Deshapremi Janatha Viyaparaya
Deshapremi Janatha Viyaparaya (abbreviated as DJV) (Sinhala: දේශප්රේමී ජනතා ව්යාපාරය; Patriotic People's Movement) was the secondary organization of the leftist political movement Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) from 1987 to 1989 in Sri Lanka. It had been designated as a terrorist organization by the Sri Lankan government.[9][10][11][12]
Patriotic People's Movement | |
---|---|
දේශප්රේමී ජනතා ව්යාපාරය தேசபக்தி மக்கள் இயக்கம் | |
Leader | Keerthi Vijayabahu † |
Dates of operation | 1987—1989 (armed); until 1991[1] |
Country | ![]() |
Allegiance | Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna |
Ideology | Communism Sinhalese nationalism[2] Anti-Imperialism |
Status | Banned since 1988; Disarmed |
Size | 15,000 (1988) |
Means of revenue |
|
Allies | State allies:
Non-state allies: |
Opponents | State opponents:
Non-state opponents:
|
Battles and wars | 1987-1989 JVP insurrection |
Colors | Red |
![](../I/DJV-death_threat_ka.png.webp)
The DJV formed in 1986, carried out various attacks against the government of Sri Lanka. It was predominantly Anti-imperialist and Nationalist. It had claimed responsibility for various attacks and assassinations of politicians from both right-wing and left-wing political parties.
The DJV fought a violent war against the Sri Lankan government. It forced the government to resign and abolish all Indian property in Sri Lanka, threatened Indian nationals to leave the island.
A majority of its leadership was assassinated in 1989.
Operation
Led by Saman Piyasiri Fernando a.k.a Keerthi Vijayabahu, the DJV assassinated high-level politicians and attacked government property. The movement was divided into multiple factions based on urban cities. The Southern-Western-Uva cell was the most detected section. These attacks drew worldwide attention.[13] The Eastern cell declined due to the Tamil separatist insurgency, later gained notoriety after several attacks in Kallar.[14][15][16][17]
Early activity and recogniztion
The DJV activity dates back to 1986, a year prior to the Indo-Lanka Accord signing. It was operating as the Motherland Defense Front.[18]
The DJV got recognition following its call to the BBC correspondent, John Pettier. The organization claimed that it consists of 2,000 active militants. The caller claimed the organization is an independent organization and is not affiliated to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. This was after the JVP claimed responsibility for a mass bombing that took place in the Colombo district and killed 14 people.[10]
Leadership
The main commands were given by the JVP politburo member Saman Piyasiri. However Rohana Wijeweera was the supreme commander who had power to control the internal operation base. Following Wijeweera's death, Piyasiri was elected the supreme commander by organization committee of the JVP.
Shantha Bandara was the student union organizer who founded the Inter-university Students' Federation (IUSF) and acted as the liaison point between international socialist student unions and the internal sectors of the JVP.
As a guerrilla organization
The group was made up of youths trained in certain rural areas. The members were uniformed as soldiers of the Sri Lankan Army. The militants patrolled towns at night and attacked politicians mostly from rightist parties and rival leftists. The major target was military bases of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. Military bases of Sri Lankan Army and Air Force were attacked alongside Police Stations, these attacks mostly ended in success.
Several weapons recovered by the Sri Lankan Army was stolen from bases in the central province where the JVP had its headquarters.
Logos and posters
DJV sent death threats to UNP supporters calling them 'Traitors' and threatened their families as well. The logo of the DJV appeared in the upper left corner of death threat posters. The name 'Patriotic People's Movement' appeared right to the logo, the name further appeared in the Tamil language.[19][lower-alpha 1]
Attacks on military personnel
JVP ordered the DJV to attack military personnel of the Sri Lankan army and also other operational units held by the Sri Lankan government since 1986. DJV completely disarmed the Counter Subversive Unit (CSU) after assassinating a majority of its leadership. Members of the Sri Lankan army were killed on first sight.
