169-473: Maithripala Yapa Sirisena ( Sinhala : පල්ලෙවත්ත ගමරාළලාගේ මෛත්රීපාල යාපා සිරිසේන ; Tamil : பல்லேவத்த கமராளலாகே மைத்திரிபால யாப்பா சிறிசேன ; born 3 September 1951) is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the seventh president of Sri Lanka from 9 January 2015 to 18 November 2019. Sirisena is Sri Lanka's first president from the North Central Province of the country and does not belong to
338-425: A 100-day reform program planning to dissolve the parliament and holding new elections on 23 April 2015. Some reforms, such as the curtailing of presidential powers and re-introducing the two-term limit, were introduced by the passing of the nineteenth amendment . In addition, Sirisena enacted a Right to Information bill. Other changes, notably electoral reforms, were not carried out. With electoral reforms stalled and
507-662: A Dravidian origin for this word. ), dola for pig in Vedda and offering in Sinhala. Other common words are rera for wild duck, and gala for stones (in toponyms used throughout the island, although others have also suggested a Dravidian origin). There are also high frequency words denoting body parts in Sinhala, such as olluva for head, kakula for leg, bella for neck and kalava for thighs, that are derived from pre-Sinhalese languages of Sri Lanka. The oldest Sinhala grammar, Sidatsan̆garavā , written in
676-513: A base camp with supplies along with six sub-camps with which they conducted operations in Rajangana and Tambuttegama. A detachment from the 1CLI troops with 82mm mortars, commanded by Major Jayawardena carried out Operation Otthappuwa in May and cleared these camps. By the end of May, much of the insurrection was crushed. Counter-insurgency operations went on for another year, with the 1CLI establishing
845-458: A defensive posture; in most areas, the police were able to hold out themselves. The government considered the situation dire during the insurrection's early days; its pre-insurrection stocks of small-arms ammunition were expected to run out in a week, and the shooting of naval ratings by a fellow rating in Jaffna stoked fears of JVP infiltration of the armed forces. Therefore, the government adopted
1014-605: A delegation early in 1965, meeting Wijeweera. Wijeweera also visited North Koreans in the country, who congratulated him. He sent a JVP member to the Middle East to forge a link with the South Yemen National Liberation Front . The envoy returned with a letter from the government promising to ship weapons to the island if possible, hinting at aid from South Yemen diplomats to the JVP. After
1183-855: A factor in the revolt's initial success. At the Vidyalankara campus, it won the support of the Jatika Sishya Sangamaya (Lanka National Students Society) led by G. I. D. ‘Castro’ Dharmasekera, at the Peradeniya campus it gained control of the Samajawadi Sishiya Sangamaya (the Socialist Students Society) and Vidyodaya campus. Mahinda Wijesekara lead the Sishiya Sangamaya (Students Society). To draw new members further into
1352-413: A few SLR rifles ; a recce regiment equipped with Ferret and Daimler Armoured Cars ; an artillery regiment armed with light mortars and anti-aircraft guns . It lacked tanks, field artillery, automatic rifles, submachine guns and other modern weapons, and peacetime ammunition stocks could sustain only one week of combat operations. The Royal Ceylon Navy , which had suffered the most from the fallout of
1521-514: A force of about 10,000 full-time members, the JVP stopped recruiting in 1971. The movement was based on five-member cells with a leader, and there were several such cells in a police station area with an area leader. The area leaders selected a district leader, and the district leaders made up the Central Committee. Above the Central Committee was a 12-member politburo which included Wijeweera. Communications were in code by couriers, with
1690-595: A forward base in Horowapatana from November 1972 to April 1973, while the D company, 1CLI closed its operations in Kegalle District only in December 1974. Many youths were detained in rehabilitation camps for months. The official arrest total was 5,067 (of whom 1,117 were from Colombo), but arrests of up to 20,000 were claimed. The government imposed strict censorship of all domestic and foreign news during
1859-492: A government institution when he became the Agriculture Minister, in 2005. The Paddy Marketing Board continues to regulate the prices of paddy to this day. He also began important irrigation projects such as Moragahakanda, Kalu and Walawe rivers . He was re-elected to Parliament at the 2000 parliamentary election and retained his ministerial portfolio. He was re-elected at the 2001 parliamentary election but
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#17327752446192028-665: A guerrilla war. However, the majority of the carder disagreed and Dharmasekera and his supporters were expelled. On 6 March, this faction calling themselves the Maoist Youth Front began protests against the Vietnam War in front of the United States Embassy in Colombo. These turned violent on 10 March with a petrol bomb thrown at the embassy, rioters then attacked and damaged the vehicles parked outside
2197-505: A hut in Nelundeniya, Kegalle District . This gained national attention and indicated that JVP was arming itself. A few days later on 16 March, an explosion took place at Marrs Hall at the Peradeniya campus. The police search the halls of residence at the Peradeniya campus and found a stock of detonators at Hilda Obeysekera Hall. Although the JVP denounced Dharmasekera, Wijeweera and hundreds of his supporters were arrested during March,
2366-408: A large arsenal . Piyasiri was in charge of the attack by 800 students, who were divided into groups of twenty-five; a smaller attack was to be made on RCyAF Katunayake . The second mission, led by Nimal, Somawansa Amarasinghe , Sanath Kumar, and Lal Pieries with more than 50 students, was to abduct the prime minister. The third mission, led by Bopage, was to capture of the city of Colombo. The capital
2535-543: A large contingent of legislators loyal to Mahinda Rajapaksa, and, although some reforms, such as the curtailing of presidential powers and re-introducing the two-term limit, were introduced by the passing of the nineteenth amendment , others, notably electoral reforms, were not carried out. With electoral reforms stalled and the 100-day reform program falling behind schedule, the UNP started calling for parliamentary elections. Sirisena dissolved parliament on 26 June 2015. The date of
2704-500: A large number of suspects in custody within the contemporary procedure and laws would take years. The Criminal Justice Commission was established by the government to prosecute the detained rebels expediently. The commission was composed of Chief Justice H. N. G. Fernando (chairman), Justice A. C. Alles , Justice V. T. Thamotheram, Justice H. Dheragoda and Justice T. W. Rajaratnam . By 1975, 139 inquiries were conducted and 3872 insurgent suspects were charged and 2919 were produced before
2873-489: A large-scale insurrection. In 1970, the armed forces had an annual budget of Rs 52 million (US$ 10mn), just 1.2% of total government expenditure. The Ceylon Army had an authorized strength of 329 officers and 6,291 other ranks with three infantry regiments each consisting of two battalions (one regular and one volunteer) armed mostly with World War II-era weapons such as Lee–Enfield .303 rifles, Sten sub machine guns , Bren light machine guns and Vickers machine guns , with
3042-408: A lull since October 1970, the JVP held a large public rally on 27 February 1971 at Colombo's Hyde Park, where Wijeweera said: "Let the revolution of the workers, farmers, and soldiers be triumphant". It would be the last JVP rally before the insurrection. At this point, there seems to be a division within the JVP. A faction led by Castro Dharmasekera wanted the movement to remain secret and prepare for
3211-660: A meeting was held at the Vidyodaya University Sangaramaya (temple) by the JVP politburo on 2 April in response to a request by Wijeweera that posters and leaflets calling for his release be published and, if the insurgency began, 500 cadres be sent to Jaffna to break him out of prison. The group, consisting of S. V. A. Piyathilaka, Lionel Bopage, Jayadeva Uyangoda , Sunanda Deshpriya, Loku Athula , W. T. Karunarathne, Susi L. Wickrama, Wijesena Vidanage (alias Sanath), Somasiri Kumanayake and Anura Ranjith Kurukulasooriya, decided that all police stations in
3380-400: A more public role; its cadres campaigned openly for the socialist United Front (UF) for the 1970 General Election . They also distributed posters and pamphlets promising violent rebellion if Bandaranaike did not address proletarian interests. In a manifesto issued during this period, the group used the name "Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna" (People's Liberation Front) for the first time. Because of
3549-573: A naval cordon around Ceylon while the Royal Ceylon Navy had deployed its sailors (including the crew of its sole frigate) on shore duty and harbour defense, making it incapable of preventing the JVP from obtaining aid by sea. Soon harbor defense was taken over by Indian and Pakistani troops, releasing Ceylonese personnel for offensive operations. Australia donated 5,000 SLR rifles. North Korea used revolutionary propaganda daily in newspapers; North Korean newspapers quoted Kim Il-Sung about
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#17327752446193718-454: A new Cabinet of Ministers, in effect creating a parallel government to what was operational in the country at the time, a series of events referred to by the BBC as "somewhere in between House of Cards, Game of Thrones and Shakespeare's darkest Roman plays". This resulted in a constitutional crisis , with analysts referring to Sirisena's actions as a coup. The crisis created significant fears as to
