Norwegian Ambassador to India in New Delhi May-Elin Stener met National People’s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the JVP head office this afternoon. He also known by his initials AKD, is a Sri Lankan socialist politician. He is a Member of Parliament from the Colombo District, the current party leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (from 2014) and the National People’s Power (from 2019). A former presidential candidate in 2019, he has been named as the National People’s Power presidential candidate for the 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election.
He has been involved with the JVP since his school days and was active in student politics in university before joining the JVP politburo in 1995. He has been a member of parliament since September 2000, having been either appointed from the national list or elected, Dissanayake served as the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation from 2004 to 2005 and Chief Opposition Whip from 2015 to 2018. He was named the leader of JVP at the 7th National Convention of the party, held on 2 February 2014.
Second Secretary of the Norwegian Embassy John Bjerkem and NPP MP Vijitha Herath and Harini Amarasuriya attended the meeting.
The current political situation in the country and the economic crisis that Sri Lanka is facing were discussed at length, party sources said.
The two parties also discussed the elections to be held this year.
Attrocities of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) or Peoples’ Liberation Front
During the period 1987-1992 the JVP murdered hundreds of members of the working class in the South of the island in order to force people to join anti-government strikes.
Just 15 year ago JVP attacked the holiest of Buddhist shrines, the sacred Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy and also the Katunayake International airport.
Information below is gathered from a news paper in Sri Lanka. (An official document marked ‘top secret’ listed killings that the JVP carried out during this time.)
Killed :
3210 Informants 1735 Government supporters 487 Government servants
52 Educationists (Including 50 Principals, a vice chancellor and a University professor)
70 Politicians (35 were leading politicians)
Service personnel :
209 Security forces 342 Police personnel 98 Home guards
In 1989 alone, JVP murdered 24 Buddhist clergies (For refusing to bow to the Marxists principles)
| Name of Buddihist Clergy | Buddhist Temple | Date |
| Rev. Poddalamulle Premaloka | 18/12/1988 | |
| Rev. Marambe Somaratana | 31/12/1988 | |
| Rev. Angunakolapelasse Upali | 07/01/1989 | |
| Rev. Kumbagoda Gunaloka | Mihintale Temple | 11/07/1987 |
| Rev. Kotikawatte Saddhatissa | 03/08/1989 | |
| Rev. Hemaloka | Nandimithra Temple –Pallama | 04/08/1989 |
| Rev. W. Pangnatisa | Athurugiriya Temple | 13/08/1989 |
| Rev. Soragune Pangnasara | Rajamahaviharaya | 20/08/1989 |
| Rev. Kirawanagama Pangnarama | 27/08/1989 | |
| Rev. Welltota Pangnadassi | Kithalagamuwa Temple | 30/08/1989 |
| Rev. Pelpola Dharmapala | Jayasumanaramaya | 04/09/1989 |
| Rev. Muditha | Sri Sudharshanaramaya – Hiniduma | 05/09/1989 |
| Rev. Kahawa Wimalasiri | Bodhirajaramaya | 09/09/1989 |
| Rev. Mahanuwara Dammarakkitha | Bambarangala Temple | 18/09/1989 |
| Rev. Govunne Rathanajothi | Mawelagama Rajamaha Viharaya | 20/09/1989 |
| Rev. Thiaranagama Rathanasara | 29/09/1989 | |
| Rev. Thambugala Anandasiri | 13/10/1989 | |
| Rev. Dikpitiye Angirasa | Sri Keththarama Temple | 05/10/1989 |
| Rev. Kalutara Dharmarathana | 12/10/1989 | |
| Rev. Wimalakeerthi | Dangolla Temple – Horambawa | 20/10/1989 |
| Rev. Nikapitiye Siddhartha | Deliwala Temple | 30/10/1989 |
| Rev. D. Gunawansa | Mangalagama Pirivena – Molagoda | 05/11/1989 |
| Rev. Welipitiye Pangnatissa | Viyaneliya Temple | 29/11/1989 |
| Rev. Bamunupotha Somarathana | Medpitiya Temple | 10/12/1989 |
| Rev. W. Pangnananda | Weulukannala Temple | 11/12/1989 |
| Rev. Ambewela Chandrajothi | Kulubululanda Viharaya | 12/12/1989 |
| Rev. Rekawa Pangnasiddhi | Ubhayaramaya Temple – Rekawa | 16/12/1989 |
In 1987 and 1988 two Catholic priests were killed by JVP.
Name of Priest Place of incident Date
Fr. Michael Paul Rodrigo Subaseth Gedara, Kataragama 11/10/1987
Fr. P. Lionel Jayasinghe Lanka Deva Sabhawa – Tissamaharamaya 25/03/1988
Vandalism and sabotage by JVP
Destroyed
553 CTB buses 15 CTB depots 01 CTB workshop
113 Government vehicles 29 Private vehicles
Vandalised
16 Trains 12 Rail tracks 24 Railway stations
680 Post offices 18 Postal vehicles 12 Telecommunication centres
01 CTO building 84 Key telephone lines
04 Paddy collecting centres and cultivation and milk collecting centres
73 Tea factories 38 Estate bungalows
Many Estate vehicles, Tea leaf collecting centres
Corporations vandalised
(1)Timber Corporation depots (2) Distilleries (3) Weaving centres,
(4) Building Materials Corporation (5) Plywood Corporation (6) Cashew Corporation,
(7) Fertiliser Corporation (8) Mining buildings (9) Government schools.
Sabotaged
132 Electric transformers 13 Pylons 69 Power lines
02 Power stations 25 Electric meters 09 Elec-sub stations
103 Agrarian service centres
Attacked
More than 40 Banks
21 Government office
294 Offices of Government agents
Private property damaged
107 Homes of service personnel 76 Houses of Police officers Home Guards
20 Houses of civilians 33 Private buildings
05 Sarvodaya Centres Homes of provincial council members,
Social centres and Trade union offices
Foreign construction projects and construction centres
JVP ADMITTED KILLING IN THOUSANDS
JVP leader Somawansa admitted to the killing of at least 6,000 people
Civil society was shocked to learn that Somawansa Amerasinghe has accepted that the Janatha Vimuke Peramuna (JVP) murdered 6000 people including hundreds of politicians and others, including President Kumaratunga’s husband Vijeya Kumaratunga! Amerasinghe is the only member still alive of the JVP politburo of that time. Civil society expects that the international community will demand legal action after the revelation of such a vast number of brutal murders.
He has been in self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom for the past few years. The evidence against him has been well documented and there is a warrant in Sri Lanka for his arrest.
It is shameful that the Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga to brought Somawansa from London as a State guest to address the election rally last year and then allowed him to go back to UK, instead of having him arrested. Yet another outrageous act of President Chandrika!
According to Human rights organisations and the Sri Lankan media, the JVP has killed or contributed to the killing of more than 60,000 people in 1980s.
