TOURIST RAPED BY LANKAN POLITICIAN
A Complete Victim Testimony:
Rape. Sexual Assault. Consent.
Words that are abuzz in international media since the #MeToo movement enabled a higher rate of reporting against sexual crimes. One thing we should take note of is that while we have empowered women to stand up against these crimes, we have not yet reexamined our own views on the matter, nor our reactions to such situations. Victim blaming is still rampant and our first instinct is to not always believe them.
The New York times recently reported on a case where the judge warned against pressing charges. To quote the article: a family court judge said it wasn’t rape. Instead, he wondered aloud if it was sexual assault, defining rape as something reserved for an attack at gunpoint by strangers. He also said the young man came from a good family, attended an excellent school, had terrific grades and was an Eagle scout. Prosecutors, the judge said, should have explained to the girl and her family that pressing charges would destroy the boy’s life.
How then, even in this most progressive time for equality, do we report crimes if the first instinct is to protect the perpetrator and not the victim? What’s more, why do we believe that rape is something that happens among strangers? Rape happens even in the marital bed. Husbands rape wives. Boyfriends rape girlfriends. Friends rape friends. Even in same-sex relationships, several cases of sexual intimate partner violence have been reported/documented around the world. Unless we come to the consensus that no sex should happen without explicit consent, we are failing the millions of women around the world who are forced into violently sexual acts every single day of the year.
A local rape case has also been receiving a lot of media attention. A Chinese foreigner who befriended and put her trust in a local politician was repeatedly gang raped by him and his driver. The young woman who sought out the help of this politician, did so because she had large amounts of money stolen from her in Sri Lanka and was referred to him by a local lady who insisted that this would be her only source of help. Having no where else to go in a foregin country, she saw this as a seemingly reliable piece of advice and her only refuge. Alarms bells would have probably gone off if was a local woman going through this situation, but we cannot expect a foreigner who is not familiar with local understanding to operate and make decisions as a local would. Also, while she filed a case and reported the situation to the Chinese embassy, no arrests have been made to date. We wonder why.
Team Bendr interviewed the victim recently and we would like to share her entire story with you:
———————————-
What brought you to Sri Lanka?
I came here in November of 2017 with the objective of getting away from my busy 9-5 corporate job as a regional marketing manager. I worked for over ten years and wanted a break.
Can you give us a rough timeline of what happened and when? Dates and times of the incidents.
The first gang rape occurred on the 24th of February at 11.45 pm, the second on 21st of April at about 1 am and the third gang rape was on the 29th of April around 11.45 pm.
When you say gang rape, can you elaborate on how many people were involved?
Two men were involved in all the incidents. It was Krishantha and his driver whose name is Ran Sayura alias Suda. The third gang rape actually happened a few hours before Krishantha (Southern Provincal Councilor Krishantha Pushpakumara, alias Rathtaran) he was to appear before court for a case against him for abusing a 16 year old. He honestly did not care about these complaints.
What was the initial reason that you met these men?
I was cheated of 141 lakhs by a Sri Lankan man and he harassed me and threatened to somehow deport me back to China. They threatened to complain to the Immigration Department and make it so that I will never be able to get a resident visa in Sri Lanka. This case too is filed at the CID and I made complaints to the Galle Police as well.
Can you tell us a bit more about this incident?
A man named Gayan used my money to rent a guesthouse but wanted to end the lease agreement sooner than stated. I tried to stay in the guest house because my lawyer suggested that I do so since it was my money that was used to rent the guest house. But the landlords kept intimidating me and trying to kick me out.
So this was the incident that made you approach this man?
A local lady introduced me to Krishantha as he was a Southern Province Councillor. She told me that only a politician would be able to help me get my money back. Where I come from Councillors are well respected and professional; people whose job it is to help those in their city so I had no qualms about approaching Krishantha for help.
The first time I met him was in August 2018 at his office/residence in Galle. It was a normal meeting. I thought if I told him of my problem he could convey the issue to the relevant government organizations and help me resolve this matter. The local lady introduced us and informed Krishantha of my problem. At this meeting, the lady and Krishantha suggested that I rent one of the rooms of his residence for the time being because I was having problems with my landlord. Because I really didn’t have a place to stay, I agreed.
What happened after you rented a room?