3887-779: A period of prior bilingualism: "The earliest type of contact in Sri Lanka, not considering the aboriginal Vedda languages, was that which occurred between South Dravidian and Sinhala. It seems plausible to assume prolonged contact between these two populations as well as a high degree of bilingualism. This explains why Sinhala looks deeply South Dravidian for an Indo-Aryan language. There is corroboration in genetic findings." In addition to many Tamil loanwords , several phonetic and grammatical features also present in neighbouring Dravidian languages set modern spoken Sinhala apart from its Northern Indo-Aryan relatives. These features are evidence of close interactions with Dravidian speakers. Some of
4056-489: A private "fact finding mission" to Mahawelithenna near Welikanda . In 2018 his Chief of Staff I.H.K. Mahanama was arrested by officials of the commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) while accepting a bribe of Rs. 20 million from an Indian businessman as a part of an Rs. 100 Million bribes for helping the acquisition of the Kantale Sugar Factory. Mahanama, the chief of staff of
4225-629: A purchasing office and in 1976 he became a grama sevaka niladhari (village officer) but resigned in 1978. He rose up the SLFP ranks, joining its politburo in 1981, where he was chosen as the president of the All Island SLFP Youth Organisation, and also later served as treasurer. During the 1981 Presidential poll , when Basil Rajapaksa joined the United National Party , he took over the responsibility of
4394-473: A salary increase of Rs. 10,000 for public servants. Public spending on health would increase from 1.8% of GDP to 3% of GDP whilst that on education would increase from 1.7% of GDP to 6% of GDP. The manifesto also stated that the casino licences granted to Kerry Packer 's Crown Resort and John Keells Holdings 's Water Front will be cancelled. Political victims during Rajapaksa's rule, including Sarath Fonseka and Shirani Bandaranayake , would be re-appointed. In
4563-473: A separate document Sirisena pledged that, whilst resisting any international investigation, he would establish an independent domestic inquiry into the alleged war crimes during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War. Sirisena was declared the winner after receiving 52.42% of all votes cast compared to Rajapaksa's 47.58%. Sirisena was the winner in 12 electoral districts whilst Rajapaksa
4732-628: A special press conference, Sirisena announced he would remain impartial during the elections after granting the nomination to Rajapaksa, hinted that Rajapaksa could be defeated in the parliamentary election similar to the presidential election. The United National Front for Good Governance became the largest group in Parliament after securing 45.66% of votes and 106 seats whilst the UPFA won 42.38% of votes and 95 seats. Rajapaksa quickly conceded defeat in his attempt to become prime minister. The result left
4901-1489: A strategy of holding out, until it received assistance from friendly nations. Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) S. A. Dissanayake was appointed Additional Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of External Affairs and Defence , and coordinated the government's defense from the situation room at Temple Trees. Local military coordinating officers, appointed from the three branches of the armed forces for each affected district, were tasked with carrying out local counter-insurgency operations. These were Colonel E. T. De Z Abeysekera in Anuradhapura, Colonel S. D. Ratwatte in Badulla, Colonel Douglas Ramanayake in Galle, Colonel Derrick Nugawela in Hambantota, Lieutenant Colonel R. R. Rodrigo in Jaffna, Lieutenant Colonel Cyril Ranatunga in Kegalle, Lieutenant Colonel D. J. de S. Wickremasinghe in Matara, Lieutenant Colonel Tissa Weeratunga in Moneragala and Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Hapugalle in Vavuniya. These appointments changed rapidly as
5070-514: A sudden move, sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister after the United People's Freedom Alliance withdrew from the unity government. Immediately following the move, media institutions in the country were suppressed in what is now being termed a hostile takeover. Wickremesinghe refused to accept the dismissal, stating that it is illegal and unconstitutional. Sirisena promptly prorogued Parliament and appointed
5239-463: Is a conspicuous example of the linguistic phenomenon known as diglossia . Sinhala ( Siṁhala ) is a Sanskrit term; the corresponding Middle Indo-Aryan ( Eḷu ) word is Sīhala . The name is a derivative of siṁha , the Sanskrit word for 'lion'. The name is sometimes glossed as 'abode of lions', and attributed to a supposed former abundance of lions on the island. According to
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5408-599: Is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka , who make up the largest ethnic group on the island, numbering about 16 million. Sinhala is also spoken as the first language by other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, totalling about 2 million speakers as of 2001. It is written using the Sinhala script , which is a Brahmic script closely related to the Grantha script of South India. Sinhala
5577-484: Is divided into four epochs: The most important phonetic developments of Sinhala include: According to Wilhelm Geiger , an example of a possible Western feature in Sinhala is the retention of initial /v/ which developed into /b/ in the Eastern languages (e.g. Sanskrit viṁśati "twenty", Sinhala visi- , Hindi bīs ). This is disputed by Muhammad Shahidullah who says that Sinhala Prakrit branched off from
5746-652: Is final report had recommended the Attorney General to initiate criminal proceedings against Sirisena and his intelligence chiefs for failing to act on intelligence received to prevent the attacks on 21 April 2019. This report was rejected by the Executive Council of Sri Lanka Freedom Party which re-elected Sirisena as its chairman. In January 2023, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ordered Sirisena to pay Rs.100 million ($ 272,000) as compensation to
5915-412: Is one of the official and national languages of Sri Lanka, alongside Tamil . Along with Pali , it played a major role in the development of Theravada Buddhist literature. Early forms of the Sinhala language are attested as early as the 3rd century BCE. The language of these inscriptions, still retaining long vowels and aspirated consonants, is a Prakrit similar to Magadhi , a regional associate of
6084-480: Is to investigate the alleged coup attempt. Sirisena was sworn in as Sri Lanka's sixth executive president before Supreme Court judge K. Sripavan in Independence Square, Colombo at 6:20 p.m. on 9 January 2015. It is custom for the president to be sworn in before the chief justice but Sirisena had refused to be sworn in before Chief Justice Peiris who had been appointed by Rajapaksa after
6253-421: The 1971 Revolt ) was the first of two unsuccessful armed revolts conducted by the communist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) against the socialist United Front Government of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) under Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike . The revolt began on 5 April 1971 and lasted until June of that year. The insurgents held towns and rural areas for several weeks, until the regions were recaptured by
6422-537: The 1989 parliamentary election as one of the SLFP's candidates in Polonnaruwa District and was elected to the Parliament . He was re-elected at the 1994 parliamentary election , this time as a People's Alliance (PA) candidate. In 1997 he was appointed as the general secretary of the SLFP for the first time, from which he later resigned. In August 2000 Sirisena tried to become general secretary of
6591-719: The 2010 parliamentary election and was appointed minister of health in April 2010. During his time Sirisena sought to combat cigarette and alcohol consumption within the country. He introduced a National Medicinal Drug Policy based on that of the Sri Lanka National Pharmaceuticals Policy of Seneka Bibile and brought the Cigarette and Alcohol act to parliament against cigarette packaging that includes pictorial warnings. The act recommended 80% of packaging include pictorial warnings, however, this
6760-455: The 2015 presidential election as the opposition coalition's "common candidate", thus leading to him running against party leader and incumbent president Mahinda Rajapaksa . His victory in the election was generally viewed as unexpected, coming to office through the votes won from the alternative Sinhala-majority rural constituency and the Tamil and Muslim minority groups that were alienated by
6929-540: The Cabinet , appointing him Minister of Mahaweli Development. While in this office he initiated many concessionary grants to improve the standard of the farming community. He was also responsible for influencing the government's decision to give farmers a bag of fertiliser for Rs. 350 in order to combat the food crisis at the time. He also saved the Paddy Marketing Board from privatisation converting it into
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7098-698: The Ceylon Communist Party (Maoist) becoming closely associated with party leader N. Shanmugathasan in party activities. In 1968, he took part in a communist party anti-government rally which was broken up by baton charging police. At the age of 17, he was chosen as the secretary of the SLFP Youth Organisation in Polonnaruwa by the SLFP Member of Parliament for Polonnaruwa, Leelaratna Wijesingha. In 1971, aged 19, he
