Early attacks Attack on the Pallekele Army Camp On 15 April 1987, JVP attacked the army detachment in Pallekele in
Kandy. An unknown amount of carders, under the directions of
Shantha Bandara and
Premakumar Gunaratnam, the JVP seized twelve
Type 56 assault rifles, seven sub-machine guns, and ammunition.
Indo-Sri Lanka Accord On 26 May 1987,
Sri Lankan Armed Forces launched the
Vadamarachchi Operation (English: "Operation Liberation") with the objective of defeating the LTTE militarily and re-establishing government control in areas dominated by Tamil militants. However, the second phase of Operation Liberation was abandoned with the Indian intervention with
Operation Poomalai, which led to the signing of the
Indo-Sri Lanka Accord in
Colombo on 29 July 1987 and the arrival of the first troops of the
Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) on 30 July. These events were widely unpopular among the general public in Sri Lanka as well as the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. Protests in the Southern parts of the island that began against the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord turned into rioting and government imposed a curfew to control the rioting and establish normalcy. On 31 July 1987, government party member of parliament
Jinadasa Weerasinghe was shot dead, which was blamed on the JVP.
Attacks on military instaltions in the South The prospect of Tamil autonomy in the north and East together with the presence of Indian troops stirred up a wave of Sinhalese nationalism and the sudden growth of anti-government violence by the DJV which had emerged as an offshoot of the JVP and was led by
Saman Piyasiri Fernando. On 7 June 1987, Sri Lanka Air Force Base,
SLAF Katunayake, and the
Kotelawala Defence Academy were attacked. Weapons and ammunition were stolen, while four of the attackers were killed. These attacks were led by the militant unit,
Patriotic People's Armed Troops. Afterwards, DJV claimed responsibility and a
Criminal Investigation Department investigation resulted in the arrest of thirteen JVP members.
Attack in the Parliament On 18 August, when the first parliamentary group meeting took place after the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, an
assassination attempt was made on the president and prime minister by the DJV: resulting in the death of
Keerthisena Abeywickrama, District Minister for Matara and one other.
Lalith Athulathmudali, the Minister of National Security and Deputy Minister of Defence, was also severely wounded. The beginning of the insurgency was marked when a few days later the
BBC correspondent
John Rettie received a call from an unknown caller who spoke English claiming he had an organization that consisted of 2,000 fighters and was ready to overthrow the Sri Lankan government. Rettie received this call after the Sri Lankan parliament was attacked. On 4 October 1987, 50 members of the DJV raided a security forces camp in
Trincomalee; DJV succeeded and stole 6
T-56 assault rifles, 3 shotguns,
.303 British rifles, and ammunition.
Intimidation tactics After this, the DJV launched a campaign of intimidation against the government and the ruling party:
United National Party (UNP), killing a large amount of its members and MPs as well as members of other political parties. Organized into cells of multiple Joint Commands based mostly in
Kandy in the centre of the island, the JVP murdered upwards of thousands of people between 1988 and 1989. Throughout this period, it crippled the country with enforced
hartals (general strikes) for two years. Individuals or organizations were intimidated via messages, posters, or graffiti that appeared overnight. Those that did not cooperate were killed, with their family members often harmed as well. Executions were mostly carried out during the night with JVP/DJV militants coming to the homes of victims and carrying them away to be tortured, executed, and left as an example. Most of these victims were killed by the
Type 56 assault rifle or handmade
Galkatas rifles. In most cases, the funerals of these victims were not allowed by the JVP, traditional last rites were forbidden, and the caskets were to be carried below knee level as a mark of disrespect. Acts of sabotage on government property were common, with electric transformers being a common target. Tire burning was also practised by the JVP at times. With these techniques of sabotage and intimidation, the JVP was able to bring the country to standstill.
Assassinations Political assassinations Officials were targeted after receiving death threats which demanded that the victims leave the United National Party, victims of this manner of assassination included the wife of the MP for Karandeniya district
Daya Sepali Senadheera;
Galagedara MP
W.M.P.G. Banda, and
Borella MP
Lesley Ranagal. As the insurgency escalated, numerous public figures were assassinated by the JVP. On 1 October 1987, the
Lanka Sama Samaja Party and
Ceylon Communist Party offices were attacked and burnt, while former Deputy Minister for Education and MP for Matara,
B. Y. Tudawe was shot, but survived.
Harsha Abhayawardene, the UNP Secretary General, was killed by JVP gunmen in
Wellawatte on 23 December 1987, DJV gunmen fired T-56 guns on full-automatic killing three others.
Lionel Jayatilleke, Minister of Relief and Rehabilitation, was shot dead on 26 September 1988 near a temple in an attack which killed three other people. On 7 February 1988,
Mervyn Cooray, MP for
Panadura, survived an assassination attempt. On 1 May, the newly elected UNP Secretary General
Nandalal Fernando was also killed and the
Galle District Minister
G. V. S. de Silva was shot dead later that month. On 21 October, Tudor Keerthinanda, a UNP Working Committee Member, was killed.
