The JVP – Unmasked

Frederica
Jansz

In a democracy a strong and active opposition is a MUST for good governance. Civil society can never play that role effectively.
The tragedy for the country is that the opposition is failing miserably in their duty and thus the government  is given a free pass out of jail to carry on with no respect for democratic norms.
Once thought to be the only party that was united by its ideology, the JVP as a divided party has lost ground big time. It appears that even the hardcore supporters have lost faith in its leadership.
Sri Lanka has experienced two violent insurrections so far: the violence of the Sinhala underprivileged youth vs. the System, and the youth of the Tamil periphery vs. the Sinhala heartland. Are we living through the prelude of a third cycle, this time of a cold war turning hot  – factional strife turning into civil conflict – within the Sinhala establishment itself?
What is becoming clearer by the day is that the ruling party in all probability will win another term and its arrogance will increase many fold. The people will have to suffer silently as they have done for the past three decades or more. But then it is a grave that the people have dug for themselves with a great amount of assistance from the UNP and the JVP.
But with the JVP on the verge of a major split there are fears among the government that the party will rivet back to its former militancy.
In the 1970s the JVP was a Marxist party. In the 1980s it was more communal and became a Sinhala-majoritarian party opposing any concession to the Tamil minority and opposing federalism as a solution to the ethnic conflict.
The JVP’s duplicity with regard to even this issue was in stark contrast to its own written statements by their UK branch. A booklet published by the JVP branch in London in July 1980  stated that the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna accepts the right of the Tamil-speaking people to self-determination. The booklet added, “we support that struggle to the extent of its current demand for secession.”
The JVP then changed its stance and acquired another dimension. A ‘Sinhala-Buddhist’ one, propagating concern about ‘unethical conversions’ of Sinhala-Buddhists by evangelical groups allegedly financed by the West. This, coming from the party that first attacked the holiest of Buddhist shrines, the sacred Sri Dalada Maligawa two decades ago, during its brutal rebellion.
Sri Lanka’s law abiding citizens cannot forget the JVP’s violent past in the 1970s and 1980s. The belief is that the JVP despite its new face is still capable of unleashing violence and is yet to trade their bullet for the ballot. After all, it was at such a time during the J. R. Jayewardene administration in the mid ‘80s that it chose to bomb the house of parliament, killing Galle District Member Keerthi Abewickrema and seriously injuring then National Security Minister, Lalith Athulathmudali.
During the period 1987-1992 the JVP murdered hundreds of members of the working class in order to force them to join anti-government strikes. An official document marked ‘top secret’ lists that the JVP during this time, killed 1,735 government supporters, 487 government servants, 209 service personnel, 342 police personnel, 98 home guards and 70 political personalities out of which 35 were leading politicians.
The 35 politicians included two members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, one from the Communist Party, one from the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, 22 from the United National Party (UNP), one from the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party, seven from the United Socialist Alliance and one from the Liberal Party. The JVP also killed SLFP supporters, UNP supporters, informants, and according to official records – 3210 civilians.
In 1989 alone, the JVP murdered 24 members of the Buddhist clergy for refusing to bow to the dictates of the Marxists. In 1987 and 1988 the party also killed two Catholic priests.
Anyone who dared oppose the JVP during this time met with an early death. As a result, the JVP’s bullets also killed 52 educationists including 50 school principals and two university professors. Among them were Prof. Stanley Wijesundara, who was then Vice Chancellor, Colombo University and Vice Chancellor, Moratuwa University, Prof. Patuwata Vithana

Leading politicians killed

Some of the leading politicians killed by the JVP during this reign of terror included Vijaya Kumaratunga, leader of the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party (and husband of President Chandrika Kumaratunga), who was assassinated on February 16, 1988.
On May 15, 1989 the JVP killed the trade union leader, Lanka Sama Samaja Party, P. D. Wimalsena. Prior to this murder the party assassinated on June 27, 1988 the trade union leader, Communist Party, L.W. Panditha at Dematagoda.  On January 10, 1989 the JVP killed the SLFP organiser for Kalutara, Indrapala Abeyweera and before that, on August 25, 1988 former SLFP MP and provincial council candidate, United Socialist Alliance (USA), S. B. Yalegama.
Seven other members of the USA were also gunned down by the JVP in 1988 and 1989. They were George Ratnayake, Weerasena Ritigala, Deva Bandara Senaratne, H. M. J. Herath, Ivan Jayasekara, G. D. Premachandra and G. Ranaweera.
On October 26, 1989 the JVP killed O. Kariyawasam, candidate for the Liberal Party. He was murdered at Wattala.
It is against this bloody background that the JVP in its election manifesto appealed for the unity of “all the Reverend Holy Lords (Buddhist monks), Reverend Clerics (Christian priests), intellectuals, artistes, professionals and all those who love this land and the future of this country, to create a beautiful motherland capable of securing the religious and cultural freedom of all people, Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims.”
Given its previous track record, the JVP’s trumpet call for “the defence of the motherland” was hypocritical if not ominous. Let us not forget that the JVP also slayed in cold blood, Chairman, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, D. L. T. Guruge on July 23, 1989. Popular announcer at SLBC and Rupavahini, Premakeerthi De Alwis was the JVP’s next victim within the short span of eight days when he was shot dead on July 31, 1989 at Homagama.
Exactly 13 days later, the JVP wearing the assassin’s cloak struck once more. This time their bullet killed Chief News Editor, Rupavahini, K. Amaratunge on August 13, 1989.
A month later, on September 13, the JVP assassinated another popular announcer at Rupavahini, Sagarika Gomes. A day before, on September 12, 1989 the party killed Chairperson, State Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Dr. Gladys Jayawardene.
The JVP also killed Chief Engineer attached to the Ports Authority, D. C. Atukorala on November 17, 1988, wife of the Chief Minister, Southern Provincial Council, Esmie Amarasiri on June 7, 1989,  Attorney-at-Law, Amara Wellappuli on May 8, 1988 and Leslie Yatanwala, also an Attorney-at-Law on June 15, 1989.
It has only been with the support of the People’s Alliance and the NSSP, the Sri Lanka section of the United Secretariat, that the JVP was able to enter the mainstream of bourgeois politics in Sri Lanka since 1994 and dress itself up as ‘left’ and even ‘socialist’ party.

