Mr J R Jayawardene Speaks to the BBC on the Indian involvement and LTTE on Sri Lanka in 1985

J R Jayawardena, the first executive president of Sri Lanka expresses his views on India and their involvement in training the LTTE to the BBC interviewer in 1985. Mr Jayawardene later on went on to sign a peace accord in 1987 (subsequent to Indian intervention on Sri Lanka territorial integrity) with the prime minister of India Rajiv Gandhi to bring about a solution to the Tamil armed problem and as a result of that the IPKF was sent in to Sri Lanka by India.
The peace accord was very unpopular among the Sri Lankan folks resulted in many demonstrations against it.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• JR
• Jayawardene
• Jayawardena
• UNP
• 1985
• peace
• talks
• British
• influence
• Sri
• Lanka
• government
• ethnic
• conflict
• Sinhala
• Tamil
• Politics
• LTTE
• India
• Rajiv
• Gandhi
• BBC
• SLFP
• JVP
• Marxism
• Dr196903

[goonewj]

Hi Vidhura,

I think I agree with Palitha. Whatever the outcome is, JR is part of our history. The first Executive President. Thanks for preserving the clip and sharing !!

Cheers

Jude

[Dr196903]

Hi Jude,

Thanks for your appreciation.

I think after 1977 where UNP got an unprecedented 5/6 power made a huge impact on our political map. TULF became the opposition and that paved the way to seeds of separation. Amirthalingam was a man with a view of Prabhakaran.

The global politics were very different to now so JR had a tough time, at least this is my understanding, partly due to his sidelining with the duplicitous western world and alienating the countries more closer to us.

Regards

Vidhura

[palithabatu]

Dear Vidura,

You are correct J R had no option but to alianate India totally but Why?, since india was harbouring the LTTE at that time, not only that they trained them, and had training camps.

J R was more shrewd, it was J R and Praba who were in the ring first and Rajiv was the umpire. J R changed that stance and instead got Rajiv into the ring with Prabha and JR became the umpire.

But I still stand on what I said "you cannot compare 80's with present.

rgds

Palitha

[malumalumalu]

except for his policy towards the tamil issue, JR was a great president. A juggernaut of the UNP and a powerful leader who made many great accomplishments particularly in the economic sphere.

[nip3ful3]

GREAT MAN

[nuwank100]

We Sinhalese got the mandate to rule SL in 1948. We used it to top up the power instead of having a peacefull system. We always think that Tamil groups are demanding (could be ltte or tulf), without looking at the root issue. We should at least look at the system in Pak and India to share the basic powers to regions.

[thusharasampath]

Great person and a great speach. Hon J. R. emphasises that this is not an ethnic problem which is the first thing we would have shown to the world.

[ambien247]

J.R jayawadene is a disgrace to the whole nation

[Chamath5]

kalakaniya speaking

[Dann3200]

@maxelldemon Totally agree with U.

[MegaContented]

LTTE was nursed and breast fed by India , Then adopted and used by the British and the US.

Arms dealers love wars, then US had plans to use them to torpido India any time they need them.

Now LTTE is no more Srilankans should get their act together and move forward.

They shouldn't kiss British butts, like most tamil coolies have been brainlessly doing over the years.

[nirmalsuki]

I think people are reading way too much into this along the party politics line. If you listen to what he says, it's obvious to all. He put it right in saying that it was not an Ethnic conflict. It's not an Ethnic conflict. If it was one, there'd be mass scale killings of minorities, and so much more violence. (massacres like in Rwanda) It was a war against an armed terrorist outfit, which is now thankfully over for the most part. 

[nirmalsuki]

@Dr196903 Are you implying that Mahinda Maama is honest? I am laughing so much that my anal sphincter hurts.