The first night I was there, Krishantha came to the area outside my room with his media secretary, Uthpala Lokuge who seemed very close to Krishantha. His other good friend is Meepegamage Manju was also present. Manju started talking about Krishantha in a strange way. He kept telling me how powerful Krishanth is, how he has a lot of connections and that he could influence the police and the law and get things his way. They also intimidated me by taking out Krishantha’s gun and showing it to me. Manju then said that I was very lucky that Krishantha chose me.
Then Krishantha suddenly started kissing me and touching me. He said he has never ‘tried a Chinese girl’ before. I was petrified. I realized they were intimidating me and tactically asking me to be his girlfriend and have sex with him. They were indirectly telling me that I had no way out. That even if I complained it would be of no use as he has the police and judges under his thumb.
What happened after this incident took place?
Krishantha introduced me as his girlfriend to some people, including his friends, other government people, even a primary school principal. I stayed in Krishantha’s place from Aug to Nov 2018, I tried to leave peacefully but I could not. Krishantha tried to force me to have threesomes with his driver so many times. I kept trying to slip away because I was not comfortable with that. I finally managed to move away in December 2018.
Can you tell us how you finally managed to move away from him in December and why it was difficult to do so prior to that?
I am new to this country and was not familiar with anything. Also, I was really worried that Krishantha would be angry. He has so many connections and knows so many different people and I knew he could easily create trouble for me.
I was finally able to move away because Krishantha thought there would be a presidential election in January this year and he said it was not good to show the media that I was living at his residence. He said that it would not look good on his reputation and that people might use it against him. Thanks to this I was finally able to move away.
What happened after you moved away? How did he make contact with you again?
I had an issue with the Immigration Department because Gayan and a few other people filed a complaint against me in 2018. They complained saying I was working illegally. The Immigration Department came and checked my passport again in February 2019 and kept claiming that I worked illegally. Even though I explained that I was following the visa application process step by step, they did not care. The second time they accused me it was really serious so I was scared and did not know who to call so I called Krishantha. As a councillor, I thought it was his responsibility to help with issues as such. I was scared and was worried I may end up in jail.
What made you call him after everything that happened with him?
This issue with the Immigration Department was so serious the second time around. They took my passport all of a sudden and kept accusing me of working illegally. I was very scared of them and I didn’t have any other choice but to call him.
Did you speak to the Chinese embassy about this?
I complained to the Chinese Embassy many times. complained to the Chinese Embassy many times. The Chinese Embassy is well acknowledged of my different cases and has supported to remind police to follow judicial procedure (e.g. for the gang rape case). My visa situation, money cheating and sexual harassment cases also happen to many Chinese people in Sri Lanka. Many of them were bribed by government people, being ignored by police or didn’t receive justice. We are disappointed and would not recommend others traveling or investing in Sri Lanka if there is no law and order
Did you seek help from anyone else? Did you consider leaving the country?
Yes, I told Krishantha’s cousin Asintha Kaushanlya and asked him for help many times and mentioned that I did not want to stay. He encouraged me to stay and so did my lawyer. They said I should not leave simply because people are trying to get me deported.
Asintha is also a member of the Southern Provincial Council. I sent him messages saying I did not want to partake in threesomes and that I felt like committing suicide because Krishantha kept forcing me. He in turn sent me messages that were sexually harassing.
What happened when you approached Krishantha for help?
I was so desperate to solve this issue and he used that to force me to have a threesome. This was the first gang rape. He said he will not help me if I don’t sleep with Suda. After the first gang rape, I went back to China.
Why did you come back?
And as I mentioned earlier, a controller said he will help me get my resident visa, step by step. To start with obtaining a business registration, then opening a business. I had started a restaurant in Galle Fort. I needed to sublease that restaurant that’s why I needed to come back. The restaurant was only opened for a short time but I could not stand everything else that was happening and decided to leave the first time.
What happened after?
Krishantha came to my rented residence on the night of 24th Feb. He asked to borrow money from me in a very subtle way. He never asked anything directly. He basically indicated that I needed to give him something in return for his help.
Once he came to my place, he wanted to call Suda and tell him to come over. I told him not to. He said he would not help me if Suda didn’t come over. He knows how to force me and he knows I have no choice. He forced me to have a threesome. I verbally said no but it did not matter. He was angry. This was the first gang rape.
How did he show his anger? Was he physical with you or he verbally yelled?
I could tell from his face. I was crying and sincerely asking him for help but he did not care. I was begging him but he kept saying ‘no suda, no help’. He kept saying this with anger.
And then what happened?