Assassination and funeral of Vijaya Kumaratunga Vijaya Kumaratunga's assassination was one of the turning points of the insurgency. Pro-Kumaratunga groups attacked suspects of both government forces and the DJV with the help given by other socialist anti-insurgent militias. Kumaratunga was shot in the head with a
Type 56 assault rifle outside his home in the outskirts of
Colombo on 16 February 1988 by Lionel Ranasinghe, known as Gamini. Ranasinghe confessed to the murder under questioning by the
Criminal Investigation Department, saying that he had been carrying out orders given to him by the DJV. However, a
presidential commission report appointed in 1994 by Kumaratunga widow
Chandrika Kumaratunga claimed that President
Ranasinghe Premadasa of the UNP and two government ministers,
Gamini Lokuge and
Ranjan Wijeratne, were behind the Kumaranatunga assassination. Kumaratunga's funeral, on 21 February 1988, attracted huge crowds and was the first funeral to be broadcast live on Sri Lankan television. It was held at
Independence Memorial Square in Colombo as a
state funeral, even though he represented the opposition to the UNP government. The day of his assassination is widely known as "The Horrible Tuesday" or "The Darkest Tuesday in Sri Lankan History". His death is still mourned by many people in Sri Lanka.
Military and police assassinations One of the key police officers leading the effort to counter the JVP,
Senior Superintendent of Police Terrence Perera, was killed by gunmen in
Battaramulla on 3 December 1987. 1989 saw the killing of Senior Superintendent of Police Bennet Perera, who was gunned down at
Mount Lavinia on 1 May 1989. The
Assistant Superintendent of Police was killed on 23 August 1989, and Captain B. M. Perera of the military police was shot dead in Moratuwa on 12 September 1989. During the insurgency, JVP assassinated a total of 117 members of the United Socialist Alliance which includes the
EPRLF,
NSSP,
CPSL,
TELO and the
Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya. PD Wimalasena, a veteran trade union activist of the LSSP was killed in May 1989; a year prior, LW Panditha, a Communist Party trade union activist, was killed in Dematagoda. Gamini Medagedara, another Communist Party member, was killed at Polonnaruwa. KAD Saddhatissa, a retired school principal living in
Akuressa and supporter of Communist party, was killed while he was sick and in bed. His son was also allegedly killed. JVP then ordered his villagers not to put up white flags. Six members of an NSSP family were killed at Pujapitya in Katu.
1989 attacks In 1989, the government accused the DJV of having caused the death of over 35,000 people, mostly government supporters Another report, however, states that the JVP and its militia, the
Deshapremi Janatha Viyaparaya (DJV), were responsible for "more than 10,000" deaths thus supporting evidence of the number of deaths caused by the government. The JVP also expressed its patriotic ideals from 1986; when its fighters (PPF) called for a boycott of Indian goods and gave warning to all Indian nationals to leave the island before 14 June 1989 At the beginning of August 1989, seven people died following encounters between the JVP and police forces A leading Buddhist monk was gunned down by the JVP on 3 August 1989. Later that month, a top journalist and some civilians were killed by the JVP, while some of its own supporters died in the encounters. A successful strike by transportation and health workers were called by the JVP in mid-August 1989, thus showing the extent of JVP unionist support. At the end of August 1989, the JVP threatened to target soldiers' families if they did not resign from governmental forces. The threats were carried out soon after, in the context of another strike organized by the JVP on 28 August Violent clashes occurred again at the beginning of October 1989, leading to the deaths of 59 people during the 7–8 October weekend alone. At the beginning of November 1989, clashes between JVP and government forces caused at least 60 deaths in the space of 24 hours. One deputy of the United National Party was assassinated by JVP gunmen on 25 June 1989, a few days after the imposition of a state of emergency throughout Sri Lanka, imposed by the government as result of an increase in civil strife The following day, the JVP called for a general strike in
Colombo and warned residents to remain indoors because of fighting in the streets. As the JVP threatened to attack the Indian High Commission and India House in Sri Lanka, India brought its firepower to
Colombo. Having informed the government, India airlifted a heavily armed contingent of troops to
Ratmalana. The troops landed at the Ratmalana air base on July 27 to fight against the DJV. The government tried to resist but it however failed to resist the troops. Indian troops took up position at the High Commission and India House. The Indian High Commission asserted that its troops would protect Indian lives and property regardless of the consequences. Indian troops also took up positions at the Taj Samuda, where many Indian diplomatic staff took refuge. They were forced to move into the Taj in the second week of June 1989, as the JVP posed a heavy threat. JVP had a good spy network which they used to extort money. In 1989 JVP came to the home of garment exporter
