1. Not a prominent figure during the JVP's 1971 insurrection, Gamanayake emerged as a leader only after the releasing of the JVP detainees in 1977.
21 Facts About Upatissa Gamanayake
1. 2.
Upatissa Gamanayake unsuccessfully contested the 1983 Anamaduwa by-election under JVP.
3.
Upatissa Gamanayake was captured and killed by the government forces in November 1989.
4.
Upatissa Gamanayake was born on 17 October 1948 in Mahingala, Padukka, Sri Lanka as the seventh child in a family with nine siblings.
5.
Upatissa Gamanayake's father Don Upenis was born in Welihena village in Athuraliya Divisional Secretariat, Akuressa and his mother Wettasinghe Arachchige Maginona was born in Padukka.
6.
Upatissa Gamanayake was educated at Venrasanpura Tamil School and Gantalawa Maha Vidyalaya.
7.
Upatissa Gamanayake was educated at Mawathagama Central College, and joined the JVP in 1969 as a schoolgirl.
8.
Upatissa Gamanayake's son Suchira Chamika was born on in 1982 and living in the UK in 2018, is a technician.
9.
Upatissa Gamanayake started politics at the Kantale Ceylon National Students' Union of the Communist Party at school age and was the President of the Communist Students' Union which he secretly started at Kantale Maha Vidyalaya.
10.
Upatissa Gamanayake started JVP politics in November 1968 while still in school through Angampodi Cyril Jayaratne, a teacher at Pulmudai Maha Vidyalaya.
11.
Upatissa Gamanayake worked with many in the JVP activities in the Trincomalee District from November 1968 to April 1971.
12.
Upatissa Gamanayake was not arrested during the April 1971 uprising and secretly aided and abetted the formation of the party.
13.
On March 18,1975, under Wijeweera's guidance, Upatissa Gamanayake set up a temporary JVP central committee in prison.
14.
Former Anuradhapura District Secretary Sisira Randeniya took care of Upatissa Gamanayake after lifting the ban.
15.
Upatissa Gamanayake became popular as 'Dias Mudalali' as he ran a grocery store and a small sewing business in the house called "Nisansala".
16.
Hours later, Wijeweera and Upatissa Gamanayake were arrested the next morning.
17.
Upatissa Gamanayake, who is attending the Politburo meeting, returned to Bandaragama at 12 noon.
18.
Upatissa Gamanayake was arrested at his Bandaragama residence on November 13,1989 by two men in civil who had arrived in two white cars.
19.
Upatissa Gamanayake was brought to the Ops Combine Joint Operations Center and had deep lengthy interrogations.
20.
Upatissa Gamanayake was later taken to the Mattegoda camp and tortured, but no information was revealed.
21.
Upatissa Gamanayake's body was cremated at the Kohuwala Cemetery under emergency orders.