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{{Short description|A former paramilitary organization in Sri Lanka}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox Militant organization
| native_name=දේශප්‍රේමී ජනතා ව්‍යාපාරය தேசபக்தி மக்கள் இயக்கம்
| name= Patriotic People's Movement
| role = Land Warfare
| colors = {{colorbox|#F90818}} [[Red]]
|image= Patriotic People's Movement.svg|alt=Digitally Drawn Logo of the DJV
| active = 1987—1989 (armed); until 1991
| battles = [[1987-1989 JVP insurrection]]
|image_size=
|caption= Patriotic People's Movement Logo
| country = {{flagdeco|Sri Lanka}} [[Sri Lanka]]
|size=2,000 ({{small|claim}})
|allegiance= {{flagicon image|Communist Hammer and Sickle flag.svg}} [[Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna|People's Liberation Front]]
| founded = 1986
| ideology = [[Communism]] [[Marxism–Leninism]] [[Anti-imperialism]] [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] [[nationalism]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2005/05/sri2-m25.html|title=Obscure Sri Lanka group claims responsibility for murder|date=25 May 2005}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/40664925|title=Sectarian Socialism: The Politics of Sri Lanka's Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)|author=Rajesh Venugopal|journal=Modern Asian Studies|year=2007|volume=44|issue=3|pages=567–602|jstor=40664925|ref={{harvid|Venugopal|2007}} }}</ref> [[Ultranationalism]]<ref name='tempest'/>
| position = [[Far-left politics|Far-left]]
| leader = [[Keerthi Vijayabahu]] {{KIA}}
| status = Banned since 1988
| financing = *[[Bank robberies|Bank heists]]
*Internationally received funds
|headquarters = [[Piliyandala]], [[Colombo]]
}}

[[File:DJV-death_threat_ka.png|thumb|death threats sent out by the DJV]]

'''Deshapremi Janatha Vyaparaya''' (abbreviated as '''DJV''') (දේශප්‍රේමී ජනතා ව්‍යාපාරය; '''Patriotic People's Movement'''){{sfn|Benjamin|page=263}} was a militant organisation in [[Sri Lanka]]. It was widely considered to be the military branch of the [[Marxism–Leninism|Marxist–Leninist]] [[Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna]] and had been designated as a terrorist organisation by the Sri Lankan government.<ref name='tempest'>{{Cite news|last=Tempest|first=Rone|title=Sri Lanka Fears Infiltration by Outlawed Group Mysterious Sinhalese Extremists Suspected in Parliament Grenade, Gun Attack.|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=1987}}</ref>

The DJV operated as an armed organisation between 1987 and 1989. Throughout this period, it perpetrated attacks on the [[Sri Lankan Armed Forces]] (SLAF) and those who it claimed to be 'Indian proxy'; a majority of attacks attributed to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, were carried on by guerillas or assassins belonging to the DJV.

==Operation==
According to most sources, led by Saman Piyasiri Fernando, [[nom de guerre]] Keerthi Vijayabahu, the DJV was a military branch of the JVP. The movement was divided into regional sectors based on urban cities. The regional commands developed island-wide would order its troops to attack enemy military installments. The commands were given through the Joint Command of the Patriotic People's Armed Forces. It would also issue death threats to those who serve in the SLAF.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/20/world/stunned-sri-lanka-studies-parliament-attack.html|title=Stunned Sri Lanka Studies Parliament Attack (Published 1987)|first1=Steven R.|last1=Weisman|first2=Special To the New York|last2=Times|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 20, 1987}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Nicolaisen|first1=Johannes|last2=Yde|first2=Jens|title=Folk|volume=36|year=1995}}</ref>

===Early activity and recognition===
{{main|1987 grenade attack in the Sri Lankan Parliament}}
The first attack attributed to the DJV was the grenade attack that took place in the Sri Lankan parliament. An assailant hurled two grenades, which killed two and wounded 14 including then [[prime minister]] [[Ranasinghe Premadasa]], and [[Lalith Athulathmudali]]. In the immediate aftermath, the term 'DJV' started to appear in booklets distributed at [[Colombo]], the most populated city of Sri Lanka.

