to my wife, two sons and my loku amma (aunt)," said Cyril.

R. Seneviratna who  began working in the factory around 1991 said that he has never witnessed an incident as frightening as this. Seneviratna who is wounded after the assault said that he is finding it difficult to move after being hit on his back and spine.

"We had not slept that night and I was looking forward to some sleep when the gang entered our premises. They spoke Sinhala but it sounded like Tamil. When I saw the guns I thought I was going to die. I thought of my mother, of my wife and my two children.." said Seneviratne.

Found out

Ravindra Kumarasinghe, who has been working with Leader Publications for the past three years said that he had plans to finish the work that morning and go for a funeral with his friend, but instead had to go for medical treatment and to the police.

"The paper was printed and I was inside the maintenance room when I heard a noise. When I looked outside I saw the others lined up and being watched over by some men who were carrying weapons. I immediately closed the door, but they saw me and came and banged on the door," recalled Ravindra.

Comparing the scene to that of an action film, Ravindra said that he did not want to open the door, but was frightened that they will break it open and then kill him, and thus opened the door. "Then they dragged me out," he said.

The first question they asked me was whether I had a telephone. "I said no. Then they felt my pockets and dragged me along. They asked me to sit down and when I sat on a small stool, one of the men assaulted me," said Ravindra, the father of a eight month old son.

G. R.  Asoka Premasiri who has been working at the factory for 20 years said that he had not been around when the earlier incident had taken place, but went on to say that this is certainly the most frightening incident in his life.

"The Morning Leader papers had been bundled when this gang walked in on us. They asked me to come out but I was late to come and they began to assault me. I cannot  even touch certain areas in my body. I thought they were certainly going to kill me; I have a son and a daughter and my thoughts went out to them and to my wife," he said.

R. Dharmalingam who had been working in another newspaper factory earlier said that he has never experienced a horrifying episode as this in his whole life.

Horrified

"The machine was switched off after the printing of The Morning leader and I was drinking tea when I saw someone carrying a gun yelling at  Chandana to sit on the ground. I took my tea and ran. I saw Indrakumar sleeping in a corner and I pushed him and pulled him and tried to wake him up. I told him that some armed people had come. But he did not believe me and  would not get up. Finally I pulled him up and we ran around to the section where we store the boards. We thought we had escaped from them but  were horrified to see that there were two others carrying heavy guns standing in that section too. They saw us and began to shout at us. They caught us and asked us whether we had phones and we said no.

They made us stand in a line and searched our pockets. My thoughts went to my family. They were talking in Tamil, but I could not understand this Tamil. There was a difference. It was not Tamil, it was not Sinhala, it was a bad mixture of both," said Dharmalingam.

Roshan Siddath Costa who has been working at the factory of Leader Publications for two and a half years said that he had no doubt that he was going to be killed when the masked, armed gang asked him to sit on the floor.

"I thought of my mother, sister and my grandmother. I have never felt such horror in all my life," said this young factory worker.

Men in black

Costa had just finished the work  involved in the printing of The Morning Leader. I made my way from near the machine to the room of Chief Supervisor Pathiratne when I saw a man, his face covered with a black mask walking towards me. I did not take any notice of him as I thought one of my colleagues was playing a trick; I was laughing when I saw him. But then I saw the others in the gang walk towards me with their guns in hand I thought that I will get a heart attack. I have never felt such fear in my life," he said.

"They made us sit near the machine and threw petrol on the machine. Then we told them that if we sat there on the ground, then we would be burnt too, they thought for a moment and then yelled at us to get out," said Costa. "Thereafter we heard a loud blast from the machine area," he added.

Indrakumar, another factory worker who has been working in this factory for 21 years said that he was around when another frightening episode took place in these premises. "Then too there were men with guns, seven men came here then, today there were about 15. I had just stopped working. It was about 2.15 a.m. and I washed my hands and was getting a few hours of sleep when Dharmalingam came and woke me. He was in a panic, he was whispering that there were some men with guns. I thought that it was one of his jokes and I did not believe him. But when he pulled me and I saw these men, I knew I was going to die. I thought of my wife and children. I thought, what they would do without me..".