CWC acts as it pleases

by Shamindra Ferdinando

Whichever main party is in power, the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) leaders and their henchmen do as they please, said 53-year-old Muniyandi Jeyaraman.

He has suffered at the hands of CWC goons hell bent on crushing any political opponent, during the October 2000 parliamnetary elections.

"When they targeted me in October, 2000 at Nuwara Eliya-Maskeliya, the Congress was a constituent party of President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s PA. They were in power. My family was targeted as I supported a Sinhalese contesting the Nuwara Eliya district on the UNP ticket," he told ‘The Island’ last week. Jeyaraman, a buyer of old newspapers and bottles at Negombo is desperate to secure adequate compensation for the losses he suffered when goons destroyed his house two days before the October polls. "I wasn’t the only victim. They carried out an organised campaign to intimidate people supporting the UNP and the Up country Peoples Front, he said, claiming they were yet to receive any compensation.

"I thought the goons would be punished at least after the change of government," he said, acknowledging the fact that although the PA lost the congress remains in power as a constituent of the UNP-led United National Front (UNF).

Replying to questions, Jeyaraman said a group of persons (he identified them by name) threatened him with death on October 6 at Puliyawatte. "They came in a bus and ordered us not to support UNP candidate K. K. Piyadasa. At the time, we were decorating the area," he said, adding that two days later they falsely accused him of attacking a bus belonging to the CWC. "I was taken to the Norwood police station on October 8. During my absence they ransacked my house. We had to leave the house.

They returned again on October 19. They placed most of my belongings outside and set them ablaze. They also took away some pieces of jewellery and a wrist watch," he said, blaming local police for turning a blind eye.

Replying to questions, he claimed police hesitated to take action. "As soon as I identified the attackers as staunch Congress supporters, police did not want to hear my plea," he said.

He accused the police of being ineffective. "They are scared of Congress leaders. Some policemen shamelessly co-operate with them for obvious reasons. This allows Congress politicians and their goons to have a free hand in Nuwara Eliya," he said, acknowledging the situation remains the same in other areas. He acknowledged junior policemen are helpless as their superiors are in good terms with politicians.

"Police did not help me. The then officer-in-charge of the Norwood police forcibly removed us from our home. They sealed my house on October 22. I along with my wife, daughter and few other relatives living with us were taken in a police jeep and were dropped at Bategala junction. For several months police denied us permission to return to our own house," he said. "He offered us a chance to return if he withdrew all our complaints made against Congress supporters and police. But I refused," he said, adding that he lodged a complaint with police headquarters against policemen who pressurised him to withdraw his complaints.

"They mercilessly harassed my family. My sister lost her job as she gave evidence in court against Congress thugs. A reserve police constable promised to get her job back if we withdrew our complaints," he said.