Disillusioned Revolutionaries: The Butcher, The Media-Intellectual-NGO Circles And The Killing Of Wijeweera
Rajan Hoole
1989: The Eclipse of the JVP and the Perplexity of the Left – Part 4
Disillusioned Revolutionaries
Somawansa
Although the JVP did not realise it, the turning point in its fortunes came when it began to hound and kill its detractors from the Left. It was a tendency it shared with the LTTE in an effort to become the sole spokesman of the people. In turn the hunted who were placed in desperate straits were driven to form alliances, particularly with the State, and whence were attacked with renewed vigour as ‘traitors’. The society then paid a heavy price amidst confusion, mixed feelings and bloody vendettas. The difference is that while in the North-East the State’s legitimacy was almost zero and there were no political parties left that could convincingly hold their own in the face of LTTE hit men, in the South the situation was rather different. Even if one had a low opinion of the UNP, there were several other well- entrenched parties threatened by the JVP, and who by 1989 were desperate to see an end to it.
Sensing the JVP’s hostile attitude to ex- JVPers, several of the latter in 1985 went to Europe as refugees. The killing of ISU leader Daya Pathirana in December 1986 was a sign of things to come. Less known is the story of Vaz Thilekeratne. He, Mahinda Pathirana and Ranjith Peiris (Peera) were dismissed from the Party in 1983. A key member of the Party involved in the dismissal proceedings described them as close to Wijeweera, hard working and committed to the JVP cause. But, he added, that looking back, the Party did not take into account certain human needs that come with age. Some with growing family obligations were not paid to meet these. Peera was also described as jovial. Also having been senior JVPers at a time when the JVP functioned as a democratic party, they were on talking terms with several major political leaders of the day and moreover they knew the JVP inside out.
