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Former JVP strongman, political mentor Somawansa Amarasinghe laid to rest
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Pic by Indika Handuwala
The funeral of former Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Leader and General Secretary of the People’s Servants Party, Somawansa Amarasinghe took place at the Borella cemetery last evening. He was 73 at the time of his death.
Born in 1943, Mr Amarasinghe, a past pupil of Kalutara Vidyalaya, became actively involved in politics from a young age. However, it was with the JVP, which he joined in 1969, that he made his mark. He was an active member of the JVP for 45 years, rising steadily through the ranks to become a politburo member and ultimately, party leader.
At the outbreak of the JVP’s first insurrection on April 5, 1971, he was a member of the group assigned to capture then Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. The attempt failed and he was arrested and detained by the security forces. He was sentenced to two years in prison in 1974.
Mr. Amarasinghe became a member of the JVP’s politburo in 1984. He was the only one among the 14 politburo members to survive the second JVP insurrection during 1987-89.
In 1989, he fled overseas and spent many years in exile in Europe, before returning permanently to the country in 2004.
He is credited as the key figure in the JVP’s revival from a revolutionary movement to a mainstream political party during the 1990s.
He handed over leadership of the JVP to Anura Kumara Dissanayake in February 2014, but resigned from the party a year later, after falling out with the party leadership.
Mr. Amarasinghe then formed a new party, Janatha Sewaka Pakshaya (JSP) or People’s Servants Party. He remained its General Secretary up until the time of his death.
Expressing his condolences, President Maithripala Sirisena described Somawansa Amarasinghe as a relentless politician with unflinching integrity. “His presence in Sri Lankan politics will be dearly missed,” he added.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe called Mr. Amarasinghe “a rare leader,” adding that the leadership he provided to bring the JVP into the democratic fold cannot be forgotten.
The JVP saluted its former leader for the services he rendered to the party and for the people for 45 years.
“The leadership task he carried out amidst repression and defeats, with unrelenting dedication and determination, would live among the whole membership of the party and the downtrodden masses of this country,” said the JVP’s politburo in a statement.