Anarchist JVP politics and 1987-1989
Terror menace - Part II:
A.A.M. Nizam
President Premadasa upon getting elected predominantly due to the
polls boycott ruthlessly enforced by the JVP, in gratification of their
assistance,released 1800 hardcore JVPers who had been kept interned by
President J.R. Jayewardene. With the new lease of life they enjoyed from
President Premadasa they magnified their terror activities and started
eliminating people whom they deemed will be obstacles to their, what
they called the 2nd Revolution.
President Premadasa was not concerned about the JVP’s ruthless terror
as he was, enticed by the tiger terrorists was keen only to have his
honeymoon with the tigers and provide them whatever they wanted. He
mistakenly believed that by sending out the Indian Peace Keeping Force,
which was a condition the JVP presented him to help him in his election,
the JVP will give up their terror menace and the country will return to
normalcy.
The JVP however, contrary to what Mr. Premadasa mistakenly believed,
intensified their ruthless terror activities and the country was set
ablaze with anarchy. Death threats were proclaimed on Government
servants and personnel in the armed forces and the Police were ordered
to resign from their service, with a deadline imposed, and demanded to
join with them to execute their “revolution”.
Victims
In return, the Government too, unleashed State Terror Gangs, such as
Green Tigers, Black Cats, Yellow Cats, Pra, etc. to counter the JVP
terror. People sandwiched between the two terror gangs were unanle to
indulge in their day to day activities and even to visit places of
worship to perform their obligatory religious rites.
Both terror groups killed people ruthlessly and mercilessly and
majority of the victims were innocent people as many people took
advantage of this killing spree to avenge their opponents merely
misinforming one group or the other on such persons collaboration with
the opposing group.
Similar to what tiger terrorists did in the villages that were called
“border villages”, several memebrs of many families were brutally
murdered. In some places five, six members of each family, leaving only
those who were not present at the time of the unfortunate incident, were
brutally massacred. Most of these massacres took place in the thick of
the night.
In many places people were frightened to spend the night at their
homes and many areas the youth were forced to spend the night on tree
tops or inside abondoned wells or inside the ceilings of houses, or in
similar hiding places.
In the day time too, people were scared to venture out as the vicious
menace of “Gonibilla” inspections were prevalent on a random basis. It
was recently reported in the pro-UNP website Lanka-e-news, that one of
the prominent JVP, MP, a leader of the current leadership, acted as a
“Gonibilla” informant and helped apprehend JVPers.
Many people who had to visit areas in neighbouring or other districts
for unavoidable reasons got killed on mere suspicion of being Government
informants or being JVP activists.
There were a large number of students among those killed, as in the
murder of students in Embilipitiya and Tangalle. Most of the students
who had been victimised had been beguiled by the JVP with their stupid
slogans and indoctrinations and perished vainly, without being of any
service to the nation.
Prominent and erudite Buddhist Priests, many professionals, many
politicians belonging to the SLFP, UNP and Left Parties, and scores of
innocent people were murdered by both terror groups in a contest with
each other. The Kurunegala District Parliamentarian Johnston Fernando
recently claimed that over 600 prominent UNP memebrs were murdered by
the JVP during this period.
Both JVP and the State Terror groups deprived the nation the services
of a number of creative artistes and journalists. The JVP was
responsible for the murders of veteran broadcasters Thevis Guruge,
Premakeerthi de Alwis, Sagarika Gomes and journalists such as Kulasiri
Ameratunge. In return, the State Terror Groups were responsible for the
brutal murder of broadcaster and journalist Richard de Soysa.
Government politicians
It was a common site to see murdered bodies of youth, both boys and
girls floationg in the rivers, burning on tyre pyres, severed heads of
persons kept on roundabouts, top of bunds, and other prominent places as
signs of warning. Many people from the South relate that there were 27
youth burning on tyre pyres on a single day from Wellamadama near
Devinuwara to Nonagama Junction, near Hambantota.
It is estimated that over 60,000 youth, misguided by the JVP through
their stupid slogan “It is greater to die by struggling rather than
living by kneeling down” (Danin Vatee Jeevathawanawata Wada Satan Kara
Miya Yema Uthum) lost their lives prematurely in this manner, shattering
all the hopes their parents held for them.
There were torture camps operated in many parts of the country and it
was alleged that some of these were conducted by the Government
politicians of the respective areas. Batalanda was one such torture
camps and torture and murder of JVP lawyer Wijedasa Liyanaratchi of
Beliatta in this camp and alleged involvement of Ranil Wickremesinghe in
this incident is well-known.
Ultimately in the latter part of 1989 suddenly the security forces
were able to capture almost all the poli bureau members of the JVP,
including its leader Rohana Wijeweera who was living in a luxury
bungalow in a place called St. Mary’s Estate, at Ulapane.
JVP leadership
It is believed by many that the present JVP leader Somawansa
Amerasinghe, who is a close relative of a powerful Government Minister
at that time may have helped in the capture of the JVP leadership by
divulging their hideouts and got facilitated to escape to India through
sea. These suspicions may have some validity as otherwise how can it be
possible to find out their hideouts in different parts of the island and
capture all of them within a few hours.
Wijeweera was brought to Colombo and upon getting forced statements
recorded was taken to the General Cemetery Kanatte. It is widely
reported that he was shot at Kanatte and before he breathed his last
breath was cremated alive. From the Government side his capture and
cremation in this manner was keot a topmost secret and only two persons,
Ranjan Wijeratne and Ranil Wickremesinghe, were reported to be aware of
it and they made every precaution to prevent President Premadasa
becoming aware of Wijeweera’s capture.
The JVP has never admitted what they did in 1971 and during their
so-called 2nd Revolution in the latter part of 1980s was erroneous. Also
they have never claimed that they have given up their objective of
establishing what they call “a Socialist State” in this country. They
hold memorial anniversaries on April 5th, the day they launched their
failed 1st Revolution, and November 13th on the day Wijeweera was killed
terminating their 2nd Revolution. These two annual events and their
claim of establishing a Socialist State is a strong warning that they
would not hesitate to unleash terror once again and bring destruction
and mayhem to this country.
They hate and are envious of President Rajapaksa not becuase he did
not abolish the Executive Presidency, but because they are well aware
that as per the constitutional provision nothing can be done in this
without having a 2/3 majority in the Parliament which President Mahinda
Rajapaksa lacks.
They hate and are envious of him because of his massive development
projects being implemented, particularly in the districts of Hambantota,
Moneragala, Kandy, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts which were the
breeding grounds for new recruits due to utter poverty and backwardness
prevalent in these districts in the past. They need poverty and
hardships to prevail so that they could intesify their political
activities through stupid slogans and embark on their anticipated 3rd
Revolution.
Even in the run-up to the Presidential election, the JVP exhibited
their tyrannical tendencies by preventing certain groups, media
personnel attending the press conferences or meetings held by the
candidate sponsored by them and also by destroyhing cutouts and
propaganda material displayed by those supporting the President.
As such this Presidential Election has become the most crucial
election on which rests whether Sri Lanka should progress with the
massive projects now being implemented all over the country or should
abandon all these projects and pave the way for the leeches to suck our
blood in the form of JVP and put the country into anarchy once again on
the one side, and on the other, the hodgepodge of alienophile
unpatriotic cabal to reverse the war victory and establish a Sambandan
Nadu in the North and East.
Your vote for the President will be a vote for continuation of the
giant development war and prosperity for the posterity. A vote for
Fonseka will be a vote for revival of JVP political anarchy in the South
and to pave the way for a Sambandan Nadu in the North and the East. |