Dharman Wickremaratne, in the Daily News, where the title is “JVP uprising II killed 396 undergrads, while 227 students disappeared”… http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=features/jvp-uprising-ii-killed-396-undergrads-while-227-students-disappeared
DJV Slogans calling for the death of President Jayewardene (“Let’s kill J.R.”) written on walls
The second JVP insurgency began in 1986. Two were killed on May 1, 1987 when the banned May Day was commemorated. The insurrection was baptized near the Bo Tree, Pettah on July 28, 1987. The first to die there was Moratuwa University Engineering student Clifford Perera. The writer saw him lying on the ground with fatal gunshot injuries. The two of us studied in the same school. A brilliant student in the engineering field he was drawn to the JVP by Sudath, a second year student of the Colombo University’s Medical Faculty. I remember in the same group were Hiranya, Asiri, and Godagampola among several others.
Clifford was dying. His last words were: “Motherland or death.” No one dared to rush to the spot because gunfire was heard from all directions. When I appealed to Pathegama Mathupala, the caretaker of the pro-JVP Samastha Lanka Trade Union Federation, he responded promptly. He carried Clifford with the help of another. The next moment a bullet struck Mathupala’s hand. As soon as our photographer Chandrasiri Weerasinghe took a photo of the scene, we left the place.
Clifford’s father was employed at Millers Limited. After he identified his son’s body the following day I assisted him in taking the body out of the hospital. It was not only Clifford who died that day but also 132 others including Nimal Liyanage of the Moratuwa University.
Indo-Lanka Accord: Secret moves to sign the Indo-Lanka in July 1987 commenced since early June as a result of the Indian Air Force violating our airspace and forcibly dropping food items. Around the same time the UNP Government decided to take into custody all university student leaders who were reportedly planning to launch a country-wide opposition campaign to the Indo-Lanka Accord.
The operation to take them into custody got underway immediately. It began late in the night of June 22, 1987. According to CID reports the move was to take into custody 310 university students. Independent Students Union Leader K. L. Dharmasiri and other ISU members assisted the government in taking into custody student leaders of the Moratuwa, Kelaniya and Jayewardanapura Universities. But only 88 students fell into police hands at these places because they had not been alerted in time whereas others had changed their place of residence following a tip-off that they were to be taken into custody. Those who fell into the police net included 10 monks and a female undergraduate. This was the highest number of university students taken into custody in recent history.
Among them were Gevindu Kumaratunga, Pushpa Vithanage, Hemantha Chandrasiri, Anupa Pasqual, Roshan Gunawardena, M.D.H.M. Wimalasuriya, Viraj Peiris, Ven. Mangala, Ven. Ananda and Ven. Upananda of the Colombo University, Nimal Karunasiri of the Ayurveda Faculty, Ranjidan Gunaratnam, Premakumar Gunaratnam, I. Balasuriya, Jude Parakrama, Dharmapriya Jayantha, Range Chandrasiri, L.B.N. Costa, Devapriya, Sisira Kumara, Ranjith Weerasinghe, P. Gamini, Lakshman Ranjith Abeyratne, Susantha Saputantri, Lakshman B. Perera, Maheshi Perera, Mohamed Iqbal, V. Arundawarajah, N.Sivaneswaran, Nayana Premasiri, M.S.R. Cooray, M.P. Keerthi, L. Abeyratne, S.E. Molligoda, Prasanna Wickremasinghe, Ranjith Ranaweera, Tilakasiri Ranasinghe, J.P. Fernando, Ven. Athureliye Rathana, Ven. Poddalgoda Khemananda, Ven. Medagama Pannasara Nandasiri Balangoda, Saliya Yalepola, S.A.J.K. Gunatilaka, Sumanaratne Jayasinghe, Mahesh de Silva and Viroshan Gunasekera of the Peradeniya University, Ven. Panadura Ananda of the Dumbara Campus and Lakshman de Silva of the Agricultural Faculty, Mahailuppallama.
The memorial for martyred students erected at the Jayawardenapura University and its designer
Anti-accord protests: Also taken into custody were Sunil Shantha, D.N. de Silva, Sumith de Alwis, and Asoka Abeygunawardana of the Moratuwa University, E.A. Edirisinghe, P.S.K. Ariyaratne, V. Perera, Wimalasiri Prematilaka, D.R. Nissanka, D. Weerakkody, Prasanna Hirimuthugoda, Tilak Gunawardena, B.A. Wijesiri, Harischandra, N.D. Ruwan Pathirana, R. Samarasinghe. Michael Perera, Jinadasa, Nimal Pathirana, Tilak Theerawella, Sarath Peiris, M. Dharmatilaka, Sirimanna, M.B. Jayasiri and B.L.K. Nandasena of the Ruhuna University.
Hermantha Abeysuriya, Nandasiri, Samaratunga, Kamal Fernando, Preethimal, Lalith and Palitha were taken into custody at Jayawardanapura University. Those taken into custody at Kelaniya University were Mohall Walgamage, Ruwan Wasantha, Ven. Balaharuwe Soma, Senadheera, Ven. Madampe Nandarama, Ven. Dunakawatte Gunaratna and Ven. Gammadagama Gunasiri.
