March 7, 2016

I just have to write about this experience.

The night before last, I get a panicked call from my friend Sonali.  Can I come over right away as some woman she has cooking there has been carrying on using abusive language, etc.  At some point, she had a knife in her hand as she was cooking and Sonali was worried about that.

I couldn't get a tuktuk at that time of night, so eventually Sonali got a van to come from her car service.  They came up to get me.  First we had to go over to Sonali's cousin's house where she said we were going to wait for him to come so he could go over to her place and deal with this woman.  I didn't have the patience to wait for Chula to show up, so I said let's forget this and just go to your place and get her out of there.  Good thing too as by the time everything was said and done at midnight, there was still no sign of Chula.

When we got to Sonali's, I went to the outdoor kitchen where the woman was banging around and said we were going to take her home.  She hesitated/ignored, me so I told her to come, that we had a car and we would drive her home.  She started going berserk.  She started screaming in Sinhala about how dare a white woman tell her, a Sinhalese what to do, etc.  Sonali had told me that she had been making remarks about how Sonali is surrounded by Tamils and that is why she has domestic problems.  Clearly, the woman has prejudices.

Things escalated to the point where she started to get physically threatening.  We retreated into the main house, where she followed and continued to threaten to hit me.  Finally, I got Sonali to lock the doors.  Sometimes, I think people don't have any common sense.

In the meantime, we were trying to get hold of the police.  First I called Katugastota Police Station only to be told that we were under Kandy's jurisdiction.  This proved to be incorrect.  Then I called Kandy.  They said they only had one bicycle for response and that was busy.  Then we tried calling 119, the emergency number which was constantly engaged.  If someone had really been hurt or in imminent danger, there would have been no hope.

Sonali continued to call Chula, who even spoke to the woman at one point and got an earful for his trouble.  Turns out he was at his club drunk.  No help from that quarter.

Sonali called her friend who used to be in the CID.  His only advice was to call 119.  Finally, I called my friend Marlise, whose husband Jayantha is the retired DIG for Kandy.  I was lucky to reach her as she hardly ever answers her cell phone.  Jayantha called Katugastota and they dispatched someone.  Still no-one showed up as they kept calling saying they couldn't find the house.

I had been sitting beside the land phone right in front of some windows which were open because it was hot.  The crazy woman came around that side of the house and reached between the bars and tried to grab me.  Shortly thereafter, she disappeared.  Seems she had called a tuktuk and just left in it.

Then it was off to the Katugastota Police Station to file a police report.  She had threatened to file a report against me saying I had hit her, which of course, was untrue.  Happily, a handy man guy of Sonali's and his wife were staying overnight and were witness to the whole affair along with the driver and Paramasivum, Sonali's dog minder.  The neighbours must have had an earful too.

Katugastota Police Station is small.  The main area is in the same place as the cells.  So we went in to sit with the sergeant to file the report the writing of which was constantly interrupted by having to move prisoners to new cells, police on patrol having to have papers signed, evidence having to be logged, etc.  Finally after about an hour, the complaint was filed and we had a file number.  God only knows how long it would have taken if Jayantha had not called.

While we were completing the report, the crazy cook called Sonali's cell.  She immediately handed it over to the police officer who then had to tolerate a stream of abuse.  At least he got an idea of what had been going on.

Just as an aside, they have 4 cells at the station which look like something out of the sheriff's office in the old west.  Two of them were being used as storage rooms while the other two were housing at least 2 prisoners each.

It was close to midnight by the time I got home.

Now Sonali has to go back to the police station on Monday when crazy cook has also been summoned to respond to the complaint.  Nothing will come of it, but at least we are protected against any false charges.