Magazine prison break

The Magazine Prison break was an prison uprising carried by Deshapremi Janatha Viyaparaya the armed wing of the JVP which was staging a rebellion within Sri Lanka.[1]

Magazine Prison Break
Part of 1987-1989 JVP insurrection
TypeAttack using small arms, and explosives; Prison break
Location
Welikada, Sri Lanka

6°55′19″N 79°52′49″E
Planned byJanatha Vimukthi Peramuna
TargetMagazine Prison
Date13 December 1988
Executed byDeshapremi Janatha Viyaparaya
Location within Central Colombo

Background

In the late 1980s, the country was under a tense situation with two insurgencies ravaging northern and southern parts of Sri Lanka.[2] The first insurgency was initiated by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and several Tamil militant groups in 1983, seeking to create an independent Tamil state in the northern and eastern parts of the country.[3] In 1987, neighboring India intervened in the conflict to bring an end to the fighting between the insurgents and the Sri Lankan armed forces. That year, the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord was signed between the two countries and Indian Peace Keeping Force was deployed in northern Sri Lanka to enforce disarmament of militant organizations and to watch over the regional council.[4]

JVP and other radical groups viewed this as a proliferation of Indian expansionism.[5] This suspicion was fuelled by the perceived threat of northeastern autonomy, due to the presence of Indian Army in Sri Lankan soil.[6] By this time, JVP was equipped with experiences of a failed insurrection in 1971, against the government of Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Under these circumstances, the party launched a second insurrection in 1987, seeking to overthrow the then United National Party government.[7][8]

Prison break

JVP attacked the prison in 13 December 1988 seeking to free prisoners and increase the hostility within the country to "heat up" the rebellion. This was one of the notable attacks carried out by the DJV led by Saman Piyasiri Fernando. After the insurgency the JVP was criticized for this attack alongside many others.[9][10]

The attack was carried on by 3 armed men with a Type 56 assault rifle and two magazines of ammo near one. The other two was holding explosives.[11]

With the attack, 170 members of the JVP escaped the prison. The prison was holding 320 LTTE members as well as members of various other militant groups. This also included Douglas Devananda.[11][12]

Aftermath

In 2001 the attack was a allegation by opposing parties to the JVP while they denied active involvement. They claimed the Deshpremi Janatha Viyaparaya was an independent group - operated separately. Some of its major leaders like Kosala claimed direct reponsability on the attacks including the 1987 Bogambara prison attack.[13]

References
  2. Lakshman, W. D.; Tisdell, Clement Allan (2001). Sri Lanka's Development Since Independence: Socio-Economic Perspectives and Analyses. New York: Nova Publishers. pp. 73–75. ISBN 978-156-0727-84-2.
  3. Gunaratna, Rohan (December 1998). "International and Regional Implications of the Sri Lankan Tamil Insurgency". International Institute for Counter-Terrorism. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  4. Rajasingham, K. T. (13 April 2002). "Sri Lanka: The Untold Story – Chapter 35: Accord turns to discord". Asia Times. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  5. Gunasekara, Tisaranee. "Insurrectionary Violence in Sri Lanka: The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Insurgencies of 1971 and 1987–1989" (PDF). International Center for Ethnic Studies. pp. 70–72. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2006. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  6. Ramachandran, Sudha (10 February 2004). "Reluctant India drawn toward Sri Lanka". Asia Times. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  7. Brass, Paul R.; Engineer, Asgharali (2002). Competing Nationalisms in South Asia: Essays for Asghar Ali Engineer. India: Orient Blackswan. pp. 228–230. ISBN 978-812-5022-21-3.
  8. Atack, Iain. "Refugees in their Own Country". Peace Magazine. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  9. Missed opportunities, War on terror revisited
  10. Sri Lanka: The inside story of the JVP p. 258
  11. JVP: Fear Psycosis
  12. Unmasking the real face of the JVP

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