He told Suda to come to my residence. Krishantha removed all my clothes and moved me to Suda. I kept trying to remove myself from their grasp. Krishantha would kiss Suda’s body or lower part in front of me to force me to do the same thing. He pushed my head to Suda’s body and forced me to kiss him. I wanted to kill myself really and could not imagine doing all these to a driver or someone I don’t want at all.
Did you say yes to all this or were you forced?
No, I was forced. I did not remove my clothes or do anything by myself. Krishantha asked me for 50 lakhs at beginning, saying his boat was broken and that he has no money for his daughter’s tuition fees. I told him I didn’t have that kind of money. That’s when he called Suda. He wanted to force me to have a threesome and I said no. I was begging and crying but he ignored me. I don’t know how many times I’ve cried this year. I’ve honestly thought about jumping from a building as I am just in so much pain. I don’t even know how to describe how I feel anymore.
After this first incident, what happened next?
I flew back home again one month after. I returned to Sri Lanka end of March to pack my things to take back with me and end the leasing agreements. I also sent message to Krishantha in early April that I wanted to commit suicide and didnt want to sleep with Suda.
On the 20th of April, Asintha called me to go to a party with him in Unawatuna. Krishantha had asked Asintha to call me. I immediately said no. They kept calling me over and over again. Krishantha was very angry on the phone. He has so many close connections. Once he called the Finance Minister at midnight in front of me and he knows the deputy controller of the Immigration Department. I was afraid. This is why I finally went there. Once I went, I realized it was a trick all along. The final pathway to the party was through a jungle and had a lot of gangsters and drug dealers there.
What happened at the party?
Krishantha didn’t do anything at the party. He was trying to keep a low profile in public and he had resigned from his post at that point due to the case against him over the abuse of a sixteen year old girl. I could not leave the party alone because it was really dark and the crowd at the party was dangerous. Krishantha dropped me home with Suda. I told him I did not want to do anything.
So they raped you in the car?
No, the rape happened at my residence when they dropped me. I told Krishantha I didn’t want threesome but he rejected. He ignored that I messaged to him that I wanted to commit suicide before. He told Suda to go have a shower. When Suda went into the shower I locked him in the bathroom and I told krishantha that I did not want to have a threesome, again. He did not care or listen. I felt like Suda didn’t want to be there but he listened to Krishantha due to his position of authority. Krishntha abetted all 3 gang rapes. This was the second rape.
Rape. Sexual Assault. Consent.
Words that are abuzz in international media since the #MeToo movement enabled a higher rate of reporting against sexual crimes. One thing we should take note of is that while we have empowered women to stand up against these crimes, we have not yet reexamined our own views on the matter, nor our reactions to such situations. Victim blaming is still rampant and our first instinct is to not always believe them.
The New York times recently reported on a case where the judge warned against pressing charges. To quote the article: a family court judge said it wasn’t rape. Instead, he wondered aloud if it was sexual assault, defining rape as something reserved for an attack at gunpoint by strangers. He also said the young man came from a good family, attended an excellent school, had terrific grades and was an Eagle scout. Prosecutors, the judge said, should have explained to the girl and her family that pressing charges would destroy the boy’s life.
How then, even in this most progressive time for equality, do we report crimes if the first instinct is to protect the perpetrator and not the victim? What’s more, why do we believe that rape is something that happens among strangers? Rape happens even in the marital bed. Husbands rape wives. Boyfriends rape girlfriends. Friends rape friends. Even in same-sex relationships, several cases of sexual intimate partner violence have been reported/documented around the world. Unless we come to the consensus that no sex should happen without explicit consent, we are failing the millions of women around the world who are forced into violently sexual acts every single day of the year.
A local rape case has also been receiving a lot of media attention. A Chinese foreigner who befriended and put her trust in a local politician was repeatedly gang raped by him and his driver. The young woman who sought out the help of this politician, did so because she had large amounts of money stolen from her in Sri Lanka and was referred to him by a local lady who insisted that this would be her only source of help. Having no where else to go in a foregin country, she saw this as a seemingly reliable piece of advice and her only refuge. Alarms bells would have probably gone off if was a local woman going through this situation, but we cannot expect a foreigner who is not familiar with local understanding to operate and make decisions as a local would. Also, while she filed a case and reported the situation to the Chinese embassy, no arrests have been made to date. We wonder why.
Team Bendr interviewed the victim recently and we would like to share her entire story with you:
———————————-
What brought you to Sri Lanka?
I came here in November of 2017 with the objective of getting away from my busy 9-5 corporate job as a regional marketing manager. I worked for over ten years and wanted a break.