7267-729: The Middle Indian Prakrits that had been used during the time of the Buddha . The most closely related languages are the Vedda language (an endangered, indigenous creole still spoken by a minority of Sri Lankans, mixing Sinhala with an isolate of unknown origin and from which Old Sinhala borrowed various aspects into its main Indo-Aryan substrate), and the Maldivian language . It has two main varieties, written and spoken, and
7436-544: The National Security Council about warnings of a terrorist attack, yet no instructions were given. The President has intern turned down calls by the prime minister and the UNP parliamentary group to appoint Fonseka as the Minister of Law and Order following the bombing. He has refused to appoint Fonseka to a Ministerial post since the 2018 constitutional crisis citing that Fonseka's name had come up in
7605-459: The No. 3 Reconnaissance Squadron had two de Havilland Doves tasked with maritime patrol. It had mothballed its five Hunting Jet Provost T51s jet trainers after plans for introducing jet fighters were scrapped. The government received multiple warnings of preparations undertaken by the JVP, but failed to comprehend the scale of the insurrection and was unprepared to counter it. Early warnings came from
7774-585: The Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which had been tasked with internal security with its late-1969 and early-1970 establishment of the "Che Guevara Desk" under ASP K. C. de Silva. John Attygalle , former Inspector General of Police who had been appointed special security advisor to the Ministry of External Affairs and Defence , submitted a report on the new group's potential threat to Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake 's government. The government instructed
7943-554: The Sri Lanka Reserve Police in 1974. Under the six years of emergency rule following the uprising, the JVP remained dormant. No medals were awarded by the government to the police or armed services personnel. After the victory of the United National Party in the 1977 general elections , however, the new government tried to broaden its mandate with a period of political tolerance. With the repeal of
8112-587: The UNESCO National Commission of Ceylon According to Wilhelm Geiger , Sinhala has features that set it apart from other Indo-Aryan languages. Some of the differences can be explained by the substrate influence of the parent stock of the Vedda language . Sinhala has many words that are only found in Sinhala, or shared between Sinhala and Vedda and not etymologically derivable from Middle or Old Indo-Aryan. Possible examples include kola for leaf in Sinhala and Vedda (although others suggest
8281-598: The United National Front for Good Governance . On 8 July 2015, several factions accused Sirisena of having betrayed the mandate that was given to him by the people in the 2015 presidential election over nominating his predecessor Rajapaksa, who faces various allegations of human rights violations, to contest in this election. Despite his assurances to the media that he would not grant nominations to pro-Rajapaksa parliamentarians who were involved in various criminal activities, some were nominated. On 14 July 2015, at
8450-401: The armed forces , following strong support from friendly nations that sent men and material. Although this first attempt to seize power was quickly crushed by force, in 1987 the JVP launched a low-intensity insurgency in the island's southern, central and western regions that lasted several years. The insurrection formally began in 1971, but the first attacks took place in 1970. The JVP fought
8619-884: The defence forces , and on 25 April Hemasiri Fernando , secretary to the Ministry of Defence tendered his resignation to the President, after it was announced that President Sirisena has requested the Defence Secretary and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) resign. With no response to his request to resign, President Sirisena sent the IGP Pujith Jayasundara on compulsory leave and appointed an acting Inspector General of Police . Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka stated in parliament on 8 May that President Sirisena had been informed 15 times at
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#17327752446198788-513: The 100-day reform program falling behind schedule, the UNP started calling for parliamentary elections. Sirisena dissolved parliament on 26 June 2015 and called for early elections. However, when faced with criticism concerning the reforms, Sirisena publicly disavowed the 100-day reform program. In his election manifesto, Sirisena had promised a 100-day reform program planning to dissolve the parliament and holding new elections on 23 April 2015. However, Srisena and his government faced opposition from
8957-464: The 13th century CE, recognised a category of words that exclusively belonged to early Sinhala. The grammar lists naram̆ba (to see) and koḷom̆ba (fort or harbour) as belonging to an indigenous source. Koḷom̆ba is the source of the name of the commercial capital Colombo . The consistent left branching syntax and the loss of aspirated stops in Sinhala is attributed to a probable South Dravidian substratum effect. This has been explained by
9126-581: The 1st Battalion, Ceylon Light Infantry (1CLI) to the Kegalle District , followed by two platoons to Kandy. By 27 March, the police and the army had arrested over 300 youths mainly from the CCP in connection with the embassy attack and had raided the Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara campuses. By 2 April, more than 400 arrests had been made. With the arrest of Wijeweera and other mass arrests of its carders,
9295-674: The Army, four from the air force, and three from the Navy) and 130 were wounded (87 Army, 15 air force, and 28 Navy) in 1971 and 1972. Advised by Justice Minister Felix Dias Bandaranaike, the prime minister appointed an investigative unit headed by retired IGP Aleric Abeygunawardena to prosecute the captured insurgents. The unit was made up of crown counsels and police officers. The crown counsels were made assistant superintendents , enabling them to record statements from suspects which would be admissible in court. It soon became apparent that convicting
9464-470: The CIABOC which launched investigations. However, despite the investigations, Mahanama was appointed by Sirisena as his Chief of Staff. Centre for Human Rights (CHR) questioned how Sirisena appointed Mahanama as his Chief of Staff while he was under corruption investigations. In 2015, Maithripala Sirisena criticised and called for the organisers of an Enrique Iglesias concert in Colombo to be whipped , after
9633-620: The CID; the new government was fearful of another coup by security forces loyal to the previous administration. Bandaranaike's cousin and Anuruddha Ratwatte , a captain in the Ceylon Volunteer Force was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed commanding officer of the Army's Field Security Detachment, tasked with internal security by identifying potentially-disloyal officers. Captain Denzil Kobbekaduwa (who led
9802-526: The Ceylonese government said that the weapons were for the JVP. In April, a Chinese freighter raided a harbour; it was turned back by Indian warships maintaining a naval cordon around Ceylon's coast. An unfamiliar ship was seen off the JVP-controlled coast of Matara; according to an eyewitness, it was larger than any ship the Royal Ceylon Navy had at the time. Having lost the element of surprise,
9971-525: The Constitution of Sri Lanka, instigating a constitutional crisis . This marks Sirisena's second and most successful attempt to bring Rajapaksa to power. Maithripala Sirisena was born as the eldest of a family of 12 with 5 brothers and 6 sisters, on 3 September 1951 in Yagoda , a village in present-day Gampaha District . His father Pallewatte Gamaralalage Albert Sirisena was a World War II veteran who
10140-716: The Eastern Prakrits prior to this change. He cites the edicts of Ashoka , no copy of which shows this sound change. An example of an Eastern feature is the ending -e for masculine nominative singular (instead of Western -o ) in Sinhalese Prakrit. There are several cases of vocabulary doublets , one example being the words mæssā ("fly") and mækkā ("flea"), which both correspond to Sanskrit makṣikā but stem from two regionally different Prakrit words macchiā (Western Prakrits) and makkhikā (as in Eastern Prakrits like Pali ). In 1815,
10309-639: The JVP Political Bureau met at Ambalangoda and decided to begin collecting arms, with Loku Athula appointed to head the armed section. The group identified that the primary weapon in their arsenal would be the hand bomb and planned to make over 100,000 in several bomb-making factories located in rural areas along with underground storage locations. At the next Political Bureau, at the end of the year, Loku Athula reported that 3,000 bombs had been manufactured. The JVP gave Rs 30,000 stolen from York Street to Victor Ivan (alias Podi Athula) to manufacture bombs. The bombs were crude home-made types that sometimes exploded in
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#173277524461910478-512: The JVP claimed that 4,000 cadres were now behind bars. Wijeweera traveled around the country but was arrested on 13 March in Ampara by a special police team and later transferred to the Jaffna Prison, along with 450 others. As a result of the attack on the US Embassy and explosions, the government declared a state of emergency on 16 March, giving broader powers to the police and military for arrest and detention, but no general military mobilization took place. The Ceylon Army, deployed two platoons of
10647-498: The JVP intensified its public campaign and secret preparations for a revolt. Although their group was relatively small, the members hoped to immobilize the government by selective kidnapping and sudden, simultaneous strikes against security forces throughout the island. Some of the necessary weapons had been bought with funds supplied by members, but most party funding came from a string of robberies. The JVP decided to rely on raids against police stations and army camps to secure weapons at
