Terrorism in Sri Lanka has been a highly destructive phenomenon during the 20th and 21st centuries, especially so during the periods of the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983–2009) and the first (1971) and second JVP insurrections (1987–1989). A common definition of terrorism is the systematic or threatened use of violence to intimidate a population or government for political, religious, or ideological goals. Sri Lanka is a country that has experienced some of the worst known acts of modern terrorism, such as suicide bombings, massacres of civilians and assassination of political and social leaders. Terrorism has posed a significant threat to the society, economy and development of the country. The Prevention of Terrorism Act of 1978 is the legislation that provides the powers to law enforcement officers to deal with issues related to terrorism in Sri Lanka.Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act No. 48 of 1979, SATP It was first enacted as a temporary law in 1979 under the presidency of J. R. Jayewardene, and later made permanent in 1982.
Terrorism found in Sri Lanka can be mainly categorized into three forms: ethno-nationalist terrorism, far-left terrorism and state terrorism. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) are two of the most prominent and most deadly terrorist groups in Sri Lankan history.JVP and LTTE the twin menace that destroyed this Nation, A.A.M. Nizam, Daily NewsTrying to shoo the Eagle away, The IslandThe Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka: Terrorism, Ethnicity, Political Economy, Asoka Bandarage The LTTE, also known as Tamil Tigers, was a Sri Lankan Tamil militant group which waged an armed struggle against the Sri Lankan government and the Sinhalese ethnic majority with the aim of establishing an independent Tamil ethnostate.Taming the Tamil Tigers, FBILTTE, International Terrorist Symbols Data BaseInternational Perspectives on Terrorist Victimisation: An Interdisciplinary, Javier ArgomanizSri Lanka's RehabilitationProgram: A New Frontierin Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency, Malkanthi Hettiarachchi This campaign led to the Sri Lankan Civil War, which ran from 1983 until 2009, when the LTTE was decisively defeated by the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna is a Marxist–Leninist communist party, which was involved in two armed uprisings against the ruling governments in 1971 (SLFP) and 1987–89 (UNP). After the two unsuccessful insurrections, the JVP joined democratic politics in 1994.
In 2026, the Sri Lankan Cabinet approved the "Safeguarding the State from Terrorism" Bill to replace the erstwhile Prevention of Terrorism Act.
History and origins
JVP insurrections
The leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna drew worldwide attention to Sri Lanka, when it launched an insurrection against the Bandaranaike government in April 1971. Although the insurgents were young, poorly armed, and inadequately trained, they succeeded in seizing and holding major areas in Southern and Central provinces before they were defeated by the security forces.The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, Library of Congress Country Studies Their attempt to seize power created a major crisis for the government and forced a fundamental reassessment of the nation's security needs. The conflict saw a limited usage of weapons and tactics from both sides. The JVP had prepared for the insurrection in the years leading up to it gathering weapons and ammunition, though they had limited access to modern weapons.
The government reacted to the JVP's insurrection by launching a brutal crackdown which resulted in the killing, in a period of just five weeks, of up to 20,000 young people suspected of being JVP members. According to another source, the official death toll was about 1,200 but unofficial figures reliably estimated it to be around four to five thousand.The Insurrection that Turned Sri Lanka's Political Culture Violent, Professor Laksiri Fernando, Asian Tribune JVP became the first organization to be proscribed in Sri Lanka in 1971, after their revolt.Ramifications of banning political parties and organisations , Daily Mirror The government forces were ill-equipped to deal with a full-scale insurrection with world war two vintage British weapons. Although the major danger disappeared after three weeks, it took nearly three more months to completely eradicate the rebellion outposts in the jungles and remote villages.
