{"id":155986,"date":"2026-04-30T15:43:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T22:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=155986"},"modified":"2026-04-30T15:43:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T22:43:03","slug":"may-day-memory-and-a-moment-that-changed-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/04\/30\/may-day-memory-and-a-moment-that-changed-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"May Day, Memory, and a Moment That Changed Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Sarath Obeysekera<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

May Day has always been a day of colour, \u0d24\u0d4a\u0d34\u0d3f\u0d32\u0dca spirit, and political expression in Colombo. For me, however, one particular May Day remains etched in memory\u2014not for the pageantry, but for how close I came to witnessing history take a tragic turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, I was serving as Chairman of the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation. As was customary, our institution had organized a contingent of employees to participate in the May Day procession, proceeding towards Galle Face Green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our group was moving along the route when we found ourselves not far from the main procession where Ranasinghe Premadasa was present. Roughly 20 to 30 minutes before the fatal moment, I saw him in a Land Rover, accompanied by Mohideen. There was a brief exchange\u2014a wave, a passing acknowledgment. It was an ordinary gesture, one of many that occur on such public occasions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes that moment unforgettable is the irony that the vehicle he travelled in had been modified to be bulletproof under my direction during my time at the dockyard. Yet, as history would show, no armour could defend against the method that was about to be used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after, a group of estate workers moved ahead of us, and our team followed. We were perhaps about 100 feet away when we heard a loud noise. It sounded like firecrackers\u2014hardly unusual on a May Day. None of us immediately suspected what had truly occurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no panic. No sudden realization. We simply continued along an alternate route and eventually reached Galle Face, unaware that the President of the country had just been assassinated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was only several hours later that I learned the truth\u2014ironically, not through local channels, but from an Austrian acquaintance. By then, the magnitude of what had happened began to sink in. Sri Lanka had lost its sitting President in a brutal act of violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were also lucky to be alive because those estate workers who barged in front of our team had formed a barrier to save us <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, our photographer showed me an image of the head of Baby , captured in the aftermath. It was a haunting frame\u2014one that revealed the sheer brutality of the explosion and the human cost behind the headlines. That image remains with me to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The assassination of President Premadasa marked more than the end of a leader. It symbolized a turning point in a turbulent era shaped by insurgency, counter-insurgency, and a nation struggling to find stability. He was a complex figure\u2014credited with development initiatives, yet also associated with controversial decisions during difficult times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back, one cannot help but reflect on fate, timing, and the fragile nature of life. I was within moments and mere feet of a historic tragedy, yet remained unaware until hours later. Such is the nature of events that unfold suddenly\u2014they are only understood in retrospect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many may interpret such events through the lens of karma or destiny. Others may see them as consequences of a broader cycle of violence. Whatever the interpretation, the human dimension remains undeniable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, that May Day serves as a reminder\u2014not just of how close I came to danger, but of how quickly a nation\u2019s course can change in a single moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Sarath Obeysekera<\/em>
Former Chairman
Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporati<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sarath Obeysekera May Day has always been a day of colour, \u0d24\u0d4a\u0d34\u0d3f\u0d32\u0dca spirit, and political expression in Colombo. For me, however, one particular May Day remains etched in memory\u2014not for the pageantry, but for how close I came to witnessing history take a tragic turn. At the time, I was serving as Chairman of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-155986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dr-sarath-obeysekera"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155986"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155986\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":155987,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155986\/revisions\/155987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}