In 1988 JVP ambushed and attacked an military commando unit sent out on to track down DJV members at Kirula in Hungama area. Three commandos were killed. In April 1989, there was a series of landmine attacks in Embilipitiya - four soldiers were killed. Landmines were discovered in Hungama, Tissamaharama, Angunokolapelssa, Kamburupitiya, Urubokka, and Middeniya as well.[20]
International suppliers
The DJV received weapons, diplomatic and financial support from Iraq, through the IUSF connections to the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party of Iraq.[21][lower-alpha 2] Shantha Bandara helped strengthen the links with Ba'athist Iraq. He sent members of the JVP to Iraq, mostly its Sunni Muslim members. However many returned following the Iraq-Iran war beginning and started a protest as support for Iraq. The legacy of the DJV continued, another protest began in 2002.[lower-alpha 3][22][23]
Recruitment and Training
DJV sent recruitment messages to rural youths.
Some recruits were armed with machetes while others were given weapons. Those who were unarmed left the group. According to a former member of the DJV, younger recruits were given lessons on Marxism.[24][25] DJV usually trained its troops in Universities that are public. Weapons were found in various public universities upon government investigations on the insurgency.
As reaction, police and the Sri Lankan Army raided universities.
Tamil militant support
Premakumar Gunaratnam and Wijeweera sent troops to train in various camps used by Marxist Tamil militant groups most importantly, People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE). It was until the PLOTE surrendered and was resurrected as a pro-Sri Lankan government group. Investigations show PLOTE and the DJV established a trade union to trade weapons and goods between each other. DJV gave the PLOTE a certain amount of lorry engines and was given claymores by PLOTE in return.
When the Sri Lankan government supported the LTTE to end the IPKF, EPRLF approached the DJV. EPRLF also supplied training camps. Wijeweera visited an EPRLF camp in Thomalivalli Patti prior to the insurgency.[26] Some allegations were made that the DJV/JVP was given weapons directly by the Indian intelligence agencies in 1989.[27]
The Eelam People's Liberation Army led by Douglas Devananda was also critical of the Indian arrival calling it imperialist. EPLA was the armed wing of the EPRLF.[28]
Targeting notable figures
The DJV had multiple assassins and carried out various assassinations against various politicians and many were successful. The most notable assassin was named 'Gamini'. The group assassinated the Chairman of the ruling UNP, Harshe Abeywardene.[29]
The group also assassinated leftists like Premakeerthi de Alwis and even news reporters like Sagarika Gomes who were not political.[30] One other non-political assassination, Gladys Jayawardene who was a medicine importer was killed in 1989, the cause for her death was importing Indian medicine.[31] Thevis Guruge, Stanley Wijesundera and some candidates of the United Socialist Alliance were killed as well.[32]
Notable operations
see: List of attacks on SL Security Forces attributed to the JVP
Lionel Ranasinghe was the major assassin of the faction that assassinated more than 40 higher-level politicians.[33] The DJV claimed responsibility for over 500 assassinations of politicians who were mostly United National Party members.[34]
Pallekele Army Camp attack
On 1987, April, 15 Pallekele Army Camp came under attack. The purpose was to collect weapons. It was their first attack on an armory. A certain amount of T-56 guns were missing and 7.62 ammo was missing as well. JVP didn't claim responsibility for the attack, but 13 members of the group were arrested by the police.[35][36]
1987 Grenade Attack
The DJV attacked the Sri Lankan parliament in 1987. This was an assassination attempt against both the President, J.R Jayawardene and the Prime Minister, Ranasinghe Premadasa. While the targeted weren't killed, five parliamentarians were when the grenades hurled.
Subsequent investigations suggested that Ajith Kumara, a commander of the Patriotic People's Movement, had thrown the grenades into the committee room. He was friendly with most of those working in the complex and had access to the room from where the bombs were flung. He was put on a Million Rupee bounty on his head.
