Self-exiled JVP leader arrives Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 November 2001, 15:34 GMT]
Mr.Somawanse Amarasinghe, the self-exiled sole surviving member of the 1980s politburo of the Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) arrived Colombo Thursday morning by a Sri Lankan Airlines flight from United Kingdom after a 12 year-long absence Mr.Amarasinghe is billed to address an election rally in support of the JVP at Kalutara in western province Friday, party sources said.

Mr.Somawansa Amarasinghe left the country at the height of second insurgency of the JVP in 1989 when the UNP government was in power. Security forces arrested several leaders of the JVP including founder the party Rohana Wjeweera and Upatissa Gamanayake. Later they were killed allegedly by government forces.

Political sources said that the arrival of Mr.Somawanse Amarasinghe has indicated that he is going to play a vital role in the country's politics before and after the forthcoming general election in forming a new government if the main political parties failed to obtain a comfortable majority in the new parliament.

Despite having two abortive and bloody uprisings against the Sri Lankan government (in 1971 and 1987), which were crushed by the security forces, the party entered the political mainstream and in the October 2000 general election emerged as a third force in the parliamentary politics with ten seats. The JVP leadership hopes to consolidate its position in Sri Lankan politics and obtain more parliamentary seats than last year's general election.

Earlier this year, despite prolonged animosity between the ruling People‚s Alliance and it, the Marxist party entered into an agreement to support the government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga, extracting several concessions in exchange.

However subsequent defections from the PA to the main opposition United National Party (UNP) ahead of a no-confidence motion filed by the latter forced the government to dissolve the parliament and call fresh elections.