The term 'Deshapremi Janatha Vyaparaya' first got international recognition following its call to the BBC correspondent, [[John Rettie]]. The caller who represented the ''DJV'', claimed that it consists of 2,000 active militants. The caller expressed ultranationalist ideals, he claimed "JR must be killed for his autonomy to the Tamil people" The caller further claimed the organization is an independent organization and is not affiliated to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna.{{sfn|Tempest|1987}} The president back then, [[J.R Jayawardene]], however, said that this is nothing but a cover organisation of the JVP, he further predicted possible affiliation between it and the Tamil militants in the North Eastern regions of Sri Lanka.{{sfn|Pfaffenburger|page=7}}

===As a guerrilla organisation===
The DJV was made up of youths trained in certain rural areas. These militants were uniformed similarly to the soldiers of the [[Sri Lankan Army|SLAF]]. The militants patrolled towns at night and attacked politicians mostly from rightist parties and rival leftists. The major target was military bases of the SLAF. Military installments of Sri Lankan Army and Air Force were attacked alongside police stations, these attacks mostly ended in success.{{fact|date=December 2022}}

Several weapons recovered by the Sri Lankan Army was stolen from bases in the central province where the JVP had its headquarters.{{fact|date=December 2022}}

===Intimidation tactics===
{{further|List of people assassinated by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna}}
The DJV caused violence to intimidate and kill those who supported infamous [[Indo-Lanka accord]].{{sfn|Johari|1991|page=2}} Violence escalated during the 1989 general elections, mostly to intimidate the voters.{{sfn|Dawoody|page=334}}<ref>{{Cite report|title=Report on the Parliamentary Elections on the 15th of February 1989 general elections|work=People's Action for Free and Fair Elections (contributor)|pages=46–47}}</ref> With violent acts of sabotage and intimidation, it brought the country to standstill. Posters and death threats were passed on to both the public and targeted individuals calling for boycotts of Indian goods and clothing; those who denied the orders were targeted by specific assassins and were assassinated. Assassinations of this manner included the assassinations of film star [[Vijaya Kumaratunga]], [[Gladys Jayawardene]], and [[K. Gunaratnam]]. It furthermore targeted newscasters to intimidate the media which served propaganda against it. [[Premakeerthi De Alwis]] and [[Sagarika Gomes]] were some of the targeted newscasters.{{sfn|Gunawardena|2005}}

==Origin and allegiance==
DJV was mostly made up of undergraduates from the [[University of Peradeniya]], who made contact to the organisation through the [[Socialist Students' Union]].{{sfn|de Silva|Jayatileke|1997|page=191}}

While there are multiple official accounts that claim the DJV was the armed wing of the JVP,{{sfn|Mainuddin|1997|page=12}}{{sfn|Dhana|page=20}} there is no convincing evidence to confirm this, as the DJV members never swore allegiance to the JVP or any of its party organizations.<ref>{{cite book|title=The J.V.P., 1969-1989|page=289}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Understanding South Asia|year=1994|page=137}}</ref> However, the JVP claims: DJV was founded by JVP to operate as a frontal force.<ref>{{cite book|title=History of the JVP|page=192}}</ref>

According to [[Rohana Wijeweera]], the DJV is a patriotic composition of multiple political parties and unions in the country.<ref>{{cite interview|last=Wijeweera|first=Rohana|newspaper=[[Tamil Times]]|title=DJV not our armed division|url=http://noolaham.net/34/3317/3317.pdf}}</ref>

===Tamil militant support===
As the JVP began its second uprising, many Tamil organisations started providing it arms, regardless of how nationalist was the DJV, and how would it operate against the Tamil minority. A majority of Tamil organizations feared getting overrun by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF).<ref>{{cite news|year=1988|title=The opposition within|url=http://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/neighbours/story/19880115-sri-lanka-janatha-vimukthi-peramuna-unleashes-reign-of-terror-on-united-national-party-796883-1988-01-15}}</ref>

[[Premakumar Gunaratnam]] and Wijeweera sent troops of the JVP military branch (believed to be DJV) to train in various camps used by Tamil militant groups, more importantly, [[People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam]] (PLOTE). The JVP military branch gave PLOTE a certain amount of lorry engines and was given claymores by PLOTE in return. These claymores were largely used against the Indian and Sri Lankan infantry vehicles.([[#In the Northeast]])

==After 1989==
===1989===
{{see also|Death of Rohana Wijeweera}}
Following the arrest of Rohana Wijeweera, he was shot by a comrade, [[H. B. Herath]], as they were on the way to the headquarters of the DJV / JVP. Following his death, the leadership of the JVP got transferred to Keerthi Vijayabahu. Herath was subsequently executed. As Wijeweera may have revealed the location of the DJV safehouse, the military headquarters of the JVP, it was overrun following a gunfight between the SLAF and the DJV. The Sri Lankan government media released a report on December 29, 1989, as "the leader of the JVP military wing killed along with four other cadres due to the crossfire between security forces and the JVP at their military wing headquarters, a farm located at Piliyandala"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/29/world/sri-lanka-reports-death-of-top-sinhalese-militant.html|newspaper=New York Times|title=Sri Lanka Reports Death of Top Sinhalese Militant}}</ref>

===Aftermath===
The DJV ceased to exist after 1989. The JVP however, returned to mainstream politics through elections; the organisation since then had major splits between revolutionaries and democrats.{{sfn|Venugopal|2007}}

==List of Attacks==
{{see also|List of attacks on civilians attributed to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna}}
DJV attacks are also attributed to the [[Patriotic People's Armed Troops]], also a frontal organization of the JVP, these include the attack on the SLAF detachment in Pallekele.

