Fr Srilal Amaratunga was a "paragon" of justice and courage for the people of Sri Lanka, "a priest through and through" who lived preaching and practicing the Word of God, said Fr Terrence Fernando, human rights coordinator for the Diocese of Colombo.
Fr Srilal disappeared on 19 January 1990 under mysterious circumstances after publicly denouncing murders, missing people, abductions and abuses at a time when the civil was still raging.
His motto was "Let us not break others but let us break ourselves to build their life".
Fr Srilal is considered a martyr of the Church of Sri Lanka.
Originally from the village of Kandana (Western Province, archdiocese of Colombo), Fr Srilal entered the seminary in 1964 in Bangalore, India. He was ordained on 30 April 1972. For 13 years, he served in various parishes in Kandy, Chilaw and Colombo. When he died, he had been parish priest in Koongodamulla since 1985, where he had opened a mission called Abalama or 'place of rest'.
Around 1989, Fr Srilal started to condemn the terrible acts of violence that he was seeing in the country. He went house to house in the villages to explain to people what was happening, trying to make people understand that whatever the reasons, killing was not God's will.
"He is a true man of God who dedicated his life for Him and His people. He was a priest by life who lived what he preached, preached what he lived. He had a big heart for the poor, the helpless, the downtrodden, the oppressed or those who had been deprived of their rights to live as human beings." said Father Terrence.
Seventeen days before his death, Fr Srilal buried two men found dead near his church. After that, he was followed by plainclothes members of the security forces.
On 18 January 1990, he denounced the situation in a meeting with other priests. "Let us go and meet the powerful of the area," he is quoted as saying. "In the area, there are many burnt bodies, everywhere. Let us ask them to stop this work."
The next day, a friend went to see him to discuss what had been said at the meeting.
After waiting an hour for the priest to come out, he inquired about him and was told that he had died in his sleep.
The police report spoke of death by natural causes, but those who found the body said he had bruises around the neck.
"A week before his death, Fr Srilal called me," said Suranga Wanniarrachi, a Koongodamulla parishioner who was a teenager at the time.
"He told me to take care of the poor. 'As a Christian, you have been chosen to dedicate yourself to them,' the father said. He knew of the risks he was taking. He tried to give me a final lesson. Thanks to him, I have had a beautiful and full life."