Can you give us a rough timeline of what happened and when? Dates and times of the incidents.
The first gang rape occurred on the 24th of February at 11.45 pm, the second on 21st of April at about 1 am and the third gang rape was on the 29th of April around 11.45 pm.
When you say gang rape, can you elaborate on how many people were involved?
Two men were involved in all the incidents. It was Krishantha and his driver whose name is Ran Sayura alias Suda. The third gang rape actually happened a few hours before Krishantha (Southern Provincal Councilor Krishantha Pushpakumara, alias Rathtaran) he was to appear before court for a case against him for abusing a 16 year old. He honestly did not care about these complaints.
What was the initial reason that you met these men?
I was cheated of 141 lakhs by a Sri Lankan man and he harassed me and threatened to somehow deport me back to China. They threatened to complain to the Immigration Department and make it so that I will never be able to get a resident visa in Sri Lanka. This case too is filed at the CID and I made complaints to the Galle Police as well.
Can you tell us a bit more about this incident?
A man named Gayan used my money to rent a guesthouse but wanted to end the lease agreement sooner than stated. I tried to stay in the guest house because my lawyer suggested that I do so since it was my money that was used to rent the guest house. But the landlords kept intimidating me and trying to kick me out.
So this was the incident that made you approach this man?
A local lady introduced me to Krishantha as he was a Southern Province Councillor. She told me that only a politician would be able to help me get my money back. Where I come from Councillors are well respected and professional; people whose job it is to help those in their city so I had no qualms about approaching Krishantha for help.
The first time I met him was in August 2018 at his office/residence in Galle. It was a normal meeting. I thought if I told him of my problem he could convey the issue to the relevant government organizations and help me resolve this matter. The local lady introduced us and informed Krishantha of my problem. At this meeting, the lady and Krishantha suggested that I rent one of the rooms of his residence for the time being because I was having problems with my landlord. Because I really didn’t have a place to stay, I agreed.
What happened after you rented a room?
The first night I was there, Krishantha came to the area outside my room with his media secretary, Uthpala Lokuge who seemed very close to Krishantha. His other good friend is Meepegamage Manju was also present. Manju started talking about Krishantha in a strange way. He kept telling me how powerful Krishanth is, how he has a lot of connections and that he could influence the police and the law and get things his way. They also intimidated me by taking out Krishantha’s gun and showing it to me. Manju then said that I was very lucky that Krishantha chose me.
Then Krishantha suddenly started kissing me and touching me. He said he has never ‘tried a Chinese girl’ before. I was petrified. I realized they were intimidating me and tactically asking me to be his girlfriend and have sex with him. They were indirectly telling me that I had no way out. That even if I complained it would be of no use as he has the police and judges under his thumb.
What happened after this incident took place?
Krishantha introduced me as his girlfriend to some people, including his friends, other government people, even a primary school principal. I stayed in Krishantha’s place from Aug to Nov 2018, I tried to leave peacefully but I could not. Krishantha tried to force me to have threesomes with his driver so many times. I kept trying to slip away because I was not comfortable with that. I finally managed to move away in December 2018.
Can you tell us how you finally managed to move away from him in December and why it was difficult to do so prior to that?
I am new to this country and was not familiar with anything. Also, I was really worried that Krishantha would be angry. He has so many connections and knows so many different people and I knew he could easily create trouble for me.
I was finally able to move away because Krishantha thought there would be a presidential election in January this year and he said it was not good to show the media that I was living at his residence. He said that it would not look good on his reputation and that people might use it against him. Thanks to this I was finally able to move away.
What happened after you moved away? How did he make contact with you again?
I had an issue with the Immigration Department because Gayan and a few other people filed a complaint against me in 2018. They complained saying I was working illegally. The Immigration Department came and checked my passport again in February 2019 and kept claiming that I worked illegally. Even though I explained that I was following the visa application process step by step, they did not care. The second time they accused me it was really serious so I was scared and did not know who to call so I called Krishantha. As a councillor, I thought it was his responsibility to help with issues as such. I was scared and was worried I may end up in jail.
What made you call him after everything that happened with him?
This issue with the Immigration Department was so serious the second time around. They took my passport all of a sudden and kept accusing me of working illegally. I was very scared of them and I didn’t have any other choice but to call him.
Did you speak to the Chinese embassy about this?