Ramya Weerakoon and demanded money. "Come out you and your daughters, We're the Patriotic People's Movement" they said. They mentioned a bank account to which Ramya had received a remittance for a shipment sent out earlier. She said the payment was for raw material for the new shipment. "We don't care," the militants said. "Our leaders have ordered us to take Rs 50,000 from you. We will come here tomorrow. Have the money ready." they said further. The next day they came at 9.30 pm and took the money away. Weapons were purchased for Rs. 50,000 from Nimrods. JVP brought forward not thousands but ten thousands of workers aside its militant background. Most tea plantation workers in the southern Ratnapura district went on strikes from 7 September 1989 in response to a call by the JVP. Neither the imposition of emergency nor the threat of dismissal had any effect on the rebelling workers, possibly because of the social forces the JVP inspired. The striking workers also could not be dismissed as that might have resulted in a wave of sympathy strikes in other sectors. The JVP used various militant arms to attack the enemy. The most notable was the Patriotic People's Movement of Sri Lanka commonly known in the country as the Patriotic People's Front. It had various other sub-guerrilla groups such as the
Patriotic People's Battalion and the
People's Militant Front. The students' wing was named the Patriotic Students' Union. JVP also had a quantity of quick firing automatic rifles better than what the IPKF had. Peradeniya undergraduates were armed with lethal weapons. JVP did not hold as aggressive a campaign against government property until the government launched a counter-insurgency. 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. The DJVs Trincomalee sector killed 14 Jawans in a landmine blast in 1989. Many at the time were unaware of this attack, and in order to avoid conflict with the Indian army, JVP did not claim responsibility. Multiple Tamil groups assisted the JVP through the links that Premakumar Gunaratnam established to certain militant groups active in
Trincomalee who were also in conflict with government authorities and the
LTTE. Wijeweera himself visited an EPRLF camp to get training for the JVP cadre. Some members of the JVP also went to the Northern Province to get training. It is alleged that the
People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) directly supplied landmines to the JVP and gave them training on the usage of landmines as well.
Counter-insurgency operations Early counter insurgency efforts began under the Jayawardene government, but these failed to slow or resist the insurgency in any meaningful way. The JVP continued to violently fight back against government forces, causing a kind of fear paralysis among military and police forces.
Paramilitary counter-insurgency However, in 1989 Ranasinghe Premadasa was elected president amidst a mass boycott of elections by multiple militant organizations. He openly supported the LTTE in order to end the threats to the government. Without the support of the Sri Lankan government, the STF trained with the aid of
United Kingdom and the
Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) were not strong enough to take on the insurgency alone. When the JVP offensive came to a peak, government paramilitaries such as the '
Black Cats', 'Yellow Cats', 'Scorpions' and '
Eagles' were used in order resist the insurgency. In a similar incident on 5 October, the Eagles killed fourteen members of the staff of the
University of Peradeniya. Later claiming responsibility for the attack, the Eagles claimed that the victims were JVP supporters which engineered the murder of Captain T.E. Nagahawatte, the Assistant Registrar of the university and a volunteer officer. Even when responsibility for these mass killings were claimed, security forces would deny all knowledge of missing or killed persons. When relatives inquired about missing persons at police stations or army camps, they would sometimes refuse to register any complaint. While sometimes the bodies of those taken away were allowed to be identified by relatives, in other cases those who were abducted or killed were never traced. Some of the missing people were later found to be in the custody of security forces, being arrested and detained for indeterminate periods without trial, lending evidence to the participation of regular security forces in paramilitary operations.
Detention camps In response to the JVP attacks, the government has been accused of using
detention camps in order to put down the JVP insurrection. These camps were said to be run by units of the police who were officially tasked with disarming the rebels. It is believed that 5,000 to 10,000 JVP rebels were either tortured or killed in camps established across the country. The largest camp was in
Batalanda and was run by the Black Cat paramilitary group, with
Ranil Wickremesinghe having been accused of being the political authority in charge of overseeing the detention camp. After the insurrection, a Batalanda commission was appointed to look into violations of human rights which took place at the Batalanda detention camp. The commission recommended that legal action be taken against Wickremesinghe, although ultimately no action was taken against him.
Notable attacks Although much of the insurgency was a low-intensity conflict, with targeted assassinations and intimidation forming the majority of the conflict, major attacks include the
1987 grenade attack in the Sri Lankan Parliament and
1989 Temple of the Tooth attack. In addition, the militant wing of the JVP led by
Saman Piyasiri Fernando staged several major attacks on military installations in the south of the island and a small number in the East were led by
Premakumar Gunaratnam.
Attacks on military installations • April 1987
Pallekele Army Camp attack • 1987 Kallar Army Camp attack
Prison uprisings • 1987 Bogambara Prison attack • 1988
Magazine prison break Attacks on civilian targets • 1986 Colombo Telegraph office bombing •
1987 grenade attack in the Sri Lankan Parliament • 1988 Kathireshan Hindu temple bombing •
1989 Temple of the Tooth attack •
Attack on the Kataragama Temple In many of attacks, the JVP through the DJV targeted the armories capturing weapons and ammunition that it claimed to use against Indian Peace Keeping Forces. In total the JVP killed 342 police personnel, 209 armed forces personnel and 98
Sri Lankan home guards in combat, with many more being killed outside direct conflict. DJV also used landmines to destroy various infantry vehicles. ==Anti-India campaign==