Ceylonese protests against the Vietnam War
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Ceylonese government support to the U.S. during the Vietnam War
| Ceylonese protests against the Vietnam War | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of protests against the Vietnam War and the 1971 JVP insurrection | |||
| Location | |||
| Caused by | Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War Ceylonese government support to the U.S. during the Vietnam War | ||
| Goals | End of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and Ceylonese support to the U.S. government | ||
| Methods | |||
| Resulted in | Prohibition of several Ceylonese leftist youth groups | ||
| Parties | |||
| |||
| Lead figures | |||
| |||
| Casualties | |||
| Death(s) | 1–2 | ||
| Injuries | 10–12 | ||
| Arrested |
| ||
In March 1971, several left-wing political organisations in the Dominion of Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka) protested against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.[2]
Account of the JVP members
The protesters gathered in the road leading to the U.S. embassy in Ceylon, and many of them were youths who were influenced by the worldwide anti-war movement including the one in the United States. The government paid no attention to the protests until 10 March 1971, when the protesters threw a petrol bomb towards the United States embassy in Ceylon.
The rioters attacked and damaged the vehicles parked outside the embassy and killed a police officer, who was at duty outside the embassy. The attacks were believed to be planned by the political movement Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP, People's Liberation Front), a revolutionary communist youth front. Although it was new, the group had committed to many crimes, according to other leftist groups at the time. The LSSP R and the Revolutionary Youth Front (Ceylon) were also among the rally.[2]
The JVP denied active involvement, which it claimed had been the responsibility of government-sponsored anti-communism, which was trying to stop a revolutionary movement. After the allegations, the JVP planned to arm itself, especially against the government, and to become more elitist. JVP members later claimed that they had in fact been involved but that the group that had thrown a petrol bomb was a different group, the JVP - Dharmasekara group, and that Wijeweera had no involvement.[2] They stated further that the JVP - Dharmasekara group was a Maoist group that tried to stop them from carrying out a revolution involving a 'mass movement', rather than the Maoist tactic of a potracted people's war. Later in prison, Wijeweera wrote a book that stated, "It is much easier to make a guerrilla than coordinate a political movement".[2]
According to the JVP, a Politburo member,[2] known as Dharmasekara, was responsible. Osmond was the second leader of the JVP, after Wijeweera, and said that he had not been aware of the attack. Police raided his compound to arrest him, and in prison, Wijeweera sent a message to Osmond, who was also under arrest, according to 'Niyamuva', a JVP publication:
Distribute a leaflet to make the masses aware regarding the reppression, carry out other propaganda campaigns, full time activists to change their areas to avoid suppression and to retreat at places where reppression is high. Also, to meet lawyers favourable to the party regarding taking legal action to free the members currently under arrest.