Flashbacks

During its rule of terror the JVP also vandalised 73 tea factories, 38 estate bungalows as well as estate vehicles and tea leaf collecting centres. The party had also attacked nearly 40 banks as well as 21 different government offices and 294 offices of government agents. The JVP sabotaged and vandalised Timber Corporation depots, distilleries, weaving centres, mining buildings as well as government schools. The offices of the Building Materials Corporation, Plywood Corporation, Cashew Corporation and fertiliser stores were also not spared.

Private property damaged

In addition the JVP attacked 20 houses of civilians, 33 private buildings, five Sarvodaya centres as well as homes of provincial council members, home guards, social centres and trade union offices. Even the offices of foreign construction projects as well as construction centres were not spared. According to the report, 29 private vehicles were also destroyed by the JVP during this time.
A number of the JVP’s Politburo and Central Committee members were taken into custody for these acts of felony. General Secretary of the party, Tilvin Silva had been the organiser of the military wing in the Kalutara District and operated under the pseudonym ‘Silva.’ He was arrested by the Wadduwa police on September 3, 1987 with a T-56 rifle, whilst on his way to attack the Palliyamankada Special Forces camp. It is this same Tilvin Silva who, dressed in white, signed the alliance pact with the SLFP’s General Secretary, Maithripala Sirisena at the BMICH recently.
Organising Secretary, Politburo member and MP for Galle district, C. D. Wijesinghe was the military wing leader of Ratnapura district.He was involved in the attack on Kahawatte police on December 30, 1987. He was arrested in 1989.
Administrative Secretary and Politburo member, G. Kularatne was the military wing leader of the Bandaragama area. He is known to the police as being an explosives expert. He was arrested by the Dodangoda police on March 6, 1987.
Politburo Member and MP for Anuradhapura District, K. D. Lal Kantha was also a military wing member in Anuradhapura. He was arrested by the Mahavilachchiya police and detained in the Anuradhapura prison. He however escaped but was later arrested again by the Polonnaruwa police and held at Boosa.
Foreign Secretary, Politburo member and MP for Gampaha district, Vijitha Herath was arrested by the Special Forces whilst he was studying at Kalupahana Vidyalaya, Haputale for enticing students to initiate agitation campaigns against the government.
Central committee member and MP for Polonnaruwa District, Nihal Galappaththi was arrested by the Borella police for JVP activity in 1988. He was detained at the Welisara Naval camp, Boosa detention camp and Welikada remand prison. He was finally released in 1992.
Central Committee member and MP for Polonnaruwa District, S. K. Subasinghe was arrested by the Polonnaruwa police in possession of a DBBL gun in 1987, for having been involved in an attack on a police mobile patrol. He was held at the Boosa and Pelwatte detention camps and released.
Central Committee member and national list MP, R. Chandrasekar was arrested by the Bandarawela police for JVP activity on March 3, 1987 and released after being detained for three months.
Central Committee member and MP for Matara District, J. Kitulgoda was arrested in Colombo for JVP activity in 1989 and detained at the Colombo Magazine prison.
The JVP during this time appeared to fuel its acts of terror based on its ethnic intolerance and militant readings of religious philosophy. Prior to the 1989 rebellion, the JVP was instrumental in leading a revolt in 1971, which also led to the deaths of thousands.  Their rebellion in 1989 orchestrated a series of strikes and political murders. The reason for the violence was the JVP’s virulent opposition to the Sri Lankan government having signed an accord with the Indian government to bring in the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to the north.
The country was brought to a standstill. When the government’s talks with the JVP failed during this time, the state unleashed death squads that killed JVP suspects and dumped their bodies in rivers. A three-year reign of terror resulted in at least 30,000 deaths.

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Posted by sanjeewa on Sep 25 2011. Filed under Devil in a blue dress. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.