===In the Northeast===
In 1989 the organising committee of the JVP ordered Premakumar to attack the IPKF following the second anniversary of signing the [[Indo-Lanka accord]]. The attack was planned as a mine attack.{{sfn|Guneratne|1990|pages=100-260}}

On 25 July 1989, the DJV planted two mines in roads where the cadre knew IPKF infantry troops travel through. Sarath Kule, an explosives expert, planted the mines. Watchers were kept to identify IPKF vehicles. The first mine didn't explode, however, the second successfully exploded, damaging the infantry vehicle. The cadre then rushed into the vehicle and stole an Indian Light Machine Gun. There were Indian troops outside firing at the cadre but none were shot. Fourteen IPKF jawans were killed in the attack.<ref name='dbsjeyaraj'>{{Cite web|url=http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/37896|title=How the JVP Fought a Guerilla War Against the Indian Army in Trincomalee|website=dbsjeyeraj.com|last=Jeyaraj|first=DBS|date=12 February 2015|author-link=D. B. S. Jeyeraj}}</ref>

A statement made later recalling the incident says:
{{quote|Kumara Gunaratnam's older brother Ranjithan (said to be dead) was one of the most intelligent, able and disciplined cadres I have met anywhere. By comparison, Kumara himself seems to have had more guts than brains, but those guts were in abundance. While the JVP cadre was busily murdering Sinhala leftists and minor state employees in the name of a patriotic war against the IPKF, Kumara was a true believer who actually planned and possibly participated in an ambush of an IPKF unit. The morning after, the JVP leadership contacted the Indian Deputy High Commissioner and profusely apologised, promising never to repeat that.<ref name='dbsjeyaraj'/>}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite journal|title=Indian Intervention and Resurgence of the JVP|last= Pfaffenburger|first=B.|journal= [[Asian Survey]]|volume= 28|issue= 2|pages= 137–147| publisher= University of California press|doi= 10.2307/2644815|jstor= 2644815}}
*{{cite book|title=Religion and Self-Determination : A Case Study of Sri Lanka|last=Mainuddin|first=Rolin|year=1997|publisher=Manju Jain}}
*{{cite book|last=Gunawardena|first=A.|year=2005|title=Encyclopedia of Sri Lanka|chapter=Jayawardene}}
*{{cite book|last=Johari|first=J.C.|title=Governments and Politics of South Asia|year=1991|location=Bangladesh|publisher=Link Press|isbn=1873444001|chapter=The Indo-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987}}
*{{cite book|last=Dawoody|first=Alexander R.|title=Eradicating Terrorism from the Middle East: Policy and Administrative Approaches|publisher=Springer|volume=17|series=Public Administration, Governance and Globalization}}
*{{cite book|last1=de Silva|first1=K.M.|last2=Jayatileke|first2=T.|title=Peradeniya|year=1997|publisher=International Centre for Ethnic Studies}}
*{{cite book|title=Democratic Process, Foreign Policy and Human Rights in South Asia|last=Benjamin|first=J.}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==

*Matthews, B (1988). ''Sinhala Cultural and Buddhist Patriotic Organizations in Contemporary Sri Lanka''. [[University of British Columbia]].
*Oruvala, B (2008). Lumumbāven bihi vū Rōhaṇa Vijēvīra {{isbn|978-9-55551-579-5}}
* {{cite book |first=Anthony Christopher |last=Alles |author-link=A. C. Alles |title=An Account of the April Insurrection in Sri Lanka}}

==External links==
* [http://jvpsrilanka.com Official Website]

'''Sri Lanka Army'''
* [http://alt.army.lk/slsr/old-memories4 Documentary of the Sinha Regiment by the SLA]

{{JVP}}
{{Sri Lankan Civil War}}

[[Category:Factions in the Sri Lankan Civil War]]
[[Category:Sinhalese nationalist organisations]]
[[Category:1987–1989 JVP insurrection]]
[[Category:Anti-Indian sentiment in Asia]]
[[Category:Anti-Hindu sentiment]]
[[Category:Communist militant groups]]
[[Category:Guerrilla organizations]]
[[Category:Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna]]
[[Category:Left-wing militant groups]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1986]]
[[Category:Paramilitary organisations based in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:North Korea–Sri Lanka relations]]
[[Category:Anti-imperialist organizations]]
[[Category:Anti-revisionist organizations]]
[[Category:Indian Peace Keeping Force]]

Deshapremi Janatha Vyaparaya - Revision history

Bot: robot: Create/update articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.