{"id":106835,"date":"2020-09-20T15:26:46","date_gmt":"2020-09-20T22:26:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=106835"},"modified":"2020-09-20T15:26:46","modified_gmt":"2020-09-20T22:26:46","slug":"erasing-the-eelam-victory-part-17-c-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/09\/20\/erasing-the-eelam-victory-part-17-c-9\/","title":{"rendered":"ERASING THE EELAM VICTORY Part 17 C 9"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

In both JVP insurgencies, 1971 and 1987, JVP tried to infiltrate\nall four security services, police, army, navy and air force.  The 1971 insurgency this was not very\nsuccessful in this. Only about ten persons became   JVP supporters in each of the four services\nin 1971 said Chandraprema., Some joined the JVP when the insurgency ended.  However, Godahewa observed that several\nmembers of the armed forces were recruited into the JVP and used very\ndiscreetly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wijeweera had\ntried to recruit   army personnel who were\nthought to be loyal to SLFP, but they were not interested.  Wijeweera was more successful with the navy.\nWijeweera targeted the Sri Lanka navy from the very beginning. A list of navy\npersonnel were submitted to him by a contact.  \nWijeweera met this group at Trincomalee navy base and spoke to\nthem,   probably in 1965. And a group of\nJVP navy men\u201d was created. Many naval\npersonnel attended the JVP classes in 1966 and 1967. Naval ratings who were\nclose to Wijeweera were among the instructors at the JVP training camps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Able Seaman H.M. Tillekeratne was the\n\u2018Coordinating Officer\u2019 between the Navy and the JVP, and the JVP was planning\nto appoint him as North-East commander if they seized power.  \n  He was in the habit of regularly travelling between the Elara Camp\nand the Trincomalee Naval Base.  He was conducting political classes for\nsome Navy personnel.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The notion\nthat in 1971 the JVP was only interested in taking over police stations is\nincorrect. This was only a cover. Even then, the target was the armed forces\nand the military installations. During the 1971 insurgency, JVP took over the\nAnuradhapura air strip and was eyeing the one at Vavuniya. <\/em>JVP planned to establish military\nunits in each police area in the country. \n<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP was also\nplanning to take over Trincomalee by sending JVPers parading as football\nplayers to start the insurgency there. Towards the\nend of March, 1971, the Trincomalee Naval Base received a letter from the\nPeradeniya University requesting to arrange a football match between university\nstudents and Navy personnel on the naval base grounds n Trincomalee on April 5.\nThe letter also requested the Navy to arrange for the university team to spend\nthe night at the base, since it was difficult for them to return to Peradeniya\nthe same day after the match. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The naval authorities were wary.  The Navy decided it was not safe to allow a\nfootball match between the Navy and University team at Trincomalee. The\nuniversity authorities were informed that the naval base grounds could not be\ngiven for the match. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP planned to\ntake over the navy bases in Jaffna or at least their weapons.\nSailors who supported the JVP has\nbeen posted to the armories there. Within\n48 hours of the JVP uprising Superintendent of Police Jaffna, received a\nmessage from Colombo of a suspected move to put sleeping tablets into the\nwater filters at the Elara Camp\u2019s officers mess. The\npolice took immediate action. They arrested Tillekeratne and after a\nsquirmish, shot him dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Tillekeratne\u2019s death, police searched\nhis personal belongings and found secret documents, and several bottles of\nsleeping tablets which were to be put into the water filters of the Elara\nCamp\u2019s officers\u2019 mess. Tillekeratne\u2019s plan was to seize all weapons and\nammunition from the camp\u2019s magazine, before joining his JVP comrades, after\nmaking naval officers unconscious.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the army and navy had refused to go over to the JVP\nwholesale, it was necessary to somehow put them out of action during the 1971\ninsurgency. JVP had planned to put laxatives and sleeping pills into the food\nin the army and navy camps.  They   were  \ngoing to introduce an ayurvedic laxative, japala seeds, which tasted\nlike coffee. If taken in excess it could even cause death by dehydration. This\nwas known as the \u2018japala plot\u2019. The army was aware that something of the sort\nhad been planned. Around March 1971 army officers who were in camp had heard\nthat there was a threat to poison them, said one commentary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the tasks assigned to the JVP in 1987-89 was to    weaken the Sri Lanka army and divert\nmilitary attention away from the Eelam war. The first targets of the JVP in\n1987 were, therefore, armed forces and police. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP planned this well. An Increasing number of youth were\nreported,   when arrested, in 1987, to\nhave in their possession detailed maps of army camps, important government\ninstitutions, and residences of government politicians. One youth had several\nmaps of the Panagoda army camp. It was obvious that JVP   was planning large scale strike against the\nstate, noted Chandraprema. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saman Piyasiri, head of the DJV, had plans of vital military\ninstallations, photographs and documents, in his house when he was taken into custody.  The photos included installation of the\nmilitary police headquarters Sri Lanka. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP launched their attacks on military establishments at the\nheight of the Eelam wars. On 15 April 1987, JVP attacked the Pallekele Army\nCamp in Kandy<\/a>. Lead by a former soldier, under the directions of Shantha\nBandara. JVP successfully raided Pallekelle and took\noff with firearms and ammunition. JVP  \nseized 12 Type 56 assault rifles<\/a>, seven sub-machine guns and ammunition. The daring and ingenuity\nof the Pallekelle raid in early hours of New Year day showed the imprint of a\nwell organized movement, said Godahewa.