Speaker Karu appreciates exploit of Romesh

Praise from Speaker for Romesh's heroic act

of rescuing mother from crocodile's grip!

Romesh Madhuwansha Abeyratna who dared to save his mother from the grip of a huge crocodile keeping his own life at stake a few days before this visited the parliament yesterday on the invitation of the Speaker Mr. Karu Jayasuriya and collected his gift. On that occasion he not only was given a

warm welcome, the Speaker mentioned that attention would be focused on his future requirements as well.

As a result of this dangerous incident referred to earlier Romesh's mother had to forego one of her legs, but nevertheless was fortunate enough to save her life. Shanthi Ekanayaka, Romesh's mother who is presently warded in hospital had described the incident as follows: "Behind our house is the Kala Oya. I went to the Oya to wash the clothes and have a bath. I never get down to the Oya and bathe. While squatting on the side and was washing the

clothes, this animal jumped all of a sudden and got hold of my leg and started dragging me into the waters. I started shouting, 'the crocodile is taking me away my son'. My son then shouted, 'ape amma .... I'll save you mother'. So saying my godly son jumped into the Oya. After that my son was engaged in a tussle with the crocodile. Now I got more scared ... because my son was battling with the crocodile no. I just can't keep watching. I then said, 'you can't fight that way .... stroke the crocodile's abdomen'. after he started doing that the crocodile released its grip and fled. Ane ... my son can't swim to shore carrying me on his shoulder. The crocodile broke off my leg. My godly son kept me on his shoulder, bringing me ashore and thus saved me puthe!"

Romesh who made this altruistic move to rescue his mother was a 19 year old young man. He is employed in a tourist hotel in Anuradhapura and is resident at Yaya 04, Dikwewa, Senapura. He has 2 sisters. This is how he described the incident: "I didn't feel any fear as such. My mother was hanging on to a crumbling branch and was shouting. Mother shouted, 'the crocodile is breaking off my leg!' Without thinking twice I dived into the Oya. I tried my best to take my hand along mother's leg and widen its jaws. It had tightened its jaws on mother's leg and at once went under the water by dragging both of us. But I didn't let go of it. Then my mother shouted and said 'puthe ... stroke its stomach from underneath'. I embraced the crocodile with both arms and started stroking its stomach. I kept doing so continuously .... then it let go of my mother and swam away. Without looking where it went I carried mother and came ashore from the Oya".

Romesh's mother whose foot which had suffered serious injury because of having been stuck among the crocodile's teeth had to be detached from near the knee .... but Romesh still had a mother who is living!