No kiss-and-tell for `Junggie’ after retirement

Ex-bodyguard of Mrs. Bandaranaike recalls his stint:

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Jayantha Jayasinghe bids farewell to his colleagues, and men and women of the police department on April 8 earning rare honours in serving the country both in uniform and civvies since 1971 straight after leaving Royal College, Colombo .Jayasinghe, who is affectionately known to friends as “Junggie”, served Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s security unit for over eight years till her passing away in October 2000.

“Of my eight years with her, I had the privilege of serving as her personal security officer for seven years,” Jayasinghe said. “I was by her side when she passed away a few hours after voting at the October 2000 elections.”

Junggie who was also a college buddy of Anura, had a ringside view of palace intrigue and momentous political manoeuvring that shaped the future of Sri Lanka during a difficult period.

Asked about reports of family feuding and sibling rivalry that he may have been privy to, Jayasinghe declined to discuss about them..

“Yes, there are many things I know and probably only I knew at the time,” Jayasinghe said when asked about his close association with the Bandaranaikes in his professional capacity as the head of her security unit.

“I will not discuss her, or the family and there are some things I will have to take to my grave,” he said. “That is my professional training.

I hope the younger security officers will be able to maintain such standards.”

He noted that there were exceptionally good young officers in the service who could build on the success of their seniors and ensure true professionalism at all levels in the police service.

He has undergone VIP protective security training in India as well as in Sri Lanka apart from training in combat operations and post-explosion investigations in the US.

Following his elevation to the rank of DIG in 2007, Jayasinghe took over duties in the Eastern Range with Batticaloa as his base and was responsible for seeing the reestablishment of police stations in areas that were previously held by the LTTE.

A smooth transition to normal police duties in the newly liberated areas in the Eastern Range was spearheaded by Jayasinghe who implemented the Government policy of ensuring policing in areas where there had been no law and order for over a decade .

“I had the rare privilege of reestablishing police stations in areas where people had not seen the colour of a Sri Lankan policeman for decades,” Jayasinghe said. “I was able to win the hearts and the minds of the people because I spoke their language.”

A fluent speaker of Tamil, Jayasinghe built bridges to the local communities and ensured that the local population fully cooperated with the authorities in the massive reconstruction and rehabilitation work that is currently underway in the region.

Having been trained as an intelligence officer, Jayasinghe had also honed his skills in information gathering while at the National Intelligence Bureau and the Criminal Investigations Department.

He said he was particularly pleased he was able to erase the memories of the infamous 1999 Wayamba Provincial Council election and ensure that the voting for the same council 10 years later in February this year was conducted as one of the most peaceful elections.

“It is good that people will remember the 2009 Wayamba election as one of the most peaceful,” Jayasinghe said.

“I hope to spend my retirement in Kurunegala and it is a good thing that the neighbours know that I ensured that the name of the province was not sullied again.”

He said he was looking forward to spending more time with his three daughters and wife Wasana.