Veteran combat survivor dies trapped alone in the watchtower:

Salawa: The lone casualty

By Maneshka Borham

The local residents of Salawa may now be trying to pick up their lives after last week's terrifying fire storm, thankful that their battered community suffered no deaths, but a small village home in remote Medagama, near Buttala, is in shocked mourning. The wife and two children are yet to come to terms with the death of her husband and their father, combat veteran Lance Corporal Janaka Chaminda Kasthuriarachchi, the only person killed in the disaster at the Army munitions depot.

Lc Cpl Janaka was, according to a fellow soldier, on watch duty when the fire along with the explosions at the camp armoury broke out. As orders came to evacuate the camp, the entire complement of soldiers managed to scramble to safety. One Lc Cpl Janaka, alone up in the watchtower, did not make it and no one knows what exactly happened.

It was perhaps the delay caused by having to climb down the watchtower that ultimately decided Lc Cpl Janaka's untimely demise.

Severity

Even after climbing down into the raging fires and exploding munitions, the much-decorated combat veteran remained trapped inside the camp while trying to shelter from the heat and constant blasts, perhaps a firestorm as terrifying as those in which he fought during the long war in the north-east.

During that time he sheltered from the blasts, the 40-year-old resident of Medagama, Buttala, made several calls on his mobile phone during a span of 45 minutes to loved ones and neighbours. Seemingly unaware of the severity of his situation, he had telephoned his wife and urged her to turn on the television. "Can you hear the noise, Nadee? Our armoury is on fire," he had said.

As his wife struggled to make out what her husband was saying, she had pleaded with him to run to safety. "I will be fine but I must make sure others who are trapped are safe as well," he had said promising to call his wife once again. But unfortunately it was not to be.

The next call Janaka placed was to his neighbour Sarath Devapriya. "Having called his wife he called me to say he was taking shelter in a drain and was safe," says Devapriya adding , the call had ended abruptly. "I tried calling him several times thereafter but was not able to get through," he said. According to Sarath, Janaka had also called his uncle to inform that he was safe.

"Around 11pm that night a senior Army officer of the camp called us to inform that Janaka was admitted to hospital on sustaining injuries," Sarath says they are still unable to come to terms with his death. "How will we bear this loss?" he asked.

As Janaka took cover in the drain, a mortar fragment from the explosions seems to have pierced his left leg causing excessive bleeding. Soon he suffered various other injuries, particularly on his head, according to military sources.

His family believes his multiple injuries, along with the delay in admitting him to hospital caused his unfortunate death.

Lance Corporal Janaka Kasthuriarachchi came from humble beginnings. A student of Gonagangaara Kanishta Vidyalaya, driven by a desire to serve his motherland Janaka followed older brother Hemantha Jayalath when he joined the Sri Lanka Army having completed his GCE O/L examination. His brother a Corporal serving at the same Army camp had taken leave on that fateful day.

Military honours

Having joined active combat in 1995, Janaka at the time of his death had served the Sri Lanka Army for 16 years. Engaging in combat in various areas such as Point Pedro, Chavakachcheri, Kodikamam, Vanni, Ariyalai, Muhamalai forward defence line, Trincomalee, Madhu, Mannar, Kilinochchi, Pudumathalan, Janaka served his country dutifully and bravely during the height of the war earning many military honours for his service such as the Eastern Humanitarian Effort Medal, Northern Humanitarian Effort Medal, Purna Bhumi Medal, North and East War Medal, Rivirasa Medal, Sri Lankan Armed forces extended Services Medal among the many others.

While the Sri Lanka Army has indeed lost one of its brave soldiers, it is perhaps his family that has suffered the greatest loss.

In 2000 Janaka married his sweetheart Nadeeka Rajapaksha, going on to have two beautiful children. 13 year old Achindi Heshani and 9 year old Chamindu Kaveesha, are students of Buttala Dutugamunu National School. His bereaved wife has still not come to terms with the loss of her loving husband.

Janaka with wife Nadeeka, daughter Achindi and son Chamindu

"My husband took good care of us" she says adding that as she was unemployed her husband supported their family financially, including his siblings, especially his sister's family as her husband had lost his life during the war while serving as a soldier of the Civil Defence Force.

"He would deposit his full salary for our needs and I in turn would deposit a small sum for his expenses" says Nadeeka. "He would not waste any money and cared very much for the children".

According to Nadeeka, Janaka would constantly call home during the day, advising her to look into the studies of their children, as for him educating the children was of utmost importance. Nadeeka says that Janaka was to apply for leave on June 5 as they had planned to travel to the Bellanwila temple to fulfil a vow and get their new vehicle blessed. "When I was taken ill seriously it was my husband who saved me, perhaps if I did not survive then today my husband would be alive" she says sobbing. "Who will take care of us now?" she questions.

Janaka had last visited his family in May for a family function spending over a week with family and friends. "It was a happy occasion and my father took many photos that day and transferred all of it to his laptop saying he wanted to look at them whenever possible to remember us" says his young daughter Achindi who is unable to bear the loss of her father. "He calls us over 20 times a day to check on us and when he called his Mother on the day of the incident I was with her as well" recalls Achindi adding that he never mentioned he was in danger. "I guess he was not able to escape" she says sounding confused. "But I never thought my father will lose his life" Achindi says.

As people including Janaka's family will struggle to build their lives, once again, the question remains, if perhaps, this tragedy could have been averted saving the life of this brave soldier and family man who had indeed survived a much worser situation.