10816-423: The JVP was marching on Colombo. With a curfew imposed and suspects being arrested, some JVP leaders went into hiding. The attack began as planned. Ninety-two police stations across the country were attacked simultaneously by JVP groups armed with shotguns, bombs, and Molotov cocktails; five (in Deniyaya , Uragaha , Rajangane , Kataragama and Warakapola ) were overrun by the insurgents, and 43 were abandoned by
10985-434: The JVP's four major missions succeeded. The abduction of the prime minister failed, with arrests of JVP members in Colombo on 5 April. The Panagoda Cantonment and Colombo were never attacked, because the members did not assemble. Jaffna Prison was attacked on the night of 5 April to rescue Wijeweera. The cadre booked a bus to the prison, and Pyatilake led the attack. It failed, however, when police reinforcements arrived; many of
11154-415: The JVP's initial attack did achieve a degree of success. However, it failed in its key missions. This meant that it was not able to acquire the modern weapons it need to face the government forces. By withdrawing its small police stations and army detachments, the government denied the JVP the opportunity to capture weapons and ammunition. Having withdrawn to defensible locations such as major cities and towns,
11323-407: The Jet Provosts were joined by the Bell 47-G2s in ground attacks. The government forces began to enhance its firepower on the ground and began offensive operations into JVP-controlled areas. The Yugoslavian mountain guns were deployed in Kegalle to flush out insurgents and by late April many suspected JVP members were captured, arrested or surrendered. The remaining carders withdrew into the jungle in
11492-467: The Kegalle District concentrated at Warakapola and Rambukkana. The Pindeniya detachment, led by Patrick Fernando attacked both the local Police Station and the Bogala Graphite Mines, capturing a lorry load of explosives from the mines. On 8 April, the Warakapola Police Station was attacked, weapons including two submachine guns seized and the building set alight. Police stations in Bulathkohupitiya, Aranayaka, Mawanella, Rambukkana and Dedigama were attacked and
11661-549: The Kegalle, Elpitiya, Deniyaya and Kataragama areas. The army received twelve British Alvis Saladin armoured cars in May and put them to use in Kurunegala and Anuradhapura districts. After three weeks of fighting, the government regained control of all but a few remote areas. In most cases, the government regained control of townships; insurgent groups melted away into the jungle and continued to operate, with some groups operating into early 1972. The government announced two amnesties in May and June 1971, airdropping leaflets encouraging
11830-457: The Minister of State, J. R. Jayewardene about the existence of the JVP and a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) unit under ASP K. C. de Silva had started investigating this group, which was called the " Che Guevara clique" and began making arrests. Then-opposition leader Sirimavo Bandaranaike referred to it in her May Day speech that year. The group had its first public meeting in 1969 and by early 1970, Wijeweera's group began to take
11999-407: The New Left, the group attracted students and unemployed rural youth (most between ages 16 and 25) who felt that their economic interests had been neglected by the nation's leftist coalitions. The standard program of indoctrination, the "Five Lectures", included discussions of Indian imperialism (expansionism), the growing economic crisis, the failure of the island's communist and socialist parties, and
12168-662: The PA lost the election and so Sirisena lost his ministerial position. In January 2004 the SLFP joined forces with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna to form a political alliance called the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA). Sirisena was re-elected at the 2004 parliamentary election as a UPFA candidate. President Kumaratunga appointed him Minister of River Basin Development and Rajarata Development in
12337-452: The PSC. Following Chief of National Intelligence Sisira Mendis ' statement at the PSC to the effect that President Sirisena knew about the warnings of an impending attack, Sirisena sacked Mendis within hours. Sirisena stepped down as president on 18 November 2019 following the 2019 presidential election , having opted not to contest a second term and remain neutral during the election. Following
12506-482: The Rajapaksa government on post-war reconciliation and growing sectarian violence. Maithripala Sirisena pledged to implement a 100-day reform program where he promised to rebalance the executive branch within 100 days of being elected, by reinforcing Sri Lanka's judiciary and parliament, to fight corruption and to investigate allegations of war crimes from 2009 , repeal the controversial eighteenth amendment, re-instate
12675-537: The SLFP but was beaten by S. B. Dissanayake . Sirisena was instead appointed one of the Deputy Presidents of SLFP. He became general secretary of the SLFP in October 2001 following Dissanayake's defection to the United National Party (UNP). Sirisena was appointed Deputy Minister of Irrigation in the new PA government led by Chandrika Kumaratunga in 1994. In 1997 President Kumaratunga promoted him to
12844-707: The Soviet Union also sent 12 light mortars and 10 BTR-152 armoured personnel carriers in November. Yugoslavia supplied four 76mm mountain guns . Although China supplied 30 85mm Type 60 anti-tank guns , 30,000 automatic and semi-automatic rifles, it was still suspected of supporting the JVP. The Indian Navy deployed three frigates, the INS Ganga , the INS Gomathi and the INS Godawari setting up
13013-520: The Supreme court ruling, Rajapaksa backed down and Wickremesinghe was re-appointed prime minister. On the morning of 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday series of coordinated terrorist suicide bombings took place targeting three Christian churches and three luxury hotels in the commercial capital Colombo killing 253 and wounding over 500 people. President Sirisena who was in Singapore on a personal visit at
13182-597: The Swiss Confederation Simonetta Sommaruga . Sirisena's daughter Chathurika, who also has no official role, has been the guest of honour/chief guest at several Ministry of Defence events. At another event where Chathurika was chief guest, she was accompanied by members of the Presidential Security Division. In September 2015 Chathurika was accompanied by government officials and police officers as she went on
13351-628: The UNFGG seven seats short of a majority in Parliament. However, on 20 August 2015 the central committee of the SLFP agreed to form a national government with the UNP for two years. Wickremesinghe was sworn in as prime minister on 21 August 2015. Immediately afterwards a memorandum of understanding to work together in Parliament was signed by acting SLFP general secretary Duminda Dissanayake and UNP general secretary Kabir Hashim . The elections saw minor violence and violations of election laws but were generally incident-free, peaceful, free and fair. Sirisena
13520-418: The UNP for two years. Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as prime minister on 21 August 2015. Immediately afterwards a memorandum of understanding to work together in Parliament was signed by acting SLFP general secretary Duminda Dissanayake and UNP general secretary Kabir Hashim . Three UNFGG cabinet ministers were sworn in on 24 August 2015. A further 39 cabinet ministers, 28 from the UNFGG and 11 from
13689-406: The UPFA, were sworn in on 4 September 2015. Three more cabinet ministers, one from the UNFGG and two from the UPFA, were sworn in on 9 September 2015. 19 state ministers (11 UNFGG, 8 UPFA) and 21 deputy ministers (11 UNFGG, 10 UPFA) were also sworn in on 9 September 2015. Two more deputy ministers, both from the UPFA, were sworn in on 10 September 2015. On the evening of 26 October 2018, Sirisena, in
13858-919: The airport's defense and freeing Ceylonese troops for other duties. India did not receive the cable, and the Indian High Commissioner in Ceylon was sent back to India with the aid request on 13 April. The day after units of the Indian Army Southern Command were airlifted from Bangalore and Madras (Chennai) to RCyAF Katunayake , and six Chetak helicopters from the 104th Helicopter Squadron followed with arms and ammunition. The squadron logged 573 flying hours on as many as 1,122 sorties in Ceylon. 150 Indian Gorkhas took over securing RCyAF Katunayake. RAF heavy transports flew in six Bell 47-G2 helicopters and ammunition purchased from Singapore on 17 April. Ceylon received
14027-406: The announcement Sirisena, along with several other ministers who supported him, were stripped of their ministerial positions and expelled from the SLFP. His ministerial security and vehicles were also withdrawn. Sirisena released his manifesto, titled A Compassionate Maithri Governance — A Stable Country , on 19 December 2014 at a rally at Viharamahadevi Park . The main pledge in the manifesto
14196-521: The attackers were arrested, and some were killed. Attacks on the Jaffna police station and Karainagar naval detachment also failed, with four insurgents killed on 6 April at Elephant Pass . Loku Athula, who was given leadership of the Kegalle District and Kurunegala District, moved into the area on 3 April and began organizing the area leaders. He coordinated operations with detachments in Veyangoda and Mirigama, with over 600 JVP carders deployed across
14365-407: The attacks issuing a statement on Twitter stating "We take collective responsibility and apologise to our fellow citizens for our failure to protect victims of these tragic events. We pledge to rebuild our churches, revive our economy, and take all measures to prevent terrorism, with the support of the international community." On 23 April, President Sirisena announced his plans to change the heads of
