Sri Lanka, the cry of a mother: My son, was killed by the police for defending his comrades
Colombo (AsiaNews) - "My son is not dead, he was killed by the police. I'm proud of my boy because he sacrificed his precious life for his colleagues", says Mary Swarnakanthi (see photo), mother of Roshen Chanaka, the 21 year-old Catholic worker of the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in Katunayake, who died May 30, 2011 following clashes with security forces. The 1st June, as every first day of every month since the young man died, she took part in a commemoration in his memory, organized where he was killed. On that occasion, AsiaNews interviewed Ms. Swarnakanthi.
Since
Roshen's death he has become known throughout Sri Lanka. Why
has become famous, and as his mother, how do you feel about that?
To
be honest, I am very proud of my son, and happy when I think of him. This is because he did
not just die, he was killed. Killed
for an important reason: because [he defended] the good of all workers in the
FTZ. He
thought he could meet the needs of workers just as he did those of his mother
and of God, this makes me happy for my son. On
the other hand, I am very sad, because if he were here today, he would be a
great support for our family. When
he was born, on September 18, 1989, we had the hope that he, when older, could
take care of us. So it was not to be. But
despite this, we choose to think that he has done a great thing, as a young
Catholic. Jesus
gave us his blessings, asking us to be strong when we think of his courageous
act.
Roshen
began working in the Free Trade Zones in January 2011. He died after just four
months, sacrificing his life and his work. Why
did he start working there?
After
school, he attended a training course in Colombo. In
addition, he helped his father in his small welding workshop. After
the course he got a diploma and started to look for a job. Not
finding suitable employment, he started working in the Gsl Global factory,
where he remained until he was killed. Roshen
has always wanted to help my husband and me with the housework. At
that time the wedding of my eldest son was near. We
had to clean the house and prepare for the ceremony, and Roshen was great help.
He built a beautiful
bathroom. Unfortunately
he could not see his work completed.
Tell us
about Roshen and his relationship with the community
Roshen was
a good-hearted boy and kind to all. He was a great help. Although
he was a Catholic, every year he made beautiful lanterns for Wesak [Buddhist
holiday, ed] for his classmates. He was
responsible for and won many awards and many races. He had no prejudices,
he never discriminated. He
was a loving person with everyone in the family, with friends, at work and in
society. His
loss has created a great void in the hearts of all.
After Roshen's
death the government and the authorities made many promises. Have you received anything?
When
my son's body had yet to be buried, they promised to give a job to my other
children, and to complete the house. None of them has ever
gotten a job. We
received a total of 3 million rupees [€ 16,800]: 1 million each from the President
of Sri Lanka, Board of Investment (BOI) and the police. Asking us to complete
the house with that money. However
these 3 million rupees can never compensate me for the loss of my son. That
emptiness, the pain and agony that only the family can understand.
What is
the purpose of your gathering every first day of every month where Roshen was
killed? To
date, you and your family have come here33 times ....
There
are many reasons why we can not forget our sorrow for what happened; because we have a lot of questions; why
did so many young people [in the fighting] suffer serious injuries and still
have problems; because
we want justice for those who were affected that day. In
addition, we want an investigation and those who are guilty brought to justice.
What
is the final report of the Thilakarathna Mahanama commission, who are
investigating Roshen's case? For all of these reasons
we meet every month.
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