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the 1987\nVadamarachchi campaign was turning out well, three days after the Indian\n\u2018parippu\u2019 drop, JVP launched two armed attacks on the Katunayake air force base\nand Kotelawala Defence Academy,  removing\na valuable haul of weapons from each.  They\nhad support inside the Air force base    and were able to take away eleven T56 and 15\nsubmachine guns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 In Oct 1987 JVP  attacked Kallar army camp in Trincomalee\nand  after a   20 minute gun battle, over ran the camp and\ntook away a huge amount of  weapons, six\nT56, three LMG spare barrels,  This was\nthe JVP \u2018s Largest haul of weapons to date. The\nKallar army camp was near Mahindapura in Serunuwara in the Kantalai police\ndivision<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Jan 1988 JVP attacked the army training camp at Kumbukke in Horana. In April 1988 there was\na second attack on Katunayake Air Base and JVP took away weapons and\nammunition. In November 1988 JVP attacked the Pannala National Air Force\ntraining camp .The arms haul from Pannala was bigger than those from Kallar. At Pannala JVP was helped by an air force\ndeserter.   There was also an\nunsuccessful attack on Panagoda army camp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the period 1987-1989, soldiers were killed not only by the LTTE\nbut also by the JVP. JVP targeted and  \nkilled members of the armed forces. In 1988, a soldier of Gemunu watch\nwas beheaded when he was on leave at Weeraketiya. In 1989 two soldiers were\nknifed at Tyre Corporation,  two NIB\nofficers were gunned down in Timbirigasyaya \nand a soldier who came to celebrate New Year at Navagamuwa was killed on\nhis way to see an Avurudu play and his severed head displayed. Many STF\nofficers were killed when they came home on visit or on sick leave. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1988 JVP ambushed an army commando unit sent out on to track\ndown JVP killers at Kirula in Hungama area. Three commandos died. In April 1989,\nthere was a spate of landmine blasts in Embilipitiya, four soldiers were killed.\nThere were    landmines in Hungama,\nTissamaharama, Angunokolapelssa, Kamburupitiya, Urubokka, and Middeniya as\nwell. Land mine in Medirigiriya killed four police officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP specially targeted the Counter Subversive Unit (CSU) set up\nto hunt them down. CSD operatives were handpicked as targets, their homes were\nburned and loved ones killed.  In 1987 PC\nSapukotana of Matara police was stabbed and killed. This was the beginning of a\nseries of attacks on CSU operatives, said Gunaratna.   Peliyagoda CSU sub inspector Wickremasinghe\nwas   killed as he was driving. In\nDecember 1987 JVP shot dead the Director of the CSU, Terrence Perera. CSU  did not develop after his death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP  humiliated the armed services.\nIn October 1988 an army detachment was attacked with stones by demonstrating\nschool children in Ambalantota. Family members of security forces were made to\nwalk at the head of JVP demonstrations, so that they would be the first to be\nkilled if the force opened fire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 1984\nonwards JVP had infiltrated the armed forces. JVP\ninfiltration of armed service in 1987-89 was more successful than in 1971\nobserved Chandraprema. DJV had a registry with names of over 700 service\npersonnel from police, army, navy and air force who held membership in JVP or\nsupported it. The registry also showed how to contact them.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP successfully\ninfiltrated the lower rungs of the police and armed services. Three policemen attached to Kandana and\nMiddeniya police     stations were JVP activists.\nAt Athurugiriya a soldier killed tenother\nsoldiers in the night. A pro JVP  police\nofficer had infiltrated the military police of the army. JVP also had a\nmilitary officer in the Ops Combine  \naudio visual unit. He had given JVP the names and addresses of officers\nengaged in anti JVP operations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was  another benefit from the infiltration. JVP\ninfiltration helped to retard army attacks on the JVP. There was   at least a degree of hesitation, said Rohan\nGunaratna. The government found that the army was not that eager to go after\nthe JVP in March- April 1987 said Chandraprema. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infiltrating the army was not difficult as\npersons were recruited to army and police without full screening in 1984, said\nGodahewa. But the army soon realized that its lower rungs had been infiltrated.\nThere were acts of indiscipline and appropriation of arms. The army suspended\nits training of one batch of recruits suspecting that they were JVPers. And the\nbatch recruited in 1986 to the army was not sent for training until they were\nfully screened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The JVP was\nable to get some service men to desert, mainly from the lower and middle\ngrades. There were over 150 desertions, between 1984-1987   and there were     250 desertions from 1987 onwards, said\nChandraprema.  They were asked to bring a\nweapon with them but   most of the desertions took place\nwithout weapons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These\ndeserters were useful to the JVP .The military campaign in the south was\nstarted by three deserters from the army.  Another deserter, a \u2018trained ex\narmy man,\u2019 led the operation at\nPallekelle. Army deserters had trained JVP in three locations in Kandy\ndistrict. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, JVP\nwas unable to infiltrate the armed forces in the number needed to generate\nlarge scale desertions.  JVP  even approached those who were suspended from\nthe army.  In 1988 JVP asked the security forces to\ndesert and join JVP.    