Nandathilaka Galappaththi

Nandathilaka Amadoru Galappaththi ; 2 February 1949 – 10 September 1989), was a Sri Lankan political activist who was killed by army forces. He was the Education Secretary and a member of the JVP party in the period 1970–1989. He was also known as Perera, Liyanage and Ari.

Family background and early life He was born on 2 February 1949 in Uduwila village in Tissamaharamaya, Sri Lanka as the fourth child in a family with five siblings. His father died when he was a child. He studied at Rubberwatta Vidyalaya, Hambantota (currently known as Medawalena Maha Vidyalaya) up to GCE Ordinary Level and Advanced Level at Debarawewa National School. He was the first student to enter the university after graduating from Rubberwatta Vidyalaya. Nandathilaka entered the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in 1967 as a graduate student at the then Faculty of Arts and left the university in 1970 as an Honorary Graduate. During his university life, his mother had a difficult life battle where she did many har activities such as cutting drains in coconut estates and preparing chillies to be taken to market in the morning.

Nandathilaka was married in July 1980 to Bamunusinghege Tamara Ranjani Gamage, He joined the JVP in 1968 and actively joined the 1971 JVP insurrection. After the uprising, he was imprisoned in a prison camp at the same university where he studied, and was released from Magazine Prison in 1976. Then he elected to the Central Committee in 1979 after released from the jail. He joined the Politburo after the JVP was banned. Prior to the banning of the JVP, he was in charge of JVP newspapers and publications, including Niyamuwa. He was also the head of its cultural wing, and was responsible for maintaining the Shakthi Press, which printed them. Initially, newspapers were registered under Kelly Senanayake's name and later changed to Somawansa Amarasinghe. Initially a fund of Rs. 100,000 was established to start the printing press and a coin tin business was launched throughout the country. there were 27 full time members of the JVP. As soon as the JVP was banned on July 31, 1983, the Shakthi Press was sealed by the police on the same morning. At that time, there were 21 employees and Nandathilaka paid Rs. 150 each through Kamaladasa and instructed party members who were employees to go to their homes or shelters. At that time under Nandathilaka, Niyamuwa, the official newspaper of the JVP, was published weekly and the number of copies printed was 20,000. He was arrested by the Nuwara Eliya Police in 1987 while he was the Badulla District Secretary and was detained at the Badulla Prison. He was later rescued and abducted by the JVP in Haggala, Nuwara Eliya while being taken in a prison vehicle to be produced before the Nuwara Eliya Magistrate's Court. Accordingly, the Matara, Galle, Ampara, Badulla and Moneragala districts were activated under political members Sumith Athukorala and Nandathilaka.

During a meeting of the Kegalle District Committee at Wagolla, Pinnawala, Rambukkana on Thursday, August 31, 1989, security forces cordoned off the area and arrested seven members of the District Committee, including Nandathilaka. After being tortured and lengthy questions, he was assassinated as an undisputed revolutionary leader on September 10, 1989.