Seventy one out of the 88 taken into custody were detained at the Magazine Prison, Colombo, under Section 87 of the Emergency Regulations. But they were not physically harmed. The government’s aim was keep them in the prison until the Indo-Lanka Accord was signed. Their close relatives were allowed to visit them only twice a week. In addition to the student leaders, 55 top JVP activists too had been detained. Among them were Saman Wickramabandu, Gamini Jayalath and Buddhadasa Withanarachchi.
To some extent the UNP Government’s objective was successful since the detainees were in prison from July 28 (the day the Accord was signed) to August 2. If the police were able to take all 310 students into custody the government’s effort would have been a total success, crippling the anti-accord protests. I had the opportunity of meeting the detainees after Gamini Jayalath sent a message through prison officer he knew.
The walls of the Magazine Prison where the university students were detained reflected their literary and artistic creativity. Among the best of these were the words, “Mother, the walls of the jail are not big for us.” The detainees spent their time by singing, holding discussions, staging dramas, organsing workshops, and recalling important historical personalities, discussing social injustices and political and contemporary situations. Mohamed Iqbal intriduced a new trend in musical performances. The song written and sung in memory of the great Chilean poet, song writer and distinguished theatre director Victor Lidio Jara, impressed everyone.
A team under JVP armed wing leader Saman Piyasiri Fernando had planned to free the 71 university student leaders and the 126 JVP activists after breaking down the prison walls on the day before the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord on July 28, 1987. However the plan was shelved.
But on December 12, 1988, 170 JVP detainees escaped after breaching the prison walls in two simultaneous operations launched outside and within the prison. It stunned the UNP Government. On that day a UNP appointed-MP Kalinga Obewansa had a meeting at Borella. Earlier, 65 out of the 71 detained university students had been released in three stages by August 5, 1987. In the same year, intelligence services had received reports of university students undergoing weaponry training in camps of the Deshapremi Janatha Vyapaaraya or DJV (Patriotic People’s Movement). The biggest such training camp was held in the Erathna area, near Sri Pada in January 1987. Maheepala Kodippili, following his arrest, admitted to the CID on June 19, 1987, that he had attended the training camp along with Gamini and a group of university students under the direction of Sarath of the Colombo University.
The total number of university students who died in the second JVP uprising was 396. The number disappeared 227. As a working journalist the writer associated with many of them. They had a broad vision, much energy and strong voices.
In Jayawardanapura University alone 60 were killed, among them two female students. An exhibition and a musical program were held to commemorate them in 1992 and in 2008. A memorial too was erected in their memory. The chief guest at the event was the mother of one of the victims, medical student Wenura Edirisinghe.
To some extent the UNP Government’s objective was successful since the detainees were in prison from July 28 (the day the Accord was signed) to August 2. If the police were able to take all 310 students into custody the government’s effort would have been a total success, crippling the anti-accord protests. I had the opportunity of meeting the detainees after Gamini Jayalath sent a message through prison officer he knew.
The walls of the Magazine Prison where the university students were detained reflected their literary and artistic creativity. Among the best of these were the words, “Mother, the walls of the jail are not big for us.” The detainees spent their time by singing, holding discussions, staging dramas, organsing workshops, and recalling important historical personalities, discussing social injustices and political and contemporary situations. Mohamed Iqbal intriduced a new trend in musical performances. The song written and sung in memory of the great Chilean poet, song writer and distinguished theatre director Victor Lidio Jara, impressed everyone.
A team under JVP armed wing leader Saman Piyasiri Fernando had planned to free the 71 university student leaders and the 126 JVP activists after breaking down the prison walls on the day before the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord on July 28, 1987. However the plan was shelved.
But on December 12, 1988, 170 JVP detainees escaped after breaching the prison walls in two simultaneous operations launched outside and within the prison. It stunned the UNP Government. On that day a UNP appointed-MP Kalinga Obewansa had a meeting at Borella. Earlier, 65 out of the 71 detained university students had been released in three stages by August 5, 1987. In the same year, intelligence services had received reports of university students undergoing weaponry training in camps of the Deshapremi Janatha Vyapaaraya or DJV (Patriotic People’s Movement). The biggest such training camp was held in the Erathna area, near Sri Pada in January 1987. Maheepala Kodippili, following his arrest, admitted to the CID on June 19, 1987, that he had attended the training camp along with Gamini and a group of university students under the direction of Sarath of the Colombo University.
The total number of university students who died in the second JVP uprising was 396. The number disappeared 227. As a working journalist the writer associated with many of them. They had a broad vision, much energy and strong voices.
In Jayawardanapura University alone 60 were killed, among them two female students. An exhibition and a musical program were held to commemorate them in 1992 and in 2008. A memorial too was erected in their memory. The chief guest at the event was the mother of one of the victims, medical student Wenura Edirisinghe.
The writer is a senior journalist who could be reached at ejournalists@gmail.com