14534-578: The attempted coup (its recruitment had been frozen until 1969) had only one frigate , HMCyS Gajabahu in its fleet along with a few Thorneycroft coastal motor boats . The Royal Ceylon Air Force which had three flying squadrons and a few trained pilots in 1971, No. 1 Flying Training Squadron consisted of nine de Havilland Chipmunk trainers tasked with basic pilot training; the No. 2 Transport Squadron had three de Havilland Dove , four de Havilland Heron and three Scottish Aviation Pioneer fixed-wing aircraft and three Bell 206 JetRanger helicopters; and
14703-566: The behaviour of some female fans. Sirisena stated, "I don't advocate that these uncivilised women who removed their brassieres should be beaten with toxic stingray tails, but those who organised such an event should be." Sinhala language Sinhala ( / ˈ s ɪ n h ə l ə , ˈ s ɪ ŋ ə l ə / SIN -hə-lə, SING -ə-lə ; Sinhala: සිංහල , siṁhala , [ˈsiŋɦələ] ), sometimes called Sinhalese ( / ˌ s ɪ n ( h ) ə ˈ l iː z , ˌ s ɪ ŋ ( ɡ ) ə ˈ l iː z / SIN -(h)ə- LEEZ , SING -(g)ə- LEEZ ),
14872-681: The chronicle Mahāvaṃsa , written in Pali, Prince Vijaya of the Vanga Kingdom and his entourage merged in Sri Lanka with later settlers from the Pandya kingdom . In the following centuries, there was substantial immigration from Eastern India, including additional migration from the Vanga Kingdom (Bengal), as well as Kalinga and Magadha . This influx led to an admixture of features of Eastern Prakrits. The development of Sinhala
15041-453: The commission. 2413 suspects were released under suspended sentences while 258 received terms of rigorous imprisonment, which included 3 imprisonments for life. 50 suspects were acquitted. A second commission was formed in 1976, consisting of three judges. 2520 suspects were released under a suspended sentence, while 372 received terms of rigorous imprisonment, which included 5 imprisonments for life. 92 suspects were acquitted. In 1975, Wijeweera
15210-448: The constitution has been amended. Independent commissions would be established to oversee the judiciary, police, elections department, Auditor-General's Department and Attorney-General's Department . The Commission on Bribery and Corruption would be strengthened and political diplomatic appointments annulled. Populist measures in the manifesto included a commitment to write-off 50% of farmers' loans, reduce fuel prices by removing taxes and
15379-692: The controversial impeachment of the previous chief justice. Immediately afterwards, Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka's new prime minister before Sirisena. After being sworn in Sirisena stated that he would only serve one term . With an interim cabinet formed on 12 January, Sirisena called the Parliamentary elections, taking the defence portfolio for himself, and appointing Ranil Wickremesinghe as minister of reconciliation, policy development and economic affairs, to go with his prime ministership. In his election manifesto, Sirisena had promised
15548-512: The country would be attacked on 5 April at 11:00 pm. The JVP believed that police stations were the government's principal local element of power, and hoped that disabling them would encourage local populations to rise up in their support. The district leader for Monaragala and Wellawaya was not at the meeting, and the decision to attack was conveyed via a paid radio obituary notice by Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation that read: "JVP Appuhamy expired. Funeral 5.". The Wellawaya leader interpreted
15717-764: The district secretaries communicating messages from the Politburo (which met every two months in Colombo ). The JVP published a newspaper (the Janatha Vimukthi , or People's Liberation ), and carried out several robberies – including the Okkampitiya and Ambalangoda bank robberies, the Badulla mailbag robbery and the York Street robbery – to raise money. Members were also asked to contribute personal funds. In September 1970,
15886-596: The election he was appointed as Chairmen of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party . Sirisena contested 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary elections from the Polonnaruwa district and was elected to parliament having gained the highest number of preferential votes in the district. In February 2021, the Presidential Commission of Inquiry appointed by Sirisena during his term as president to investigate the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings , had stated it
16055-513: The election results and declare a state of emergency but they refused. According to the Colombo Telegraph Rajapaksa also wanted to dissolve parliament. It was only then Rajapaksa decided to concede defeat and summoned Ranil Wickremesinghe to assure him of a smooth transition of power. A spokesman for Rajapaksa has denied the allegations as baseless. The army and police have also denied the allegations. The new government
16224-457: The election was set for 17 August 2015, with the new parliament expected to convene on 1 September 2015. Nominations took place between 6 July 2015 and 13 July 2015. The UPFA/SLFP MPs who remained loyal to former president Rajapaksa called for Rajapaksa to be made the UPFA's prime ministerial candidate for the election. This alarmed those members of the UPFA/SLPF who had supported Sirisena during
16393-470: The element of surprise and coordination, the JVP's first wave of attacks was executed as planned. Although on high alert, the government could do little to prepare and withstand the first wave. Weapons and ammunition were a key problem for both sides, with the JVP lacking access and aimed at gaining these from the police and military they would overrun in their first wave; while the government soon found out that its pre-insurrection stocks of small-arms ammunition
16562-508: The element of surprise. Following the attack, soon after dawn on 5 April, Major General D. S. Attygalle , Commander of the Ceylon Army ordered a platoon of the 1st Battalion, Gemunu Watch from Diyatalawa to Wellawaya. At 7:00 am, Radio Ceylon reported the attack and warned of further attacks. Major Gratian Silva , Army HQ GSO 1 (Ops), and DIG Rudra Rajasingham flew by an air force helicopter to Wellawaya that morning to inspect
16731-526: The embassy. Led by Loku Athula , members of the Mao Youth Front attacked the embassy. A police officer on duty outside the embassy was stabbed and later died. The student elements of the Ceylon Communist Party (CCP) and the JVP were suspected of being the embassy attack and the government ordered a crackdown on these groups. On 9 March, after an accidental explosion in one of the JVP bomb factories which killed five members, police found 58 bombs in
16900-923: The features that may be traced to Dravidian influence are: ඒක ēka it අලුත් aḷut new කියලා kiyalā having-said මම mama I දන්නවා dannavā know ඒක අලුත් කියලා මම දන්නවා ēka aḷut kiyalā mama dannavā it new having-said I know "I know that it is new." ඒක ēka it අලුත් aḷut new ද da Q කියලා kiyalā having-said මම mama I දන්නේ 1971 JVP Insurrection Ceylonese government victory [REDACTED] Ceylon Military intervention: [REDACTED] Rohana Wijeweera [REDACTED] Wijesena Vidanage (Sanath) † [REDACTED] W.T.Karunnarathe [REDACTED] N. Jayasinghe (Loku Athula) [REDACTED] P. Kumarasiri ( POW ) Police : 37 killed; 195 wounded [REDACTED] The 1971 Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna ( JVP ) insurrection (also known as
17069-534: The following days, the helicopters returned wounded to hospitals. RCyAF Ekala was also attacked. The police withdrew personnel from smaller police stations. The rebels had taken control of Matara District and the town of Ambalangoda in the Galle District by 10 April, and came close to capturing the remainder of Southern Province except for cities of Galle and Matara (both of which had two Dutch colonial forts and small army garrisons). However, none of
17238-539: The following year and endorse Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe as the SLFP candidate instead. However, later he withdrew support to Rajapakshe and declared to remain independent and not back any candidate. On 4 April 2024, the Colombo District Court issued an interim injunction temporarily preventing Sirisena from functioning as the party chairman until 18 April, following a case filed by former SLFP chairman Chandrika Kumaratunga. On 18 April,
17407-447: The government brought time to replenish its limited stocks of ammunition and receive new weapons. Wijeweera had been successful in building up the political ideology and the large following of carders. However, these carders large in numbers, lacked proper military training. In comparison, the government forces especially its regulars, although small in number were an all-volunteer professional army with better leadership and training. When
17576-599: The ground situation changed. With many parts of the island under JVP control, communication and transport was limited. The JVP had blocked roads having fallen trees, damaged culverts and bridges preventing vehicular movements. Many army convoys were ambushed such as in Aranayake and in Anuradhapura, where Captain Noel Weerakoon was killed. Initial government offensives were pushed back in areas such as Matara , where local member of parliament Sumanapala Dahanayake
17745-642: The ground situation in Wellawaya and reported to Attygalle and the Inspector General of Police (IGP). The government began frantic preparations for further attacks. A curfew was declared in parts of the island, all police stations were warned of an impending attack, and Attygalle ordered the army to begin mobilization . Several JVP cadres were arrested at Viharamahadevi Park on 5 April as they prepared to abduct (or assassinate) Prime Minister Bandaranaike at her private residence at Rosemead Place. This