The JVP was proscribed once again, after July 1983 disturbances amidst government allegations that they have been involved in plots to destabilize the country and overthrow the government. This led to the second insurrection of JVP.Building Local Capacities for Peace, Markus Mayer, Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake, Yuvi Thangarajah The second insurrection was not an open revolt, like the 1971 insurrection but appeared to be a low intensity conflict that lasted from 1987 to 1989 with the JVP resorting to assassinations, subversion, raids and attacks on military and civilian targets.Wolf in a sheep's skin – JVP's new clothes, The Island-opinion The JVP's military wing Deshapremi Janatha Vyaparaya (Patriotic People's Movement aka DJV) was more active in terrorist activities in the second insurrection.Lal Kantha lets the cat out of the bag, The Island During the second insurrection DJV gave priority to the killing of civilians, be it political rivals or simple citizens who disobeyed the innumerable orders of JVP.1989 election amidst JVP terror, Sunday Observer, W.T.A. Leslie Fernando
The UNP government cracked down on the JVP's insurrection using brutal force, killing tens of thousands of students and other civilians suspected of being JVP sympathisers. According to some sources over 60,000 persons were killed during this insurrection, others sources suggests that the number of killed and made to disappear by killer squads is altogether not more than 35,000.JVP atrocities: set that record straight-Reign of terror, 1986–1990, Daily News, Dharman Wickremaratne The total number of victims included those of the DJV, the military wing of JVP and as well as those killed in retaliation by the government's official armed groups and other killer squads. Throughout this insurrection many state and private property were also destroyed. The second insurrection of JVP came to and end, when JVP's key leaders such as Rohana Wijeweera, Upatissa Gamanayake and Saman Piyasiri Fernando were assassinated by the end of 1989.JVP Leader and Revolutionary Rohana Wijeweera's demise 25 years ago, D.B.S.Jeyaraj, Daily MirrorFSP leader Kumar Gunaratnam fought a Guerilla war against the Indian army, Daily Mirror
Sri Lankan Civil War
The government forces of Sri Lanka were involved in an armed conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a militant organisation which fought to create an independent Tamil state in the northern and eastern provinces of the island. Beginning from 1983, the war has lasted nearly three decades and was one of the longest-running civil wars in Asia. After a 26-year long military campaign, the Sri Lankan military defeated the Tamil Tigers in May 2009, bringing the civil war to an end. There are widespread allegations that the Sri Lankan military and the LTTE committed numerous atrocities and human rights violations, including war crimes, during the civil war. A United Nations report found that as many as 40,000 civilians may have been killed in the final months of the civil war, mostly as a result of indiscriminate shelling by the Sri Lankan military. The report also found that the Sri Lankan military/government shelled hospitals and humanitarian objects; denied humanitarian assistance; violated the human rights of civilians and LTTE combatants; and it violated the human rights of those outside the conflict zone such as the media. The report concluded that the "conduct of the war represented a grave assault on the entire regime of international law designed to protect individual dignity during both war and peace". During the final phases of the war, the LTTE used Tamil civilians as Human shields to protect fleeing cadres, which accounted for dramatic increase of casualties in the last months of the conflict.Gender, National Security, and Counter-Terrorism: Human rights perspectives, edited by Margaret L. Satterthwaite, Jayne HuckerbyThe Ethics of Insurgency, pg 147, By Michael L. Gross The LTTE is also accused for attacking the Tamil civilians who fled their diminishing control areas during the final phases of the war.LTTE propaganda, Human Rights Watch, John MacKinnon via LankawebSee LTTE for cold blooded murderers they are" – Human Rights Minister, News Line (Government of Sri Lanka) The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is currently investigating the alleged war crimes.
For over 25 years, the war caused significant hardships to the population, environment and the economy of the country, with at least 100,000 people killed during its course. The tactics employed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during the war and specially, their attacks to civilian targets, use of child soldiers and suicide bombings resulted in them listing as a terrorist organization in 32 countries, including the United States, India, Canada and the member nations of the European Union.Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam, Mapping militant organizations, Stanford UniSee here for related references. The LTTE was proscribed for the first time in Sri Lanka in 1998, after their attack to the temple of the tooth, a highly sacred Buddhist shrine and a UNESCO world heritage site. The police and home guards retaliated for the Temple of the Tooth attack by massacring eight Tamil civilians in Tampalakamam on 3 February 1998. Later the LTTE was proscribed again in 2009. In May 2009, Sri Lankan government formally declared an end to the 25-year civil war after the army took control of the entire island and the death of the founding leader of the Tamil Tigers, Velupillai Prabhakaran.Sri Lanka declares end to war with Tamil Tigers, The Guardian
Islamic terrorism
The National Thowheeth Jama'ath is a local militant Islamist group with suspected ties to the Islamic State. The group is most notable for orchestrating the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings on 21 April 2019 (Easter Sunday), when NTJ suicide bombers attacked three Catholic churches in Colombo, Negombo, and Batticaloa and three luxury hotels in Colombo. 269 people were killed, including at least 45 foreigners, and over 500 more were injured. On 27 April 2019, Sri Lankan security forces and militants from National Thowheeth Jama'ath clashed after the security forces raided a safe house of the militants. Sixteen people, including six children, died during the raid, and two more were injured, as three cornered suicide bombers blew themselves up.
The group was also involved in the brutal murder of two police officers Ganesh Dinesh and Niroshan Indika in 2018, which at the time was wrongfully blamed on a former LTTE cadre.
Terrorist attacks