I complained to the Chinese Embassy many times. complained to the Chinese Embassy many times. The Chinese Embassy is well acknowledged of my different cases and has supported to remind police to follow judicial procedure (e.g. for the gang rape case). My visa situation, money cheating and sexual harassment cases also happen to many Chinese people in Sri Lanka. Many of them were bribed by government people, being ignored by police or didn’t receive justice. We are disappointed and would not recommend others traveling or investing in Sri Lanka if there is no law and order
Did you seek help from anyone else? Did you consider leaving the country?
Yes, I told Krishantha’s cousin Asintha Kaushanlya and asked him for help many times and mentioned that I did not want to stay. He encouraged me to stay and so did my lawyer. They said I should not leave simply because people are trying to get me deported.
Asintha is also a member of the Southern Provincial Council. I sent him messages saying I did not want to partake in threesomes and that I felt like committing suicide because Krishantha kept forcing me. He in turn sent me messages that were sexually harassing.
What happened when you approached Krishantha for help?
I was so desperate to solve this issue and he used that to force me to have a threesome. This was the first gang rape. He said he will not help me if I don’t sleep with Suda. After the first gang rape, I went back to China.
Why did you come back?
And as I mentioned earlier, a controller said he will help me get my resident visa, step by step. To start with obtaining a business registration, then opening a business. I had started a restaurant in Galle Fort. I needed to sublease that restaurant that’s why I needed to come back. The restaurant was only opened for a short time but I could not stand everything else that was happening and decided to leave the first time.
What happened after?
Krishantha came to my rented residence on the night of 24th Feb. He asked to borrow money from me in a very subtle way. He never asked anything directly. He basically indicated that I needed to give him something in return for his help.
Once he came to my place, he wanted to call Suda and tell him to come over. I told him not to. He said he would not help me if Suda didn’t come over. He knows how to force me and he knows I have no choice. He forced me to have a threesome. I verbally said no but it did not matter. He was angry. This was the first gang rape.
How did he show his anger? Was he physical with you or he verbally yelled?
I could tell from his face. I was crying and sincerely asking him for help but he did not care. I was begging him but he kept saying ‘no suda, no help’. He kept saying this with anger.
And then what happened?
He told Suda to come to my residence. Krishantha removed all my clothes and moved me to Suda. I kept trying to remove myself from their grasp. Krishantha would kiss Suda’s body or lower part in front of me to force me to do the same thing. He pushed my head to Suda’s body and forced me to kiss him. I wanted to kill myself really and could not imagine doing all these to a driver or someone I don’t want at all.
Did you say yes to all this or were you forced?
No, I was forced. I did not remove my clothes or do anything by myself. Krishantha asked me for 50 lakhs at beginning, saying his boat was broken and that he has no money for his daughter’s tuition fees. I told him I didn’t have that kind of money. That’s when he called Suda. He wanted to force me to have a threesome and I said no. I was begging and crying but he ignored me. I don’t know how many times I’ve cried this year. I’ve honestly thought about jumping from a building as I am just in so much pain. I don’t even know how to describe how I feel anymore.
After this first incident, what happened next?
I flew back home again one month after. I returned to Sri Lanka end of March to pack my things to take back with me and end the leasing agreements. I also sent message to Krishantha in early April that I wanted to commit suicide and didnt want to sleep with Suda.
On the 20th of April, Asintha called me to go to a party with him in Unawatuna. Krishantha had asked Asintha to call me. I immediately said no. They kept calling me over and over again. Krishantha was very angry on the phone. He has so many close connections. Once he called the Finance Minister at midnight in front of me and he knows the deputy controller of the Immigration Department. I was afraid. This is why I finally went there. Once I went, I realized it was a trick all along. The final pathway to the party was through a jungle and had a lot of gangsters and drug dealers there.
What happened at the party?
Krishantha didn’t do anything at the party. He was trying to keep a low profile in public and he had resigned from his post at that point due to the case against him over the abuse of a sixteen year old girl. I could not leave the party alone because it was really dark and the crowd at the party was dangerous. Krishantha dropped me home with Suda. I told him I did not want to do anything.
So they raped you in the car?
No, the rape happened at my residence when they dropped me. I told Krishantha I didn’t want threesome but he rejected. He ignored that I messaged to him that I wanted to commit suicide before. He told Suda to go have a shower. When Suda went into the shower I locked him in the bathroom and I told krishantha that I did not want to have a threesome, again. He did not care or listen. I felt like Suda didn’t want to be there but he listened to Krishantha due to his position of authority. Krishntha abetted all 3 gang rapes. This was the second rape.
