The shadow war that brought a nation to a standstill
In short: Between 1987 and 1989, Sri Lanka was gripped by a low-intensity conflict that paralyzed the state. Driven by the Marxist-Leninist JVP, the insurgency used targeted assassinations and sabotage to challenge the government, creating a period of intense violence that impacted even those with no political stake in the struggle.
The 1987–1989 insurrection, led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), was characterized by a shift from Marxist ideology toward Sinhalese nationalism. This transition was fueled by opposition to the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord and the presence of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF). The military wing of the JVP, the Deshapremi Janatha Viyaparaya (DJV), utilized a variety of tactics, including bank heists, the theft of weapons from military bases, and the use of handmade Galkatas rifles to carry out executions. The group's military arm, the DJV, was estimated by Western diplomats to consist of roughly 10,000 armed members, though only about 3,000 were considered well-trained. This force relied heavily on weapons stolen from various locations, including a significant theft of 600 shotguns in July 1987.
The violence was marked by extreme intimidation. JVP/DJV militants often targeted individuals in their homes at night, carrying victims away to be tortured and executed. To maximize the psychological impact, the group frequently forbade traditional last rites and demanded that caskets be carried below knee level during funerals. The insurgency also crippled the economy through enforced 'hartals,' or general strikes, which lasted for two years, and frequent sabotage of infrastructure, such as electric transformers. The disruption extended to the very streets of the nation, as the JVP used posters and graffiti to threaten those who did not comply. Even the funeral of the slain politician Kumaratunga became a massive, televised event that drew enormous crowds to Colombo.
The conflict saw high-profile assassinations, most notably the death of Vijaya Kumaratunga on February 16, 1988. While Lionel Ranasinghe confessed to the killing, a 1994 presidential commission report alleged that UNP President Ranasinghe Premadasa and ministers Gamini Lokuge and Ranjan Wijeratne were involved. The state responded with counter-insurgency operations like Operation Combine, led by figures such as Ranjan Wijeratne, as the country struggled to contain the escalating bloodshed. The insurgency's impact was felt through the deaths of numerous MPs and officials, such as the UNP Secretary General Harsha Abhayawardene. This period of instability eventually contributed to the outbreak of the Second Eelam War following the 1991 assassination of Ranjan Wijeratne.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: 1987–1989 JVP insurrection
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