KAMALIKA PIERIS

Secret talks on signing an Accord   started between India and Sri Lanka with the participation of Ambassador J.N. Dixit, Editor, Hindu”, N. Ram and Minister Gamini Dissanayake. The Indian Research and Analysis Wing, (RAW) drew up the necessary plans, said journalist Dharman Wickremaratne.

Indian High Commission’s Second Secretary H.S. Puri left for Jaffna and met LTTE Chief V. Prabhakaran and other Tamil militant leaders. High Commissioner Dixit went to Madras and met leaders of Sri Lankan Tamil organizations.

TULF Leaders insisted on merging the Northern and Eastern Provinces and setting up a separate Provincial Council to administer the region. Dixit conveyed their proposals to Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in New Delhi.

Two Indian military helicopters landed in Jaffna from Madurai on July 24, 1987 and took Prabhakaran to Madras and then Delhi to meet PM Rajiv Gandhi. The purpose was to get Prabhakaran to agree to an Indo-Lanka Accord to which TULF and other Tamil organizations had already agreed. Prabhakaran   was to be kept under surveillance in Madras until the Accord was signed but he somehow escaped and got back to Jaffna.

The talks were held at Ashok Hotel, Delhi, where Gandhi promised give more powers to the LTTE in an interim administration. Rajiv Gandhi also agreed to pay LTTE Indian Rupees five million monthly until the new administration started functioning properly, reported Dharman Wickremaratne.  

It appears that the TULF had already discussed the matter with India in 1986. M Sivasithamparam, A. Amirthalingam,  and R. Sampanthan of the TULF   wrote  to Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minster of India,  in 1987, drawing attention to the discussion between government of Sri Lanka and the TULF, in 1986, where it was agreed that  the Provincial Councils would have  near absolute” legislative power and the Governor would be a ceremonial head. 

They had expected a single administrative unit of north and east with legislative and executive powers similar to the powers given to a state in India especially in executive and legislative matters  

 Northern Province Chief Minister, C.V.Wigneswaran, similarly stated in 2016, that the Accord, when conceived in 1987 was intended to provide for a merged northern and eastern province.

The government of India was expected to  obtain this, on behalf of the Tamils of the north and east, in its negotiations with the Government of Sri Lanka.’

It is now known that the Indo-Lanka Accord was the work of USA, not India. USA was behind the India-Sri Lanka accord of 1987, said analysts.   The US and UK were behind the Indo Lanka accord, though it was presented as an India thing, said Nalin de Silva.

 Diplomat Izzeth Hussein had told WT Jayasinghe, then Permanent Secretary, Foreign affairs, that almost certainly a third party was involved in the Indo-Lanka accord. Jayasinghe, who was present at the signing, ‘told me later that I was correct.’ 

Hussein recalled that US Ambassador James Spain had sought a meeting with Sri Lanka‘s Foreign Minister, on the day of the India parippu air drop over Jaffna in 1987. Ambassador Spain said he had to convey an urgent message from his government.  India was going to suggest something and Sri Lanka should not over react, Spain said. That ‘something’ was the Accord.  

Just after the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord, Ambassador Spain handed over an envelope to Rajeev Gandhi, obviously a congratulatory and goodwill message from Reagan. Clearly the contents of the agreement were already known to the US government, said Hussein.   In addition, visiting US senator Charles H.  Percy had carried a letter from US President Reagan to President Jayawardene offering to be of any assistance in conveying a message from J.R. to Rajiv Gandhi.

In July, 1987 we were informed that the Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi was to arrive in Sri Lanka on the 29^th to sign an agreement with us, recalled Air vice Marshal A.B.Sosa. That night I dropped in at Katunayake International Airport. It was all agog with Indian Air Force aircraft. It looked as though India had taken over the airport.

 Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and wife Sonia Gandhi arrived in Sri Lanka on July 29, 1987 From Katunayake they travelled by helicopter to Galle Face.

Trouble was expected in Colombo, when Rajiv came to sign.  A massive protest march was coming from Kolonnawa heading to President House and to deal with them was the General Service corp of the army that dealt with pay and records and ran the army farms, recalled Kamal Gunaratne.

An anti-accord protest campaign began near the Bo-Tree junction Pettah at 8.00 a.m. July 28, 1987 .Venerable Hedigalle Pannatissa, Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha, Ven. Muruttetuwe Ananda, Ven. Dr. Wilegoda Ariyadewa, MPs Dinesh Gunawardena and Prins Gunasekera were representing the Mawbima Surekeemay Vyaparaya at the protest rally. Also participating were SLFP Leader Sirima Bandaranaike, Jinadasa Niyathapala, Ven. Bengamuwe Nalaka, Gamini Iriyagolla and Anura Bandaranaike and many other SLFP Parliamentarians.

 The unseen hand behind the country-wide protest campaign was the JVP .All activities were organized by the Inter-University Students’ Federation and the Bhikkhu Front..  JVP Politburo Members H.B. Herath and Gunaratne Wanasinghe, Central Committee Members Gamini Wijegunasekera, Thangaraja and hundreds of other high level JVP activists were taking active part, said Dharman Wickremaratne.

By 11.30 a.m.  All roads in and around Fort area were blocked since nearly 20,000 people had gathered near the Bo-Tree junction. Seth pirith chanting was heard. Ten processions, each comprising over a thousand people marched in four different directions. The protestors set fire to buses and other state property. Police baton charged after tear gassing the crowd. There was gunfire. A total of 21 persons died   there.

The UNP Government declared an island-wide curfew on the night of July 28, 1987. Defying the curfew hundreds and thousands of people were demonstrating against the Accord. The violence which started near the Bo-tree junction quickly spread all over the island. According to official Government estimates 132 protesters were killed and 712 persons including 56 bhikkhus were taken into custody during five days from July 27 to August 2. The number of violent incidents was 2,527.  

Jayatissa Bandaragoda was returning from Katunayake that day.  We were stopped at more than ten places by     crowds. At Hendala there was a barrier of burning tyres  across the road. In Colombo,  they came across angry mobs who would attack any moving object. We had to take many deviations to avoid large crowds, as we went home. We saw  several thousand  near       Parliament road,  walking in the direction of Borella. A helicopter gunship came and started firing from the air and the crowd quickly dispersed.

President J.R. Jayewardene had bungled Indo-Sri Lanka relations and antagonized the Indian Prime Minister. He was in no position to oppose   India.   If the Accord was not signed India would intervene militarily. He signed the Accord on 28 July 1987.

The Indo Lanka  Accord was signed on July 29, 1987 at 3.37 p.m.  Thereafter, unofficial talks were begun between President Jayewardene and the Indian PM. Three discussions were held till midnight and the final talks were held on the morning of July 30^th. The  full text of the    Indo Lanka Accord was  known only after it was signed.

There was strong public opposition to the     Accord before and after it was signed. Posters, slogans and black flags appeared in Colombo and many other main cities expressing strong opposition to the UNP Government, the Indo-Lanka Accord and Tamil separatism.   There were island wide protests     Protestors had even gone in procession to Panadura MP, Neville Fernando, to request him not to vote for the 13th amendment,  Fernando said later. 

Before Rajiv Gandhi’s departure a Naval Guard of Honor was held opposite the President’s House, Fort.   JR’s son, Ravi had instructed  that the firing pins and  gun powder be removed from the  guns in the Guard of Honor. Ravi had  also told JR not to accompany Rajiv at the Guard of honor.

By the afternoon of July 29^th,  even before the Indian PM‘s departure, the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF)  had established themselves in the north east of  Sri Lanka .  ( CONTINUED)