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| Sunday, 17 March 2002 |
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Death threat does not deter peace meditation by Jayanthi Liyanage "Last warning - Death to the traitors of the nation - Ravana!" proclaimed the note found lying near Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne's residence when a deafening blast roused his family from their sleep at 11.30 p.m. on Wednesday night. Despite the threat, an undaunted Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne and Sarvodaya staff proceeding to Anuradhapura the foiiowing day to commence preliminaries to the mega Sama Samadhi peace meditation and the village-linking, scheduled for Friday. "We were fast asleep and when we heard the blast, we ran out of the house," said Mrs. Neetha Ariyaratne when contacted by Sunday Observer on Thursday. "We saw that the explosion had taken place near the transformer close to the Sarvodaya premises and thought something was wrong with it. So, we telephoned CEB to inspect it. But my husband took a closer look and exclaimed, 'No, this is a hand grenade!' Some pieces of our wall had come apart and we saw a letter lying near the gate," she said. The cyclostyled letter was similar to the one the family had received before the elections, four months previously, claiming to be from "Ravana Balakaya". Said Mrs. Ariyaratne, "There are still some elements who think that war is the only solution to a conflict. We have undergone this kind of threat for a long time." Asked what safety precautions Sarvodaya would take for their mega peace vigil in Anuradhapura, her confident reply was, "None". She added, "Anuradhapura Police have their special security measures for the sacred city. That will be sufficient." When CEB workers arrived at the premises, they confirmed that the blast had not erupted from the transformer. The Ariyaratne family has made a complaint to the Moratuwa Police which is conducting investigations. |
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