As an eight year-old, he and his parents fled the Sri Lankan capital because Singhalese mobs were roaming the city, looking for Tamils like Renu to murder.
Amikor nyolc éves volt, szüleivel elmenekültek a sri lankai fővárosból, mert szingaléz bandák rohanták meg a várost, Renuhoz hasonló tamilokra vadászva.