17914-465: The harbours. Although China provided diplomatic aid, it was accused of supporting the JVP; Chinese diplomats allegedly contacted North Korea, which supplied weapons and ammunition to the JVP. Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) became a dominion when it gained self-rule from the British on 4 February 1948 with a conservative government formed under the premiership of D. S. Senanayake , who had been instrumental in
18083-447: The influx of modern weaponry and ammunition began to roll in, the tide turned. The wide array of weapons it received resulted in its own logistical problems. The regular personnel of the armed services were soon supplemented by the mobilization of reservists (most of whom were World War II veterans) and while Pakistani and Indian troops that were flown in took over the defense of key installations such as airports and harbors. This released
18252-639: The initial attack. This was followed by a British commitment to supply six Bell 47 helicopters armed with 7.62mm machine guns. The United States said that it was aware that the JVP was not the organization which attacked the US Embassy in Ceylon , but had no specific intention to militarily aid the government. On a request made by the previous government, a USAF Lockheed C-141 Starlifter landed on 12 April carrying much-needed spares for RCyAF helicopters. Pakistan responded with an airlift of supplies, troops, and helicopters to Ratmalana Airport , taking over
18421-417: The injunction was further extended until 9 May. On 24 April, another permanent injunction order was issued effective until the conclusion of the trial. On 12 May, Sirisena formally resigned as chairman of the SLFP, and the pro-Sirisena faction of the party unanimously voted to appoint Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe as the new chairman, a move which was not accepted by the anti-Sirisena faction of
18590-415: The insurgents to surrender. Without food, weapons, and leadership, many youths surrendered; other groups were surrounded and captured. Two JVP leaders, Sanath (Wijesena Vidanage) and Susil, were killed in confrontations with the armed forces; Loku Athula , who led the remnants of his group from Kegalle into the jungles of Wilpattu , was wounded and captured. In jungles in Anuradhapura, the JVP had established
18759-448: The insurgents. The RCyAF took out five Hunting Jet Provosts which had been mothballed in 1970, serviced and armed them in three days, and flew them from RCyAF Chinabay to RCyAF Katunayake (attacking rebel locations en route). On 12 April following a bombing run on a target in Polonnaruwa, one Jet Provost lost power and crashed on its approach to RCyAF Chinabay killing its pilot, Sergeant pilot Ranjith Wijetunga. Several weeks later,
18928-456: The investigations) reported that a more substantial threat to the government was posed by the JVP, and the police investigation of bomb-making factories began. In 1970, a parcel sent by the People's Socialist Republic of Albania containing Chinese-made rifles was captured by the police; other similar incidents occurred at the beginning of the insurgency. The Party of Labour of Albania had sent
19097-485: The island moving 900 soldiers and 100,000 lb of equipment in April. The army reported its first KIA on the first day of the insurrection when Staff Sergeant Jothipala was killed at Thulhiriya in the Kurunegala District. As the insurgents overran five police stations and forty-three were abandoned in the days that followed, the JVP gained control over large parts of the island uncontested. They would raise
19266-607: The island of Ceylon came under British rule . During the career of Christopher Reynolds as a Sinhalese lecturer at the School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London , he extensively researched the Sinhalese language and its pre-1815 literature. The Sri Lankan government awarded him the Sri Lanka Ranjana medal for his work. He wrote the 377-page An anthology of Sinhalese literature up to 1815 , selected by
19435-487: The most aid from the Soviet Union, with Air Ceylon transporting nine tons of military equipment which the Soviet Union made available from supplies in Cairo on 19 April. On 22 April, Soviet Air Force Antonov An-22 transporters flew in with five Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 F fighter bombers, a MiG-15 UTI trainer, and two Kamov Ka-26 helicopters. The Soviet aircraft were accompanied by 200 trainers and ground crew. In addition,
19604-637: The movement in 1965 with other like-minded young people. He was apparently expelled from the Maoist wing of the Ceylonese Communist Party the following year and brought his Marxist ideology to what became known as the Sinhalese Marxist Group. Along with Wijeweera, three close supporters emerged as the leaders of the new movement: Sanath, Karunnarathe and Athula Nimalasiri Jayasinghe (Loku Athula). Initially known also as
19773-479: The need for a sudden, violent seizure of power. The JVP expanded its membership and influence rapidly between 1967 and 1970, gaining control of the student socialist movement on a number of major university campuses (including the Socialist Students Union ) and receiving recruits and sympathizers from the armed forces; some provided sketches of police stations, airports, and military facilities,
19942-476: The negotiations with the British government which led to self-rule. He founded the United National Party (UNP), amalgamating three right-leaning pro-dominion parties which won a majority in parliament at the general election. The UNP was defeated in 1956, when S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike became prime minister on a wave of nationalist sentiment bringing together leftist groups. His wife, Sirimavo Bandaranaike , entered politics after his assassination in 1959 and became
20111-670: The new UPFA government in April 2004. He was also appointed Leader of the House . Sirisena's ministerial portfolio was renamed as Minister of Irrigation, Mahaweli and Rajarata Development in July 2005. He resigned as Leader of the House in August 2005. After the 2005 presidential election newly elected president Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed Sirisena Minister of Agriculture, Environment, Irrigation and Mahaweli Development in November 2005. On 27 March 2006 Sirisena's personal secretary M. L. Dharmasiri
20280-476: The new prime minister. After being sworn in Sirisena stated that he would only serve one term. Sirisena voluntarily transferred significant presidential powers to parliament on 28 April. In 2018, Sirisena appointed the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa (his former rival) as the prime minister, wrote a letter firing Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe (with whose major support he became the president in 2015) and prorogued Parliament, all in apparent contradiction to
20449-541: The one at Aranayake burned down. Only the police station in Kegalle town and its surrounding area remained under government control in the Kegalle District. In the North Central Province, only the Anuradhapura town and its police station held out, while the police station in Vavuniya and Polonnaruwa were attacked. Less intense activity was reported in the Kandy, Badulla and Moneragala Districts. Having lost
20618-407: The onset of the revolt, and they planned to manufacture their own explosive weapons in preparation. By 1970, the movement had begun recruiting and training cadres at camps in rural areas of Kurunegala , Akmeemana , Tissamaharama , Elpitiya and Anuradhapura . Classes delivering the "Five Lectures" were held throughout the island, primarily in secluded locations such as cemeteries. After raising
20787-477: The order as to attack on the morning of 5 April, not in the evening. Four missions were planned and assigned to the nationwide 5 April attack. The main responsibility for the attacks was given to the student wing, which Wijeweera had called the "Red Guard". The first of the four missions was to attack the Panagoda Cantonment , which was one of the country's largest military installations and housed
20956-532: The organization and prepare them for a coming confrontation, Wijeweera opened "education camps" in remote areas of the south and south-western coasts, which provided training in Marxism–Leninism and basic military skills. The movement's central committee was formed at Madampella in 1969. Following the Madampella conference, two more conferences took place at Urubokka and Dondra. At Urubokka the structure of
21125-486: The organization, with secret, five-member cells and regional commands known as "district secretaries" was decided and the prospect of manufacturing weapons was taken up. In the Dondra conference in early 1970, in addition to collecting and manufacturing weapons, details of recruitment, training, uniforms, and collecting information on the armed forces, were discussed. At this point, it was alleged that Dharmasekera had informed
21294-540: The party. Despite pledges made during the presidential campaign, Sirisena has himself been accused of nepotism since becoming president. A few days after Sirisena took power in January 2015, his brother Kumarasinghe Sirisena was appointed chairman of the state-owned Sri Lanka Telecom . The appointment came despite objections from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and several other cabinet ministers. Sirisena's son-in-law Thilina Suranjith Wewelpanawa (Chathurika's husband)
21463-619: The payment of compensation of Rs.100 million, after being ordered to complete payment before 30 August. On 31 January 2023, Sirisena announced his intention to contest in the 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election at a conference for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. In his speech, Sirisena addressed the recent Easter Bombing inquiry findings, apologised to the Catholic community and compared himself to anti- apartheid activist Nelson Mandela . Sirisena would withdraw his campaign
