Piyasena's self-immolation:

His love for the country led him to do what he did

By Manjula Fernando

While Piyasena was in the Army

A man of principles, a responsible father, a duty bound husband and a caring grandfather - above all a well trained military person, T.V. Piyasena was all of this all wrapped into one.

His three children were still grappling to come to terms with their father's selfless act amidst mixed public reactions to his chosen path to protest against international pressure on Sri Lanka, its Government and the President, when the Sunday Observer visited them on Thursday in Koswatte.

"He was such a disciplined man. We never thought that he will end his life this way," the older daughter, T.V.N.Dilrukshi, who spoke to us first at the funeral parlour where Piyasena's body was kept in a flower adorned casket said. It was hard to say he suffered a horrendous end, after setting himself on fire - his face was serene and peaceful with no signs at all of one might imagine he would have undergone in the last moments of his life.

Piyasena led a peaceful life with his youngest daughter Nilakshi at her House in Kalalgoda. She said that he used to assist her around the kitchen in her domestic chores like scraping coconut and peeling onions. With two young school going children, a son and a daughter, and a thriving family business, her hands were full.

On that fateful day, last Tuesday, she asked her father to keep an eye on her laundry left outside to dry, as she was going to school with her children. Nilakshi had told him "Thatha take the clothes in if it rains. I have to attend a parents meeting." Without any giveaway signs Piyasena responded that he was planning to go to Malabe town that morning.

It was to be the last trip he walked out from home. He never returned and instead Nilakshi received a call from the Accident service of the Colombo National Hospital around 11 am. The caller said her father was in ward 72 with severe burn injuries.

She rushed to the hospital. "I could not believe my eyes. My father who was in sound health a few hours ago, was then swollen beyond recognition. His whole body was burned including his face." She screamed when she saw her father.

But he was conscious and despite the excruciating pain, he tried to console the daughter. "He was amazing. He never uttered a word about his pain. He said "Don't be sad for me. I did what I wanted. To show my protest to Navi Pillai for what she is doing to our country. To protest against outsiders who are trying to undermine and take away our hard won peace. "

He asked just one thing, for nurses to take off the bandages that he was tied in. He said, 'Look what they have done to me. Ask them to remove all these.'

Finally to the parting daughter he said, 'Do not come back to see me. I am preparing to go and I will be gone by this evening.' Just as he said Piyasena breathed his last at 10.15 that night.

This ex-military man lived with his wife at their ancestral home in Thalahena before her death in 2010. He looked after his wife who was bed ridden for over a year with arthritis. Ending six months of solitary living in the old house since his wife's demise, the youngest daughter invited her father to move in with him.

Piyasena had joined the Army in 1962 when it was under the British . He retired in 1983 as a Staff Sergeant. Even though he retired from service long years ago, Piyasena was proud to dwell in his military habits. He would wake up at 4.00 am every morning and do his daily workout. The routine made him look younger than he really was.

He made it a daily habit to read the newspaper, listen to the news on radio and TV. He was engrossed in the developments taking shape against the country and he was particularly concerned about the international probe by the Human Rights Council. This would be his topic whenever there was a family gathering or meeting of neighbours.

"I know, some will say that he was a fool and there will be others who would consider him crazy. But my father was not eccentric, he loved his country to the core. He was elated when the LTTE, that brutalised this country for many years, was defeated. He rejoiced when the news broke that Prabhakaran was no more," his only son Chandana Priyantha said.

"He talked about the pre LTTE days. How LTTE came to exist and how the Army used a coded language to communicate during the early days of the LTTE. The things he said of his military days, soon after the LTTE was defeated, we heard them for the first time. He was so happy for the country, it made him open up."

T.V.Nilakshi

T.V.N.Dilrukshi

Chandana Priyantha

"My father said if not for President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and dedicated military men, the LTTE would still be killing innocent people."

But when some international players began talking about war crimes, human rights violations, punishing those who fought the LTTE and won back the people their right to live, Piyasena's elation and happiness started to diminish. He said the world should acknowledge the President for doing what he did.

"He always voiced that the Defence Secretary and the Military personnel freed us from violence and it was so unfair that they have to face this criticism from the international community. For 30 long years, Sri Lanka got battered with no effective help from the outside world to end terrorism."

On Tuesday morning, Piyasena who told his daughter that he will be going to Malabe town, headed straight to Kollupitiya armed with the paraphenalia to fulfill his mission.

Before the departure, he had left his service medals and important documents including the details of the funeral parlour in a file on a table. in his room.

His first destination was the US Embassy in Colombo. There a vigilant security guard had shooed him away.

Piyasena had then walked towards the Kollupitiya Police station. When he crossed the road in long paces towards the police station a three wheel driver had come forth mistaking him for someone needing a ride. Piyasena gestured that he was not in need of a ride. Within a few minutes he turned himself into a human torch.

The three wheel driver was inside the little food kiosk drinking a glass of water when he saw the flames engulfing the man. Helped by a police officer, he doused the fire within minutes. But by then 95 per cent of his body was severely burned. The injured man was put on a stretcher and rushed to hospital in a police jeep. Piyasena had protested and raised his voice at the men who were taking him.

"My father expected us also to be disciplined and he despised injustice and wrongdoing. He would not tolerate it." Sometimes the children found it hard to grow up in a house which was similar to an army detachment. It was particularly irritable for Chandana.

But today, shaken by strong emotions and with tears welling up he queried,"Will this selfless gesture by my father go unnoticed or will it have some positive impact? Will this be noticed by those whom he wished to address?"

A man of a few words when it came to personal matters, some neighbors knew little of Piyasena's military background. And when the police came in search of a house where an ex-army person lived, after he was rushed to hospital to treat his burn injuries, neighbors were of little help. It took a while for the police to locate his residence, a neighbour who spoke to us at the funeral parlour said.

"My father led a quiet life. He was not a burden to us nor were we to him. He lived on his pension and he had paid his funeral expenses to this parlour in advance, in 2005 to be precise, so that his final rights will not be a worry to us. Such was his concern." eldest daughter Dilrukshi said through her tears.

He had paid for the coffin and in recognition of his gesture, the management of the funeral parlour exempted other related expenses.

Piyasena attended school in his ancestral hometown in Galle and was the third in a family of three sons and four daughters. His late elder brother was also a retired army personnel.

"there are different interpretations to his action, I have heard people say unkind things but I knew how much he loved the country and President Mahinda Rajapaksa for ridding this country of violence. He rejoiced for many days when it was announced that the LTTE was no more and the country has been freed. He may have thought that he will try to help the country in some way. That was his wish."

The youngest daughter, Nilukshi said her father never regretted what he did. "I was sure of that when I saw him at the hospital." But she added," We cannot approve of what he did. Although he wanted us not to be sad, how can we not be sad? We are devastated by his action".

No one, not even his children may ever know, if he committed that grave act on a sudden impulse or as a result of days of contemplation. But one thing is for sure, he wanted the whole world to know that the ordinary citizens of this country are eternally grateful for those who gave them the freedom that they are enjoying today - enjoyed by not just one or two ethnic groups but every single citizen of this country.

Piyasena's body was cremated at Thalahena Cemetery on Thursday at 4.30 pm. His Unit the 1st Battalion of the Sri Lanka Army Service Corps assisted the family with funeral arrangements.