I have been visiting Sri Lanka on vacation for the past 2 weeks. What an amazing country, with amazing beauty and hospitality.
My only negative experience took place yesterday, July 18, 2011 while I was at what the locals call Crescat Shopping center which is connected to the hotel I was staying at, the Cinnamon Grand.While walking through the mall, I saw and heard a Sri Lanka man screaming profanities at a young Sri Lankan lady. The Sri Lanka man was screaming loud enough that everyone in that area of the mall could hear him clearly using filthy language at this young lady who was cowering in fear from his abuse screaming. I was standing probably 15 meters away and could hear every horrible word coming out of his mouth--“you f___ing bitch!” all the while screaming and smashing his fist on the computer at the kiosk.
Three ladies who I later learned are from the States were shopping nearby and stopped to see who was screaming profanities—actually everyone I could see in the mall had stopped and watched this horrendous spectacle. Two of the American women are university students from Hawaii and the third, the mother of one of the students, is a doctor. The doctor later said she wondered if this young lady was being physically abused noticing apparent signs of recent bruises on the Sri Lankan girl’s arms. The Sri Lankan man suddenly realized the three American ladies were watching him and began screaming at them as well—“You f___ing bitch! What are you looking at! You f___ing whore!” The American ladies started to walk away, and this guy began shouting louder and then he started following them. The three Americans went to the escalator and headed down to get away from him. However the Sri Lankan man went to the railing over the escalator and leaning over to within a foot or so of one of the young Americans, spit into her face, continuing to call her a “f___ing whore.” The mother/doctor of the American girl who was spit on came back up the escalator to search for the Sri Lankan man who did this despicable act, and possibly get some help from security; but this animal had run to his apartment connected to the Crescat mall called the Monarch. I quickly ran over to the American ladies to offer any help I could. The security staff escorted the ladies to the security room on the main (middle) floor where they viewed the security tape of the entire incident, with full-on view of the Sri Lankan man assaulting the American university student.The police were called and statements from witnesses were taken. I then decided to do my own investigative reporting on this horrendous incident for my travel blog—it was easy getting the name of this disgusting Sri Lankan man since apparently the young lady he was abusing, Deena Tissera, is well known as a recent participant in the Miss Sri Lanka beauty pageant. Apparently this man, Anuk Wijesinghe, has created ugly scenes at the mall in the past and is known by the security staff. I cannot imagine anything more cowardly than a man who would scream profanities at his girlfriend in public and then at total strangers visiting the beautiful country of Sri Lanka, and then spitting on a young university girl because she stopped and looked at him behaving like an animal?—actually, even animals do not behave this badly. I recognize however that every country in the world has individuals that should be locked up and treated for mental disorders; so I guess it is no surprise that Sri Lanka has its own psychopath. I feel sad for this girl Deena Tissera who appears to be in bondage to “battered spouse syndrome” but I feel yet sadder for Sri Lanka having given the world this horrible man called Anuk Wijesinghe. On the bright side, I heard today there is a warrant out for his arrest—thank you Kallputy (sic) Police and the Colombo Fort Magistrate (courts).