21632-556: The period. Reports of summary executions were reported, including the public execution of Premawathi Manamperi of Kataragama. Caste-based discrimination was common with armed forces arresting all the youth from low-caste villages, regardless of participation. The official death toll was 1,200, but unofficial sources reliably estimated it at 4,000–5,000. Forty-one civilians were killed by the insurgents; thirty-seven police officers were killed and 195 were wounded. Twenty-six armed-services personnel were killed, including one officer (19 from
21801-686: The police for "strategic reasons" during the following days. Fifty-seven police stations were damaged. The insurgents cut telephone and power lines and blocked roads with trees. The Hanwella police station, near Colombo, was attacked on 6 April and overrun. It was soon recaptured by army reinforcements from the Panagoda Cantonment. The No. 2 Squadron of the Royal Ceylon Air Force deployed its three Bell 206A JetRanger helicopters, which began flying missions to remote police stations to supply them with weapons and ammunition; over
21970-603: The police investigations in an alleged presidential assassination attempt . Sirisena was highly critical of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probe into the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks and incidents in its aftermath appointed by the Speaker of the Parliament of the PSC for summering intelligence and police officers. He had ordered no public officer to appear for summons issued by
22139-419: The police to arrest Wijeweera, who was taken into custody in May 1970. After the 1970 general election , however, newly elected Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike had Wijeweera released from police custody; reports from the previous administration were overlooked. Bandaranaike's new administration made changes to the police force, removing officers and disbanding units perceived as disloyal. These changes affected
22308-506: The president, in his previous role as secretary to the Ministry of Lands, had secured Cabinet approval to auction scrap material of the factory, assets which were claimed by M G Sugars Lanka (Pvt) Ltd under the agreement. The company then filed arbitration proceedings in a Singapore tribunal to stop the Government of Sri Lanka from selling the machinery and scrap. The investors sent letters to PM's office which recommended they to complain to
22477-468: The presidential election. They urged Sirisena to prevent Rajapaksa's return to politics but Sirisena remained silent on the matter. After the parliamentary election was called it was announced that Rajapaksa would contest but not as the prime ministerial candidate which would be decided after the election. Feeling "betrayed" by Sirisena, his supporters in the UPFA/SLFP allied themselves with the UNP to form
22646-425: The prime minister left for Temple Trees (her official residence) with General Attygalle, Captain A.R.P. (Kalu) Wijeratne, and her normal escort. Temple Trees became the centre of government operations (both civil and military) during the crisis, and its security was strengthened. It was a refuge for the ministers, most of whom were from leftist parties. Helicopter patrols around the capital began as rumours spread that
22815-416: The prime minister's seat in Parliament. A reported ten thousand people mobilised in a protest in Colombo, demanding that Sirisena reconvene Parliament. On 13 December 2018, the full bench (seven-judge bench) of the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that President Sirisena's decision to dissolve parliament on 9 November, before the completion of four and half years, was unconstitutional and illegal. Following
22984-456: The process of manufacture. One such incident took place on 17 December 1970, Podi Athula lost his left hand and was critically injured when a grenade exploded while being tested. The cells began arming themselves with shotguns ; each member was expected to have a shotgun, 10 cartridges, blue uniforms, military boots, and haversacks . However, this process had mixed results, the JVP was only able to manufacture around 3,000 bombs and some exploded in
23153-670: The process. A JVP cache of weapons was found by the police at the Talagalle Temple at Homagama and at the Vidyodaya Campus, the JVP produced blue uniforms, cartridge belts, boots and helmets. Since its formation in 1949, Ceylon's armed forces were an internal security force assisting the Ceylon Police during strikes and riots. After the attempted coup in 1962 , the armed forces had major cuts in funding, recruitment and joint operations, and were unprepared for
23322-474: The re-cultivation of more than 1 million abandoned paddy fields under the programme. The project was considered a great success being acknowledged as his green revolution. While serving as the Minister of Agriculture Sirisena also served as the acting Defence Minister on several occasions during the Sri Lankan civil war . He was acting defence minister during the last two weeks of the civil war when some of
23491-410: The red flag and assert their dominance over the population. The government forces responded by first securing Colombo, other cities and large towns with sizable police and military garrisons. Roadblocks were set up; bridges, ports and airports were secured, overstretching the armed forces, which began mobilizing its reservists . Army, navy, and air-force personnel were initially deployed on ground duty in
23660-486: The regular troops from static defense to offensive operations. Furthermore, the popular uprising Wijeweera expected from the oppressed classes failed to take place and JVP carders who captured areas did not consolidate these nor prepare for a long drawn out insurgency, as the JVP had not planned for such; local JVP committees raised a red flag in a captured area, and did little else. Widespread looting and damage to state property took place, and several civilians were murdered by
23829-488: The revolution, and the government of Sri Lanka was suspicious of the country's motives. JVP bases contained Juche literature distributed by the North Korean high commission in the country, which helped to develop the party. On 15 May 1971, 18 North Koreans affiliated with the JVP were arrested. Indian patrol boats deployed around the island stopped two North Korean vessels, capturing weapons, food parcels and literature;
23998-401: The right-wing United National Party (UNP) before launching an island-wide, militant opposition to the newly elected, pro-socialist United Front government. The government's socialist background drew the attention of many states which offered to support it. The Soviet Union sent 60 air-force troops; India guarded the forts, stopping North Korean vessels and a Chinese freighter which raided
24167-736: The secretary of the organisation. Subsequently, he was appointed the Polonnaruwa SLFP chief organiser by the SLFP hierarchy. He became president of the All Island SLFP Youth Organisation in 1983. Sirisena studied for three years at the Sri Lanka School of Agriculture, Kundasale from where he earned a diploma in agriculture in 1973. In 1980 he earned a Diploma in political science at the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Russia . Sirisena contested
24336-446: The seventeenth amendment and appoint UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister . He later was reported to have publicly disavowed this program, claiming that he did not know where it originated. Sirisena was sworn in as the sixth Executive President before Supreme Court judge K. Sripavan in Independence Square, Colombo at 6:20 p.m. on 9 January 2015. Immediately afterwards he appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe as
24505-477: The state of democratic institutions in the country, with former Ministers refusing to step down from their posts. Karu Jayasuriya, the speaker for the Parliament, refused to acknowledge the legality of this move, stating that the ousted Wickramasinghe is the lawful prime minister and urging the president to convene Parliament to resolve the issue. However, since then the speaker's office also issued statements expressing that they will not prevent Rajapaksa from occupying
24674-431: The subversive tone of his publications, the United National Party (UNP) government had Wijeweera arrested at Hambantota on 12 May, days before the general elections in May. The UF won a landslide victory against the UNP and formed a government. Wijeweera was released in July 1970. In the politically tolerant atmosphere of the next few months, as the new government attempted to win over a variety of unorthodox leftist groups,
24843-615: The time ordered a Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the bombings to identify the perpetrators. On his return to the island on 22 April, he declared a state of emergency from midnight of 22 April by issuing an extraordinary gazette notification. The government announced a national day of mourning the following day. The President and the government were heavily criticised for not heeding warnings from Indian intelligence services, but President Sirisena denied knowledge of warnings before his departure overseas on 15 April. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe later apologised for failing to stop
25012-421: The traditional Sri Lankan political elite. He entered as a member of parliament from Polonnaruwa back in 2020 and ended his tenure in 2024. Sirisena joined mainstream politics in 1989 as a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and has held several ministries since 1994. He was the general-secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was Minister of Health until November 2014 when he announced his candidacy in