In late June 1989\nthe JVP repeated its call to the armed forces to defect from the State by July\n29, 1989, but large-scale desertions did not happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP had also\nhoped for a large scale mutiny of army. JVP\nwere waiting for forces to mutiny and come to their side but this did not\nhappen, though JVP waited a long time, said Chandraprema. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 JVP then decided on strong\narm tactics. JVP issued threats to members of the armed services and police\nthat they should resign or be killed. JVP threatened the families of service\npersonnel who did not desert.  Police officers\ninvestigating JVP activity also got death threats. Letters were sent to OIC of\npolice directing them to release suspects already taken into custody. Due to\nJVP threat many in the army retired or  left the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP radio\nrepeatedly warned that August 1989 was the deadline for security forces\npersonnel of all ranks to desert or face the consequences which was death.  In  the Ranabima\nbulletin of 21st April 1989, JVP specially threatened the families of those\nactive in counter-insurgency operations, the  Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) and the Special\nTask Force (STF). Chandraprema observed that a similar threat had  been made in 1988 as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 In 1989 JVP carried out\ntheir threats. JVP already had the addresses of captains, lieutenants, and\nsecond lieutenants. Over hundred homes of military men were set on fire in south and\nnorthwest.   JVP killed 122 members of\nfamilies of security forces and police in the most brutal fashion. Some were\nhacked to death, some were burned alive in their homes which were set on fire.\nJVP  made no   allowance for old people or children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One such case was the murder of mother, brother, sister in law and\ntwo nephews of a DIG ( Udugampola) who was serving in the south. They were shot\nand whilst still alive, their residence was set on fire with them inside. The\nIGP had said he wanted to finish off the JVP. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP\u2019s\ndecision to kill family members of the security forces and to destroy their\nproperty was the main factor in changing the security forces’ approach towards\nthe JVP. The security forces became\nvery angry.  Among the public also, there\nwas a wave of indignation against JVP. JVP had made an irrevocable and fatal\nmistake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one in the JVP took responsibility for the decision to kill\nservicemen. They all denied it when  they\nwere arrested. JVP\u2019s deputy leader Gamanayake had said that this threat was not\nintended to be carried out, but only to neutralize active sections of the\nsecurity forces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No\nsooner had they issued death threats to the families of the servicemen, posters\nappeared all over the country under the name of vigilante group, Deshapremi\nSinhala Tharuna Peramuna, announcing, Ape ekata thope dolahak!\u201d <\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deshapremi\nSinhala Tharuna Peramuna also circulated a note to the families of the JVPers,\nwhich read as follows: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Dear\nfather\/Mother\/Sister, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We\nknow that your son\/brother\/husband is engaged in a brutal murder under the\npretence of patriotism. Your son\/brother\/husband, the so-called patriot, has\ncruelly taken the lives of mothers like you, of sisters, of innocent little\nchildren. In addition he has started killing the family members of the heroic\nSinhalese soldiers who fought with the Tamil Tigers and sacrificed their lives,\nin order to protect the motherland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It is not\namongst us, ourselves, the Sinhalese people, that your son\/brother\/husband has\nlaunched the conflict in the name of patriotism? Is it then right that you, the\nwife\/mother\/sister of this person who engages in human murder of children\nshould be free to live? Is it not justified to put you to death? From this\nmoment, you and all your family members must be ready to die. May you attain\nnirvana! Deshapremi Sinhala Tharuna Peramuna.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then came the\ncounter attack. There were ruthless series of counter terrorist groups, PRRA,\nBlack cats, Yellow cats, Rajaliya, Ukussa. They killed  JVPers and dismembered the bodies and hung\nplacard round their necks warning similar fate to others.. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018In October 1989 after Capt T.E. Nagahawatte, the Assistant Registrar\nof the Peradeniya University, who was also a volunteer soldier was killed by\ntwo gunmen inside the University premises, eighteen heads were found the next\nday placed neatly around the University pond. The headless corpses had been placed\nin various postures in the vicinity. Bodies kept appearing by the dozen in the\nrest of the country, as well.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The army also attacked the JVP. A Sri Lankan Army official said \u2018we\nhave learned too many lessons from Vietnam and Malaysia. We must destroy the\ninsurgents completely. We have no choice. \u2018  At Embilipitiya  the  Army intercepted JVP letters at the post\noffice itself, so no extortion letters reached the public. The public appreciated\nthe army effort. By December 1989 all\nmembers of the new JVP committee were taken in, \nthe last was  taken in January\n1990. (Continued)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS In both JVP insurgencies, 1971 and 1987, JVP tried to infiltrate all four security services, police, army, navy and air force.  The 1971 insurgency this was not very successful in this. Only about ten persons became   JVP supporters in each of the four services in 1971 said Chandraprema., Some joined the JVP when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106835\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}