Attack on the Kataragama Temple
The DJV also attacked various temples. Armed cadres of DJV attacked the annual Esala Procession of Kataragama temple, this incident caused the death of 15 people.[37]
1989 Landmine attack on the IPKF
In 1989 the organizing committee of the JVP ordered Premakumar to attack the IPKF following the second anniversary of signing the Indo-Lanka accord. The attack was a mine attack. The DJV planted two mines in roads where the JVP knew IPKF infantry troops travel through. The first mine didn't explode, however, the second successfully exploded damaging the infantry vehicle. Sarath Kule was the explosives expert who planted the mines. Watchers were kept to identify IPKF vehicles. The members of the DJV then entered the vehicle and stole an Indian Light Machine Gun. There were Indian troops outside firing at the DJV but none of them got shot. There were fourteen IPKF jawans and all of them were killed. Premakumar Gunaratnam completely led the attack but had to get the landmines from PLOTE. The Sri Lankan government didn't let the news on the attack come out due to fears that the DJV would form an alliance with the LTTE in order to fight the IPKF.[14][38]
A statement made later recalling the incident says:
Kumara Gunaratnam’s older brother Ranjithan (said to be dead) was one of the most intelligent, able and disciplined cadres I have met anywhere. By comparison, Kumara himself seems to have had more guts than brains, but those guts were in abundance. While the JVP cadre was busily murdering Sinhala leftists and minor state employees in the name of a patriotic war against the IPKF, Kumara was a true believer who actually planned and possibly participated in an ambush of an IPKF unit. The morning after, the JVP leadership contacted the Indian Deputy High Commissioner and profusely apologised, promising never to repeat that.[38]
1988 Attack on the Kallar armory
The first encounter with the IPKF, it attacked an Indian Armory in Kallar which was in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka.[39]
DJV avoided getting into conflict with the LTTE as the Patriotic fronts did not recognize LTTE members as enemies but as rivals. JVP further opposed the usage of Sri Lankan army to fight the LTTE cadre.[40][41]
Type of attacks
DJV did not usually target civilians, instead, it targeted various property owned mostly by wealthy businessmen and rightist politicians.[42]
The DJV destroyed 113 vehicles owned by politicians, 76 houses of police officers, various homes of Indian businessmen, 553 C. T. B. buses, 15 C. T. B. depots and a C. T. B. workshop. It destroyed various foreign construction projects.[42]
The government launched violent counter-insurgency resulting in home raids. These resulted in rape of housewives and daughters of suspected members. This made the DJV launch an even stronger anti-government campaign thus also targeting government-owned property. The group then destroyed 16 trains, 12 rail tracks and 24 railway stations. In addition, the DJV sabotaged 132 electric transformers, 13 pylons, 69 power lines, two power stations, 25 electric meters and nine electricity sub stations.[42][43]
People killed
The DJV didn't kill much as the government forces. The government killings are counted as 34,000 while the DJV killings are counted as 6,700. However the DJV killed 2,645 UNP members, 1,652 ordinary civilians, 702 spies, 487 government employees, 342 police officers, 15 army officers and 202 ordinary soldiers, 187 university students and students of schools, 117 Mahajana Party members, 93 members of police families,[lower-alpha 4] 52 school principals, 41 Bhikkus, 16 doctors, 14 lawyers, eight artistes, two vice chancellors and two Catholic priests.[45]
Charges against the DJV
DJV and the Patriotic Students' Union was banned alongside the Socialist Students' Union in 1988. The ban on the DJV never got lifted instead it was completely disarmed alongside the Students' Group. The trade unions affiliated to the JVP was also banned following the insurgency. The violence by the Death Squads like the Black Cat group and the Eagles of the Central Hills were ignored by the state. The death toll is placed at 80,000 by international researchers.[46]
Fall
1989
The Sri Lankan government media released on December 29, 1989, as "the leader of the JVP military wing killed along with four other cadres due to the crossfire between security forces and the JVP at their military wing headquarters, a farm located at Piliyandala". It was the last DJV stronghold in Western Province, Sri Lanka.[47]
1991
Following the defeat of the DJV in the Southern province and later the Central province, it went to hiding in the Eastern province which was mostly a battleground for the LTTE. As of 1991 there was no DJV activity in the Sinhalese areas such as the Western province. The last reported JVP base was captured by the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka[48]
Notes
- The DJV logo was a map of Sri Lanka with an Eagle in the center. It represented the sovereignty of the nation. The logo was in black and white.
