Udathalawinna massacre
Defender jeeps were minus number plates - witness

by Priyalal Sirisena

Two Police officers who had witnessed the Defender jeeps suspected to have been engaged in the Udathalawinna massacre of ten persons, on Monday testified before Colombo High Court. One officer had seen the jeeps escaping after the incident on December 05 2001 and the other officer had arrested the jeeps at an estate at Rangala.

IP R. M. Gunaratne Banda presently attached to Vauniya Police station said that he saw the suspect Defender jeeps on the General Election day in 2001 when he was at Digana junction. At the time, he had been attached to Teldeniya police.

"The jeeps came from the direction of Madawala sans number plates and passed me rapidly. I informed the police about the vehicles by phone. A woman officer took the call and I told her to inform the OIC, ASP and also Hasalaka and Ududumbara police stations," he said.

The next day he had inspected the two vehicles after been arrested by police. The two jeeps were found at a bungalow at Eden Group Estate at Rangala. He emphasised the similarity of the jeeps to those he saw on election day. The jeeps had later been taken to Teldeniya police where the witness was attached to. The two jeeps now in the custody of Court as production items were shown to the witness and he identified them to be the vehicles he saw.

Cross examined by Tirantha Walaliyadda, the witness said that he had not noted down in his note book, about a damaged windscreen of a jeep. He said that he could see only the rear side of the jeeps when they were escaping. He further said that though he informed the police about two jeeps, he didn’t take the matter to be serious to keep a note in his note book.

The then OIC of Rangala, IP A Jayarathne stated that on December 06 he was informed about two jeeps without number plates. After the jeeps were found at Eden Group estate, he had inspected the vehicles. Though the vehicles were found at Rangala, they had later been handed over to Teldeniya police.

Cross examined by counsel Tirantha Walaliyadda, the witness said that the two jeeps were taken to Rangala police at about 1.30 am the next day. He had informed his higher officers about the jeeps. The ASP had instructed him to send the vehicles to Teldeniya police.

When questioned about the broken windscreen of one jeep, he said that he had noted down in his note book that one jeep had lost its windscreen.

The case was put off for today.