Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - Gwamnatin J. R. Jayawardene ta mamaye mulki a 1977, ta kayar da gwamnatin United Front da ba ta da mashahuri. Jayawardene ya gabatar da sabon kundin tsarin mulki, tare da tattalin arzikin kasuwa kyauta da kuma shugabancin zartarwa mai karfi wanda aka tsara bayan Faransa. Ya sanya Sri Lanka ta zama kasa ta farko a Kudancin Asiya da ta sassauta tattalin arzikinta. Farawa a 1983, tashin hankali na kabilanci ya bayyana a cikin wani tashin hankali da aka yi wa gwamnati ta LTTE. Wani harin LTTE a kan sojoji 13 ya haifar da tashin hankali na launin fata na Tamil
a watan Yulin 1983, wanda ake zargin ministocin Sinhalese masu tsattsauran ra'ayi ne suka goyi bayansa, wanda ya haifar da fiye da fararen hula 'yan Tamil 150,000 da suka tsere daga tsibirin, suna neman mafaka a wasu ƙasashe.