During the period of suppression of the JVP under the Premadasa government, most of the JVP politburo members were killed. The only survivor of this onslaught was Somawansa Amarasinghe, who fled Sri Lanka. He initially sought refuge in India and then moved to Thailand and eventually to Europe, where he received political asylum. Somawansa played a crucial role in reviving the JVP from exile, reconnecting with regional leaders in hiding, and transforming the organization into a functioning political party.
In 2001, Somawansa returned to Sri Lanka after years in exile. Addressing an election rally, he acknowledged that his life had been saved by India. Indian media reported excerpts from his speech, where he expressed gratitude for the support he received during his time of need which is given below.
“A prominent Sri Lankan Marxist leader, who returned to the island ending a 12-year self-imposed exile in Europe, has said that India helped him flee a government crackdown on his party’s second insurrection against the state in 1987-89.
Somawansa Amarasinghe, the sole surviving member of the original politburo of the Janatha Vimukti Peramuna, or people’s liberation front, thanked India and former prime minister V P Singh for helping him survive the crackdown in an era that saw many murders in Sri Lanka
Addressing his first public meeting at Kalutara outside Colombo on Friday night, a day after his arrival, the JVP leader showed signs that the party had shed its well-known anti-India policy of yesteryear
He paid tribute to the people of India, V P Singh and Indian officials who helped him escape. His acknowledgement also went out to many countries that gave him refuge, including Britain, France and Italy, the island daily said on Saturday. Amarasinghe, 58, was allowed to return to Sri Lanka by the People’s alliance government to campaign for the JVP ahead of the December 5 parliamentary election. He had fled the country after the then United National Party government cracked down on suspected JVP activists throughout the country to crush the revolt”.
– Times of India November 24th 2001
At the time of Somawansa’s statement, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the current President of Sri Lanka, and several cabinet ministers were parliamentarians of the JVP. Anura eventually succeeded Somawansa as the leader of the JVP, continuing to build on the party’s legacy.
In January 2024, President Anura Kumara visited India at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This marks a significant milestone, as Anura’s political journey and eventual presidency were indirectly influenced by the Indian visit.
Somawansa’s survival and efforts to rebuild the JVP played a pivotal role in shaping the party’s future, ultimately paving the way for Anura Kumara’s rise to the presidency. Somawans’ survival in India was in November 1989 Anura’s invitation as president to visit India also came in November. The upcoming visit to India offers an opportunity for the President to reflect on and possibly acknowledge the historical connection between the JVP’s resurgence and India’s role during a critical period.
It is impossible to say for certain how grateful Anura is to India for protecting his leader Somawansa who helped to revive the JVP. Ranil recently went to India and said that Anura should implement the agreements he signed with Modi. Anura’s reply to this will come out in Delhi during his visit.
