Sinhala author and former journalist Nandana Weeraratne has claimed that the 1983 Welikada Prison massacre, in which 53 Tamil prisoners including Kuttimani were killed, was not a spontaneous riot but a pre-planned execution orchestrated a week earlier by then Army Commander Tissa Weeratunga, the son-in-law of President J.R. Jayewardene.
Speaking at the launch of his new book “Seven Days of Black July” in Jaffna’s Father Selva Memorial Hall, author Weeraratne said he had interviewed the chief warden of Welikada Prison and verified that the killings were carried out under government orders.
He stated that Tamil detainees arrested across the North were transferred to Welikada and killed under the pretext of a prison riot, while the Sinhala inmates involved were later released by the government.
Author Weeraratne, who has previously authored “Yarlpana Theeyidal” (The Burning of Jaffna Library), said his latest book, published in both Sinhala and Tamil, exposes the real orchestrators of the 1983 anti-Tamil violence and presents new evidence about the political motives behind the massacre.
He added that fear for his safety had delayed the publication of these findings for nearly 40 years.
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