Episode 37 – Elahera – Girithale Sanctuary

Thieves were fierce

I joined Department of Wildlife Conservation in 1997. I worked as an Assistant Director until 2000 in Horton Plains. Then I worked as the Assistant director of the Eastern region until 2002 and as the Assistant Director of the Central region in 2003. In January 2024, I got a promotion as Regional Director, Polonnaruwa.

I further focused on wildlife crime. In Polonnaruwa region, wildlife crimes such as gem mining, soil cutting, sand dumping and animal hunting were on the rise.

I set up a Raid Unit soon and the team would send to the scene of a crime. The members of the team changed from time to time.

I stopped the sand mining at Flood Plain National Park. A minister at that time scolded me in this regard.

I wanted the gem mining to stop. There were many gem mines in the Elahera sanctuary. At that time, the local government chairman had requested permission from the head office to build the Elahera road.

I gave a date of 14th May 2004 for an observation tour. We went on a field visit that day. I was accompanied by Mr. UpaliDheerasinghe, the site assistant, and Wildlife Guards – KumarasiriVijayakone, DhanasiriGurugeand A.M Jayasuriya. They belonged to the raid division.

We went by a vehicle. We all went to the local council and met the Chairman and gave the necessary information. They invited us for lunch but we didnot accept.

There was a place called ‘Pol AthuVadiya’ in Elahera Sanctuary. There, people were mining gems. We went there by vehicle. The officers in the vehicle told me.

 “Sir, you stay at the ‘Kirioya’ office. We will go and see the place.”

I went to Kirioya Beat office. The other officers walked towards the PolAthuwadiya from inside the forest. It was around two in the afternoon.

I was waiting at the Beat office for our group to arrive. It was too late. It was about four in the afternoon. But there were no people. If reach the beat office along the river from there, it was about two miles away. They did not even have a cell phone to talk to.

The Kirioya Beat office was about 500 meters from the main road. I waited and later drove the car with the driver from Kirioya Beat office, about 2 km towards Pol AthuWadiya. I saw in the distance that there was a large group of people at PolAthuwadiya area. They seemed to be behaving in a rowdy manner.

“Sir, going forward is not safe. “Let’s turn the vehicle,” said the driver.

We immediately turned the vehicle around.

When we turned our vehicle, we saw some people getting into a tipper. They followed us honking. The driver said ‘let’s go to the police quickly’ and he drove the vehicle fast.

Potholes were everywhere on this road. The car has fallen in to fare number of Potholes. As soon as the vehicle fell into a ditch, the bonnet opened. We couldnot get down to close the bonnet. Could not even pull out the jeep. I told the driver to drive the vehicle anyway. The driver picked up the vehicle. On the way back, the vehicle fell into another ditch. At the same time, the bonnet closed.

However, we went to Laggala police station. The incident was briefed to the Officer in Charge (OIC)but something unexpected happened.

The OIC roughly spoke to me saying, ‘You are giving troubles to people’.

I said ‘our duty is to stop wildlife crimes’.

But I realized that we were not getting any help from him because he was with gem miners.

I left the police. Those who came from behind had seen me going to the police and gone away. I thought, ‘I cannot even go on the Elahera side. Cannot even go to Wasgamuva. Now we have to go through Matale town.’ Then we took the Riverstone  road.

I went to Matale and made a phone call to the Assistant Director’s office. No one answered. Then I spoke to Giritale Training Centre. From there, they asked me to go to the police station first and meet the OIC and then go to the PolAthuvadiya. I informed the head office and left back to Polannaruwa. After arriving in Dambulla, we made a call toKirioya office station.

From there, we heard, ‘The people who went with you have been badly beaten. One of the four has passed away. Others cannot get up either. They were loaded on the tractor and brought to the junction and unloaded.’ Our group went to Pol Athuvadiya area with Elahera police. We learned that the deceased and the injured were taken to Elahera and admitted to the hospital by the Police.

Later I got to know the incident well. When our people left to Pol Athuvadiya, someone was caught spying on the road. He was shot with rubber bullets. He ran and told the people of the PolAthuvadiya that ‘there are shots by the wild life’. The people staying in PolAthuvadiya were villagers. After hearing itthey got very angry. That was why they have beaten and loaded on a tractor.

Mr. DhanasiriGuruge was the wildlife guard, died at the time.

At that time, people at Pol Athuvadiya area wanted to kill me and burn. The car was being chased to catch me anyway.

Still a court case is being heard in this regard.