1971 JVP insurrection

1971 JVP insurrection
	Part of the Cold War
	; Attack on the Deniyaya police station
Date	5 April – June 1971
Location	Dominion of Ceylon
Result	Ceylonese government victory Rebel leaders were captured and the remaining members surrendered; Ceylonese government re-established control of the entire island; Expulsion of North Korean diplomats;
Territorial; changes	The JVP controlled Ceylon's Southern Province and Sabaragamuwa Province for several weeks
Belligerents
Ceylon Sri Lankan Coalition (from 15 May) SLFP; CCP (Pro-Soviet); LSSP; ; Military intervention: India; Pakistan; Soviet Union;	JVP; Supported by: North Korea; Albania (arms support); China (alleged); ASBPI; CCP (Maoist) (alleged); Diplomatic support: South Yemen;
Commanders and leaders
Sirima Bandaranaike; Sepala Attygalle; S.A. Dissanayake; D. V. Hunter; Paddy Mendis	Rohana Wijeweera; Wijesena Vidanage (Sanath) †; W.T.Karunnarathe; N. Jayasinghe (Loku Athula); P. Kumarasiri (POW)
Units involved
Royal Ceylon Armed Forces; ; Ceylon Police; Indian Armed Forces; Pakistan Armed Forces; Soviet Air Forces;	SSU; Korean People's Army;
Strength
7,000 Army ; 1,900 Air Force; 2,000 Navy; Soviet Air Forces: 60	10,000–12,000 combatants ; 80,000 followers (estimate)
Casualties and losses
Police: 37 killed; 195 wounded Armed Forces: 26 killed; 310 wounded; 1 Aircraft lost	15,000 killed (per Rohana Wijeweera); <12,000 killed (official Government estimate); 5,700 surrendered; Several arrested, multiple North Korean supply vessels captured by the Ceylon navy and Indian navy; Several leaders arrested
	12,000 killed (official Government estimate); 15,000 - 20,000+ killed (neutral estimates); up to 50,000 killed (activist estimates); 100+ killed in run-up events in March

The 1971 Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) insurrection (also known as the 1971 Revolt) was the first of two unsuccessful armed revolts conducted by the communist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) against the socialist United Front Government of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) under Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. The revolt began on 5 April 1971 and lasted until June of that year. The insurgents held towns and rural areas for several weeks, until the regions were recaptured by the armed forces, following strong support from friendly nations that sent men and material. Although this first attempt to seize power was quickly crushed by force, in 1987 the JVP launched a low-intensity insurgency in the island's southern, central and western regions that lasted several years.

The insurrection formally began in 1971, but the first attacks took place in 1970. The JVP fought the right-wing United National Party (UNP) before launching an island-wide, militant opposition to the newly elected, pro-socialist United Front government. The government's socialist background drew the attention of many states which offered to support it. The Soviet Union sent 60 air-force troops; India guarded the forts, stopping North Korean vessels and a Chinese freighter which raided the harbours. Although China provided diplomatic aid, it was accused of supporting the JVP; Chinese diplomats allegedly contacted North Korea, which supplied weapons and ammunition to the JVP.