- C.A. Chandraprema, (1991). p. 59-60
- The protest was a reaction to the United States invasion of Iraq
- The JVP claims it is a misleading figure on casualties and the state groups were responsible for at least 60,000 deaths.[44]
References
- Sivaram is no more BBCSinhala
- "Obscure Sri Lanka group claims responsibility for murder". 25 May 2005.
- JVP fear psycosis: Part I
- North Korea's role in Sri Lanka's bloody insurgencies
- Sri Lanka: A lost revolution, p. 133
- Vijaya's Killing and the JVP, Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization
- Tamil Times Magazine
- JVP turns its guns and bombs against the SLMP, Tamil Times
- Gunaratna, Rohan (1991). Sri Lanka: A lost revolution, The Inside story of the JVP. Sarasavi Printers.
- Rone Tempest (22 August 1987). "Sri Lanka Fears Infiltration by Outlawed Group Mysterious Sinhalese Extremists Suspected in Parliament Grenade, Gun Attack". Los Angeles Times.
- Gunaratna, Rohan, Indian Intervention in Sri Lanka: The role of India's Intelligence Agencies, p. 292
- Refworld: JVP
- Weisman, Steven R.; Times, Special To the New York (August 20, 1987). "Stunned Sri Lanka Studies Parliament Attack (Published 1987)" – via NYTimes.com.
- "Foreign Plots to Topple the Government | the Sunday Leader".
- "The Activities of the DJV". Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. 1 May 1990. Cite journal requires
|journal=
(help) - Joseph Benjamin (2010). Foreign Policy and Human Rights in South Asia. p. 263.
- "Sri Lanka THE EMERGENCE OF EXTREMIST GROUPS".
- Second JVP insurgency Part One
- Gunaratna, Rohan (1990), p. 22
- "JVP Denounces US Actions Against Iraq". TamilNet. 2002.
- Moore, M. (1993). Thoroughly Modern Revolutionaries: The JVP in Sri Lanka. Modern Asian Studies, 27(3), 593-642. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00010908
- Javipe Devani Karralla, Dharman Wickramatne (2016) p. 1
- War & Peace in Sri Lanka, with a Post-accord Report from Jaffna. 1987. p. 71.
- War on Terror p. 104
- "The Dougles Devananda phenomenon"
- UNP Chairmen gunned down, Tamil Times
- ""The JVP and LTTE are two of a kind"", Daily News Goshaka
- ""Yes, we killed""
- Double take
- "'Comrade Lionel' to be launched on November 5". Daily News.
- "Evidence of attacks on Sinhalese by JVP guerrillas in Wattala and Mathara". Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.
- C.A. Chandreprena. The Years of Terror.
- "Sri Lanka: War and terror revisited, JVP".
- Collected Bodhi Leaves, page 183
- How the JVP Fought a Guerilla War Against the Indian Army in Trincomalee
- FSP leader Kumar Gunaratnam fought a Guerilla war against the Indian army. Daily Mirror
- Rohan Gunaratna, (1990), p. 133
- Rohan Gunaratna (2009) Indian Intervention in Sri Lanka: The Role of Indian Agencies, p. 317
- "The Sunday Leader: Spotlight". 15 February 2004.
- Dharman Wickramaratna (2016). "Javipe Deveni Karalla".
- About - Brief History
- http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2015/08/07/history-of-jvps-voice-of-conscience
- Sri Lanka - State of Conflict and Violence, Asia Foundation
- "Sri Lanka Reports Death Of Top Sinhalese Militant", NY Times.
- . Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. 1 August 1991. Missing or empty
|title=
(help); Missing or empty|url=
(help)
Further reading
- Matthews, B (1988). Sinhala Cultural and Buddhist Patriotic Organizations in Contemporary Sri Lanka. University of British Columbia.
- Oruvala, B (2008). Lumumbāven bihi vū Rōhaṇa Vijēvīra ISBN 978-9-55551-579-5
- Alles, Anthony Christopher. An Account of the April Insurrection in Sri Lanka.