Two hundred and five people were killed and 504 injured when a group of suicide bombers attacked eight different locations in the island last year. Their main targets were three churches and three luxury hotels. It was Easter. On Tuesday (21) the country will get together to commemorate those who died.
Remembering loved ones
Wimalendran lost his only brother, sister-in-law and two nieces aged seven and two, in the bomb blast at St. Anthony’s Shrine in Kochchikade.
His brother, 38-year-old K. Prathap, had gone to church with his family that day to receive blessings after he bought a lorry. The family didn’t return that day.
“The sadness is still unbearable. He was my only brother and we were very close,” Wimalendran, a three-wheel driver who has two children of his own, said.
He and his family are hoping to give 200 bags of dry rations to 200 families who rely on daily wages, on Tuesday.
“That is what my brother would have wanted. During this time (COVID-19 outbreak) there are more people who are in need of such things,” Wimalendran added.
Picking up the pieces
Restructuring life after the blasts has been hard for most. Nilanka Dilshan, (39) a vehicle spray painter from Negombo, has been struggling since.
“I was to go to New Zealand for work a week before the attacks,” he said. The incident left his life upside down when a shrapnel pierced his leg leaving him in need of surgery.
Dilshan had to pay back the loans he took to go abroad, and sought help from the church to build a spray-painting workshop. The church has promised to lend him a helping hand.
“I was planning to open the workshop on March 19, but couldn’t due to the curfew,” he said.
Dilshan said he is in dire need of help and is hoping the church will come to his aid when the curfew (imposed indefinitely to stop COVID-19 from spreading) is lifted.
Good Samaritans
Although the Archdiocese of Colombo has dropped all remembrance events of the Easter attack due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many who were victimized by the tragedy will re-live the same horrific memories as the first remembrance of the Easter Sunday attacks approaches.
“Particularly, those who are still grappling to rebuild their lives after the Easter bombings are undergoing great mental depression” Rev. Fr. Lawrence Ramanayake, the priest in charge of Seth Sarana, the social service arm of the Archdiocese of Colombo, said.
Seth Sarana is currently looking after about 1,200 individuals belonging to 399 families, who are mainly victims of the Kochchikade and Katuwapitya blasts. This includes, 9 children who lost both parents, 22 children who lost one parent, 89 victims who are still visiting clinics for further treatment and 2 who are being treated at Ave Maria Hospital, Negombo since April last year.
As Fr. Ramanayake explained, the shelter of the victims is done under three main dimensions; Spirituality, Social uplift and Counselling. The decision to receive professional counselling support has been proven very productive so far.
“We had about four incidents of suicide attempts soon after the bomb blasts. But we could prevent all those events with the help of our strong counselling arm” Fr. Ramanayake said.
In addition, Seth Sarana is currently supporting a large number of families who either lost the breadwinner or was critically wounded. Moreover, 227 children are receiving scholarships till the end of their GCE A/Ls, a program which stretches until year 2038 with the financial assistance of Dialog Axiata.
“It has been a year and we cannot expect a constant flow of funds, we understand. But we are doing our best with the existing resources” Fr. Ramanayake said.
He added, “As much as restoring their lives, these people want to know the truth. Forgiving is secondary. First, they crave to know what happened and who was behind this calamity”.
(Anybody who wishes to contribute to the program, can contact Fr. Ramanayake at Seth Sarana Caritas office Kynsey Road, Colombo 8. Telephone 011 2688 999).
New arrests
During a special media conference Police Spokesperson Jaliya Senaratne said they are expecting to end the investigations connected to the Easter attacks soon
He added the Criminal Investigations Department of the country has arrested 119 suspects over their alleged involvement in the attacks, while the Terrorist Investigation Division has taken 78 others into custody.
Time for forgiveness
Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith addressed the deadly attacks during his Easter Sunday Sermon saying “During last Easter some misguided youths attacked our lives,” he said adding that people of all faiths died during the attacks.
“But as Catholics what did we do? We remembered Jesus Christ’s message and we should love our enemies, we forgave and showed compassion. We asked them not to do the same again,” he said.
Commemorating the deceased
The week-long events scheduled formerly to commemorate those who were lost in the deadly attacks have been cancelled as a result of the ongoing pandemic.
Instead, Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith asked everyone to take part in a special program that will take place from 8.45 am on Tuesday (21). All, irrespective of their faith, have been asked to take part in these commemorative activities to honour the departed.
He called upon Churches and other places of worship to sound bells as a gesture of respect for the Easter Sunday victims and for all citizens to observe two minutes silence in remembrance.
The commemoration program will be telecast live on TV and aired live on radio to enable everyone to take part from their homes.