An Analytıcal Study on Whether Physıcal Torture or Psychologıcal Tactıcs Were Caused ın Defeatıng the Second Armed Struggle of the Janatha Vımukthı Peramuna (JVP)

Abstract

Every human being is born with dignity and every citizen has the right to respects and protect it. also every person has the right to life ,and no one has the right to harm anyone in violation of the law. However, when the people or a political party or organization rises up against the existing legitimate government in an anti-democratic and anti-democratic manner, criminal acts such as arrests, torture, killings, and disappearances are carried out under repressive laws. In the course of history, we find many examples of how even ordinary people have been greatly affected by the failure of government officials to consider to life, especially when there is a civil war in a country of when deciding to start a war. Also since the inception of the monarchy in Sri Lanka the perpetrators have been torturing opponents and punishing those accused of various offenses. They have been described as the thirty tow tortures of our history (Maitipe,1981:148). Accordingly it appears that dangerous punishment systems have been in place in this country since ancient times. The second armed struggle launched by the JVP against the government in during from 1986 – 1989 was crushed down by the army using measures beyond legal limitations a large number of JVP members were arbitrarily detained island wide in the police and army camps and in other places for lengthy periods. There the detainees were treated with harsh punishments. Many were put to death after severely torturing them without any court trials or post mortems. Although the security forces and un-official armed groups inflicted deterrent punishments and inhuman torturing, JVP movement could not be destroyed. Subsequently the government newly employed psychological war tactics to eradicate the JVP. This paper attempts to examine which way was more effective in defeating the JVP.