Sworn enemies bury the hatchet to back Fonseka

Politics make strange bedfellows. But never before in the history of Sri Lanka have two sworn enemies, the JVP and the UNP, buried the hatchet and joined hands to back Gen Fonseka in the presidential election.

It is ironic that the UNP, which unleashed a reign of terror during its 17-year reign and killed thousands and crushed the JVP rebellion against the Indian military intervention after the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka peace accord, leading to the death of JVP founder Rohana Wijeweera the elimination of the cream of Sinhala youth, should have forgotten the past so easily to serve their narrow political ends.

Most of the UNP organiaers and Member of Parliament became the victims of the JVP and even the UNP Chairman Harsha Abewardane and the secretary Nandalal Fernando weee killed by the JVP during their insurgency.

They bombed Parliament soon after the signing of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka agreement providing a framework for a peaceful settlement of the Tamil question.

President J R Jayewardene, the targer, escaped, but Mathra MP Keerthi Abeywicrama died in the grenade attack and Minister for National Security Lalith Athulathmudali was seriously injured.

The JVP did not spare the Sri Lankan armed forces either. It held out a threat to kill the families of army personnel if they did not desert before Aug 27, 1989. Wijeweera was arrested on Nov 12, 1989 whilst masquerading as a planter in Ulapane Gampola.

A dew hours before he was killed on Nov 13 at Colombo Golf Club Ground while under arrest, he confessed to the Operations Combine that the JVP was a principal political party and neither he or his party members were not responsible for the subversive activities being carried out by DJV (Patriotic People Movement). The DJV was the military wing of the JVP and was headed by a senior politibureau member Saman Piyasiri Fernando (otherwise known as Keerthi Vijayabahu).

Thas was not the first time Wijeweera betrayed his colleagues. After the failed insurrection of 1971, he blamed it on Athula Nimalsiri Jayasinghe group.

The JVP's fork tongue is well known. After all, it set its face against merger of the east with the north and went to the Supreme COurt to get it annulled. Now it is backing Gen Fonseka who is alleged to have entered into a secret understanding with the pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance to remerge the east with the north, if he wins the election.

THe JVP is now weakened after the split of 2007 when their firebrand, outspoken propaganda secretary Mr.Wimal Weerawansa left. After the split, the JVP fared poorly in the provincial council elections. Now the JVP needs a prominent face like Gen Fonseka to resurrect itself and it is using the university students for its nefarious goal just as it misguided the rural youth in 1971 and again during the second rebellion from 1987 to 89.

The UNP's track record is no better. Political violence has introduced in Sri Lanka by the UNP after its victory in 1977.

Well known artist, dramatist and novelist, Prof. Ediriweera Sarathchandra, was attacked near the Colombo University premises by State-sponsored mobs. State Terror was unleashed on innocent Tamils in Colombo and elsewhere in the country on 25th July 1983 known as Black-July 83. The UNP mobs burnt down the Jaffna Library, one of Asia ’s largest with a massive stock of valuable books and original manuscripts of archeologists, Prof. Senarath Paranawithana and H.C.P. Bell.

The UNP was responsible for the killing more than 100,000 youth during 1988-89 JVP rebellion.

It jailed around 16,000 Sinhala youths. It crushed the JVP using the infamous Prevention of Terrorism Act which empowered the security forces and the Police to dispose the bodies of youths without post-mortem examination.

The UNP government set up army Camps and torture chambers in district and regional level. The most prominent such chamber was in Batalanda where the opposition leader Ranil Wickramasinghe was residing. He was well aware about the killings going on in the Batalanda torture chamber.

When Mrs Chandrika Kumaratunga of the SLFP became President in 1998, she appointed a commission to inquiry into what happened at the Batalanda torture chamber. Mr Wickremasinghe, in his deposition before the commission, said the detention centre was set up at the request of deceased Defense Minister Ranjan Wijayarathne.

He, however, denied the existence of the said detention center at Batalanda, although the IGP, Mr. Ernest Perera, confirmed that there was one at Batalanda. The commission, in its report, confirmed torture and killing of suspects and pointed its fingers at some army officers and Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe. But nothing came of the report.

Those killed included a brother police officer Rohitha Priyadarshana. THe police officers indicted by the commission were OIC Duglas Peiris, OIC Keerthi Athapattu, SP Nalin Delgoda, DIG Meril Goonarathne and DIG Raja Dias.

Mr.Wijayadasa Liyanaarachchi, a human rights lawyer was arrested in Tangall south of Sri Lanka and he was brought to Batalanda. The next day he was taken to the Colombo Hospital with injuries and he died. Other well-known human rights lawyers who disappeared during the dark days of UNP rule were Charitha Lankapura, Kanchana Abeypala, Neville Nissanka, C.W.J.K. Weeraman, Leslie Yatanwala, Padmanadan, K Vemudais, A.W.Wettasinghe, Aamara Vellapillai, Gamini Meddagedara, Sanath Karalliyadda, Sarath Sepala Rathnayaka, D M U Bandara,Tudor Keerthinanda, A W Wickramasinghe and Wanapala Ranathunga.

I am not against Gen(retdf) Sarath Fonsekas entering politics. But, he could have set up a party and worked out its policies and programmes before going to the poeple .By jumping into the fray the day after his retirement, Fonseka has fallen for the bait thrown by the JVP and the UNP. After the elections, he will become persona non grata, for the people will surely bring President Mahinda Rajapaksa back to power, if only to prevent the country sliding into another dark era.

(The writer is a former JVP member).

- Asian Tribune –