• The legacy of Lasantha Wickrematunge, as told by his ex-wife Raine

The name Lasantha Wickrematunge is indelibly imprinted in the Lankan zeitgeist. The Editor-in-Chief of The Sunday Leader, the most unbiased news publication of its day, famous for its investigative journalism and for holding those in power accountable for their transgressions. His assassination in January 2009, a few months shy of our much-storied war victory, shocked Colombo to its core. 

His murder shocked us not because it was unexpected per se – in fact, Lasantha had penned an editorial to be used in the event of his untimely death because his personal safety had been so frequently threatened – but because it drove home an ugly truth. That media freedom was far from assured, and that the powers that be, should they decide, could quite literally get away with murder. 

Investigations into Lasantha’s death, to date, have failed to shine a light on those responsible. It is a battle for justice being valiantly fought by those who knew and loved Lasantha, most notably his daughter Ahimsa, who was just 17 at the time of his murder. At the end of March, Lasantha’s ex-wife Raine Wickrematunge launched ‘Unbowed and Unafraid,’ a biography that recounts Lasantha’s life in media as well as his personal life. 

Opening with a gripping glimpse into his final moments, ‘Unbowed and Unafraid’ explores Lasantha’s life from his family before his birth, to his youth and entry into journalism, to his career in journalism up to his assassination, to the aftermath of his murder and his family’s quest for justice. 

Speaking at the launch of ‘Unbowed and Unafraid,’ Clinical Psychologist and California State University Professor of Psychology Dr. Gayathri Fernando, who is also a close childhood friend of the author, Raine, stressed that ‘Unbowed and Unafraid’ was a book that was equally easy and difficult to read – easy because of how smoothly it was written and difficult because the reader was painfully aware of its tragic end. It is part biography, part spy thriller, part political commentary, and part deep dive into journalism. 

Following the launch of this compelling biography (and our own deep dive into it), The Sunday Morning Brunch chatted with Raine Wickrematunge on how this labour of love came together, and what it means to finally see this book be available in print, not just for Sri Lankans, but for the world to know Lasantha’s story. 

Committing memory to paper

It took Raine three years following Lasantha’s murder to be able to begin working on an account of his life. “Everything was too raw. Ahimsa [her daughter], was the one who said, ‘Why don’t you write Dad’s story,’ and that was when I started,” Raine shared. “Once I started, I found it was a very therapeutic journey, discussing the things we hadn’t been able to discuss with each other because it was too painful, digging up memories. That was a good thing in a way – it helped in the healing.” 

‘Unbowed and Unafraid’ starts by setting the stage for Lasantha’s birth, explaining the family he was born into and how his childhood would shape the man he would become. This section, Raine explained, featured lots of anecdotes and interesting stories from his siblings and friends, and covers his playful, mischievous side. 

‘Unbowed and Unafraid’ then covers how Lasantha got into journalism and how he and Raine met (Raine trained him in his early days as a sub-editor), fell in love, married, and began their family while building their careers, culminating in Lasantha beginning The Sunday Leader, and all its triumphs and struggles. “It exacted blood, sweat, and tears and I explain that entire journey,” Raine said, adding: “I also cover all the ingenious methods that Lasantha sometimes used in his bid to uncover stories and get to the bottom of things.” 

Of course, Lasantha’s ignoble end is also covered by Raine in detail, as is the aftermath of his murder and his daughter’s quest for justice. 

Speaking on the highs and lows of writing ‘Unbowed and Unafraid,’ one of Raine’s favourite things to write about was the journey of The Sunday Leader. “We went through a lot of triumphs and tragedies at that time, we savoured victories and went to the lowest of depths,” she said, noting that while there were times of great praise, these were balanced by criticism, and of course, threats and assaults, including the one that would eventually take Lasantha’s life. However, being able to record all these highs and lows was very rewarding as well as therapeutic. 

The most challenging part of ‘Unbowed and Unafraid,’ of course, comes with discussing Lasantha’s murder, and for Raine, how she had to respond – from learning of his death to having to break the news to their children. Their daughter Ahimsa in particular, Raine recalled, was very protective of her father and very worried for his safety, checking up on him several times a day to be sure he was safe. Writing about her children’s response to their father’s death, both in the short and long term, was by far the most challenging part of ‘Unbowed and Unafraid’ for Raine. 

What Lasantha stood for

For all who knew him, what Lasantha stood for was what he championed through The Sunday Leader. In his poignant posthumous editorial, he outlined what this vision was: “Our commitment is to see Sri Lanka as a transparent, secular, liberal democracy. Think about those words, for they each have profound meaning. Transparent because government must be openly accountable to the people and never abuse their trust. Secular because in a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society such as ours, secularism offers the only common ground by which we might all be united. Liberal because we recognise that all human beings are created different, and we need to accept others for what they are and not what we would like them to be.” 

“It’s important for me to mention what Lasantha stood for,” Raine said, reflecting on this vision that Lasantha held so close to his heart. “Just as Lasantha was a brilliant newsman and an extraordinary investigative journalist, he also had this great vision for Sri Lanka. He was ahead of his time and he stood for certain causes which at the time were very unpopular. He was not afraid to do the right thing for what he believed in, and now, as you look back, he was on the right side of history.” 

Looking back on the war effort (the war was officially won five months after Lasantha’s assassination), Raine explained how the war was an issue where Lasantha was a polarising figure because of his strong beliefs – he was even labelled a traitor by some because of his unfailing commitment to documenting the ugly cost of the war on both sides of the divide and the true costs of actions taken by governments in aid of the war effort. 

“He felt that the war was used as a political tool by successive governments and that the price of war was too costly,” Raine recalled, noting that at the time, even she would argue with Lasantha, highlighting the great service our soldiers were performing by rooting out the scourge of terrorism. The suffering of the Lankan people in the name of war and the use of the war to further political agendas were what Lasantha stood against even in the face of very vocal (and physical) opposition. 

Seeing Lasantha’s legacy in print

‘Unbowed and Unafraid’ is the second edition on Lasantha’s life that Raine has penned. The first edition was published in 2013, but only online. One of the main reasons for this, Raine shared, was a continued sense of fear in 2013. “Many bookshops were reluctant to stock it because of the political climate. Ten years down the line, I was coming to Sri Lanka for an extended period of time (my mother, who recently passed away, was unwell) and the idea came to me that this is the time to try and get the book into a Sri Lankan bookshop so that most Sri Lankans will be able to get acquainted with Lasantha’s story.” 

Since 10 years had passed, it was necessary to update, especially to reflect what had happened in the years since Lasantha’s murder and the resulting murder case here and related cases abroad. And this was how ‘Unbowed and Unafraid’ came to be (‘Unbowed and Unafraid’ is a new title that Raine selected to avoid confusion online with the biography she published 10 years ago). 

The reaction by bookshops this time around has been a stark contrast to 2013. “Surprisingly enough, bookshops are now coming after me, asking the publishers if they can carry 10, 20, 50, even 100 copies at a time. There have been requests from all over, even from places like Trincomalee and Jaffna. It’s been a completely different experience this time around,” Raine shared, adding: “The main aim of publishing ‘Unbowed and Unafraid’ was for most Sri Lankans, as well as those overseas, to be able to read Lasantha’s story and be associated with this remarkable man and his quest for justice, equality, and human rights. And also for journalists – I hope they use his story as a beacon of inspiration and continue with their craft, unbowed and unafraid, as it were.”