Political Violence in Sri Lanka: A Diagnostic Approach

The main objective of this article is to examine the causes and pattern of political violence waged by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka. It is the argument of the article that the origin and development of the JVP and the LTTE relate more closely to the social expansion and the lack of economic and political development in Sri Lanka since the beginning of the 1960s. Basically, both groups are more action-oriented than ideology-oriented and dominated by youth with a similar socio-economic background. Their ideology is a mixture of ethno-nationalism and various interpretations of Marxism. The strategy of the JVP was based on an objective of launching a short-term armed insurrection. The LTTE's aim is to overthrow the forces of the Sri Lankan government through a protracted armed struggle. Although the left-wing insurrection of the JVP was crushed by the government security forces, it is evident that there is a possibility of its re-emergence in its violent form. The on-going separatist guerrilla warfare by the LTTE seems to be an unwinnable war. In the presence of youth insurrections in Sri Lanka, the utmost requirement is a sound counter-insurgency policy accompanied by political reforms.