25181-647: The vessels may have been headed to JVP-controlled territory to reinforce it against the Ceylonese army. Aid may also have come through the Ceylon-North Korea Friendship Association, which had branches throughout the country. At the time of the start of the insurrection, there was a Chinese cargo vessel bound for Tanzania in the Colombo Harbour. The Ceylonese government requested to acquire these arms failed following appeals to both Beijing and Dar es Salaam. Thereafter,
25350-417: The victims of the bombing. The supreme court found that senior government and intelligence officials were responsible for failing to prevent the attacks. The former police chief Pujith Jayasundara and former state intelligence services head Nilantha Jayawardena were also ordered to pay Rs. 75 million each, and the former defence minister was ordered to pay Rs. 50 million. On 16 August 2024, Sirisena completed
25519-567: The world's first female prime minister in 1960. Due to successive governments, varying economic policies and frequent strikes, Ceylon's economic outlook during the 1960s had fallen below what it was when it gained independence in 1948; this led to an attempted coup in 1962 . The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) movement was founded during the late 1960s by Rohana Wijeweera , a former Lumumba University medical student and Ceylon Communist Party functionary. At odds with party leaders and impatient with its lack of revolutionary purpose, Wijeweera formed
25688-472: The worst alleged war crimes were committed. Sirisena has claimed that LTTE may have tried to assassinate him on at least five occasions. Sirisena narrowly escaped death on 9 October 2008 when a convoy he was part of was attacked by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam 's suicide bomber at Piriwena Junction in Boralesgamuwa , Colombo. One person was killed and seven injured. Sirisena was re-elected at
25857-891: Was appointed public relations officer at the Ministry of Defence in February 2015 — Sirisena is Minister of Defence . In September 2015 Sirisena's son Daham accompanied his father as he visited New York City for the Seventieth session of the United Nations General Assembly . Despite having no official role, Daham Sirisena sat with the Sri Lankan delegation in the United Nations General Assembly and accompanied his father as he met world leaders such as Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and President of
26026-506: Was awarded five acres of paddy land in Polonnaruwa near Parakrama Samudra which resulted in the family moving from Yagoda to Polonnaruwa. His mother, Yapa Appuhamilage Dona Nandawathi, was a school teacher. He was educated at Thopawewa Maha Vidyalaya and Rajakeeya Madya Maha Vidyalaya Polonnaruwa where he first developed an interest in politics. While still in school, as a teenager, Sirisena became interested in communism and joined
26195-408: Was controlled by one family and that the country was heading towards a dictatorship with rampant corruption, nepotism and a breakdown of the rule of law. He has pledged to abolish the executive presidency within 100 days of being elected, repeal the controversial eighteenth amendment, re-instate the seventeenth amendment and appoint UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe as prime minister . Following
26364-523: Was divided into five areas: Colombo South, Colombo North, Kandy Road, Colombo Central, and Kotte. The insurgents were to attack police stations along the way, obtaining arms and ammunition from them. The targets were Welikada Prison , Srawasthi , Radio Ceylon and the homes of government officials, including Justice Minister Felix Dias Bandaranaike , the Army Commander and the IGP . The fourth mission
26533-562: Was enough to hold out for only a week. On 5 April when the warning of the impending attack was issued, some police stations found that they lacked operational firearms or live ammunition. The three Bell 206A Jet Ranger helicopters of the RCyAF began on 5 April with a furry of activity, they began flying weapons and ammunition to isolated police stations. Flying over 12 hours a day, these three helicopters airlifted 36,500 lb of ammunition during April. The Doves flew supply missions to different parts of
26702-485: Was followed by a quick citywide curfew and more arrests in Kotahena and Borella, with large numbers of bombs, weapons, and medical equipment meant to be used in the planned attack on the city. At 8:00 pm, General Attygalle, IGP Stanley Senanayake and Lieutenant Colonel Anuruddha Ratwatte arrived at the prime minister's residence and briefed her on the attack on Wellawaya and an impending attack that night. Soon afterwards,
26871-481: Was going to lose the election. They alleged that Rajapaksa and his brother Gotabhaya Rajapaksa , the Defence Secretary, summoned Commander of the Army Daya Ratnayake , Inspector General of Police N. K. Illangakoon and Attorney General Yuwanjana Wanasundera to Temple Trees at around 1:00 a.m. on 9 January 2015. Rajapaksa allegedly pressured the three officials to deploy troops, annul
27040-644: Was jailed for 15 months for alleged involvement in the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Insurrection . Following his release from prison, Sirisena joined All Ceylon SLFP Youth Organization led by Anura Bandaranaike and joined politics at the national level. After serving at a number of state institutions, Sirisena obtained the SLFP membership in 1978. In 1974 Sirisena started working at the Palugasdamana Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society as
27209-436: Was not spent as intended due to the insurgency. Ceylon severed diplomatic ties with North Korea based on information that the country supported the JVP and diplomatic relations were not reestablished till 2014. The government expanded the armed forces, the air force which had 1,400 personnel in 1971 grew to 3,100 by 1976 with the addition of a Volunteer Force and the army formed the National Service Regiment . The police formed
27378-416: Was praised for "shepherding an inclusive process" during the elections by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon . The European External Action Service spokesperson also stated that the election was "genuine, well administered and peaceful." On 20 August 2015 the central committee of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent of the UPFA, agreed to form a national government with
27547-474: Was reduced to 60% due to pressure from many multinational companies and from some areas of the government itself. In May 2014 Sirisena was elected as one of the Vice Presidents of the World Health Assembly . Following days of speculation in the media, Sirisena announced on 21 November 2014 that he would challenge incumbent president Mahinda Rajapaksa at the 2015 presidential election as the common opposition candidate. Sirisena claimed that everything in Sri Lanka
27716-489: Was sentenced to life imprisonment (later reduced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment ). Many of the surviving JVP leaders received prison sentences; some, including Loku Athula and Somasiri Kumanayake, turned crown witness and were pardoned. Most of the youths in rehabilitation camps were released gradually. The insurgency caused Rs 2.7 million in damage to public and private property; other institutions lost Rs 3 million. Over Rs 450 million earmarked for capital development
27885-486: Was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Aranangawila. Following a cabinet reshuffle in January 2007 he was appointed Minister of Agricultural Development and Agrarian Services Development by President Rajapaksa. In order to combat the 2007–08 world food price crisis , Sirisena initiated a plan under the scheme 'Api Wavamu – Rata Nagamu' to improve local food production on a national scale. Festivals of tilling were conducted in each divisional secretariat every year leading to
28054-416: Was the replacement of the executive presidency with a Westminster style cabinet but the manifesto acknowledged that Sirisena would need the support of the parliament to amend the constitution. The manifesto also made a commitment to replace the open list proportional representation system with a mixture of first-past-the-post and PR for electing MPs. Parliamentary elections will be held in April 2015 after
28223-414: Was to rescue Wijeweera from prison in Jaffna. Planning for the countrywide insurrection was hasty and poorly coordinated, with some district leaders not informed until the morning of the uprising. At 5:20 am on 5 April, the Wellawaya police station was attacked and two police constables were killed. The Wellawaya attack had preempted the initial wave of simultaneous attacks planned by the JVP, which lost
28392-452: Was victorious in the remaining 10. On the contrary Rajapakse won in 90 electorates while Sirisena managed to win only in 70 electorates. The result was generally seen as a shock. When Rajapaksa called the election in November 2014 he had looked certain to win. According to Mangala Samaraweera and Rajitha Senaratne , senior figures in the Sirisena campaign, Rajapaksa attempted to stage a coup in order to stay in power when it became clear he
28561-486: Was wounded accompanying the first joint army and police expedition into rebel-held areas. With the government desperately short of weapons and ammunition, Bandaranaike telegraphed a request for support to friendly countries. The response from many governments was swift. The United Kingdom was the first to respond positively, allowing the Ceylonese government to use an Air Ceylon Trident to ferry small arms and ammunition from its bases in Singapore within four days of
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