Coup attempt that nearly ignited a religious war
Posted on January 26th, 2016

Janaka Perera

The first ever attempt to overthrow a legally elected government in post independence Sri Lanka was made 54 years ago on January 27.   The conspirators were a group of military and police officers that belonged to a generation, which was virtually alienated from Sri Lanka’s history and traditions.  Their objective was to turn the political clock back to the immediate post independence years.

The defence establishment then was a far cry from what it is today. It was largely a ceremonial outfit and the Army had only one Major General.  A culturally-uprooted army it had no links to this country’s pre-colonial era unlike in neighbouring India which has a strong unbroken military tradition – warrior tribes represented today in the Sikh, Rajput, Maratha, Gurkha and other Regiments.

Almost all the top rankers in Sri Lanka’s police and armed forces belonged to a Westernized upper class – most of them Christians.  A direct result of European colonial rule, they were largely an aberration for a predominantly Asian Buddhist country like Sri Lanka.   Not surprisingly therefore the conspirators failed to comprehend the complex and sometimes controversial socio-political changes that were sweeping not only Sri Lanka but also the rest of post-colonial Asia in the decades that followed the end of World War II.  More than anything else nationalists in the continent were giving vent to centuries of frustration and anger under European domination.

Consequently the coup leaders of 1962 and their mentors mistook the post-`56 socio-economic transformations and the establishment of diplomatic ties with Soviet Russia and China as a possible shift to communism.  As veteran journalist D.B. Dhanapala said, The sizzling of the diehards carrying the white man’s burden by proxy could be heard echoing through the infuriated press” (Among Those Present).

It was left to Felix Dias Bandaranaike – who himself grew up in a Westernised Christian environment – to abort the coup that would have probably turned this country into a Latin American style-banana republic.   Aborting the coup was one of the most significant contributions that F.D. Bandaranaike made to the country at a time when SLFP’s egalitarian politics threatened the interests of his own class.

He got wind of the plot – planned for the midnight of January 27, 1962 – through leading educationist, Buddhist activist and first SLFP General Secretary P.de. S. Kularatne who in turn was tipped off by his daughter Maya and her husband Stanley Senanayake then SP Colombo.  The latter was among those who refused to join the plot.

The plotters were living in the clouds.  They failed to realize that at the time they planned to stage the coup the Sirima Bandaranaike Government was still popular as shown in several by-election results. (Nine years later the JVP made exactly the same mistake – on April 5, 1971)

The conspirators had initially planned to execute several government members.  But a coup leader, DIG Range I, C.C. (Jungle) Dissanayake, had warned the others not to resort to any killings.

Dissanayake was arrested in his house soon after the midnight.  Altogether 30 conspirators were arrested including former Navy Commander Royce de Mel former DIG Sydney de Zoysa, L.C.S. Jirasinghe, Commandant Volunteer Force Col. Maurice de Mel, Commanding Officer, Volunteer Signals Lt. Co. B.R. Jesudasan, Majors B.I. Loyala and W.G. White both of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, Major L.P.Joseph of the Armoured Corps, Commanding Officer, Volunteer Engineers Lt. Col. J.H.V. de Alwis, Staff Officer Ceylon Volunteer Force Headquarters Capt. J.A.R. Felix, SP (West) V.E. Perera, Deputy Director, Land Development J.F.D. Liyanage, PA to DIG Range I ASP T.V. Wijesinghe, Commanding Officer, Ceylon Electrical and Mechanical Engineers  Lt. Col. Noel  Mathysz, Captains D.E. Weerasinghe, A.J.B. Anghie and N.S. Jayakody all of the 3rd Field Regiment.

Only the Air Force, then under the command of a European had no connection with the coup attempt.

By strange coincidence, January 27 was the day Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike was to be at Kataragama.  Planning of the coup had gone on for quite a sometime.  Colonels Maurice de Mel and F.C. de Saram were in charge of the Army arrangements for the coup, while DIGs Sidney de Soysa and C.C. Dissanayake were in charge of police arrangements. Former Navy Commander Rear Admiral Royce de Mel was associated in the detailed planning of the coup. Sidney Soysa was to coordinate army and police operations.

Government ministers, the Permanent Secretary for Defence and External affairs, the Inspector General of Police, DIG (CID), SP (CID) and the acting Navy Commander were among those to be arrested. Other service commanders including the Army Commander were to be restrained and prevented from leaving their houses that night after a certain hour.

Soon after midnight police cars equipped with loud hailers were to be sent out to announce an immediate curfew in Colombo city limits.   The Central Telegraph Office, Colombo and other city telephone exchanges were to be put out of action.  Newspaper office buildings, Police Headquarters, the CID office and other key points were to be taken over.  Armoured cars were to be stationed at certain points to ensure the success of the operation. Troops from Panagoda were to be prevented from reaching Colombo that night at any cost.

Army vehicles fitted with radio transmitting and receiving equipment, were to be stationed at the two Kelani bridges, the Kirillapone Bridge and other places. Armed police motorcyclists were to be at Torrington (Independence) Square from about 11 p.m. that night. A special direct telephone line had been laid the previous day, from Lower Lake Road to Echelon Square, for use by army personnel.  Armoured cars at the PM’s official residence, `Temple Trees’ were to be withdrawn.

Had the coup succeeded even for 24 hours – observes retired Police Superintendent F.N.D. Jilla – the rank and file (roused by political forces opposed to the coup) would have turned their guns not only on the coup leaders but also on all other non-Buddhist officers.

He continues: With the army, navy and police leaderless, a religious war would begin between Buddhists and non-Buddhists and the massacres would be so terrible that the Sinhala-Tamil disturbances we had gone through in 1956 and 1958 would look like child’s play.”  (Without Fear or Favour)

 Yet, to the anti-national English press at the time the major issue was not the proven attempt to overthrow a legitimately elected government but the discomfort and alleged harassment that the accused experienced in jail. The so-called watchdogs of democracy conveniently ignored the fact that the plotters had drawn up plans to imprison government members and leftist leaders among others in the Army Headquarters Ammunition Magazine, which is a reinforced concrete structure, partially underground.

Although the Sri Lankan Courts convicted the conspirators they succeeded in getting acquitted on a technical point upon appeal to the Privy Council in UK under the law that prevailed in Sri Lanka at the time.

While the plotters represented only a minority in the defence establishment many of them nevertheless bitterly regretted their action and one army officer committed suicide as a result.

The `spiritual’ and political heirs of the 1962 conspirators are however still with us.

3 Responses to “Coup attempt that nearly ignited a religious war”

  1. Christie Says:

    “A culturally-uprooted army it had no links to this country’s pre-colonial era unlike in neighbouring India which has a strong unbroken military tradition – warrior tribes represented today in the Sikh, Rajput, Maratha, Gurkha and other Regiments.”

    Janaka this Indian traditions come from British and late British-Indian now Indian.

    The first regiments were Madras Regiments.

    Madras (South Indians mainly Tamils) and Maratis had a big involvement ins Ceylon. This Madras regiments were involved with taking over the country of Ceylon.

    Than Maratis were involved with protecting the plantations and taking over pedants land.

  2. L Perera Says:

    Interesting article re this failed coup that was referred to as “LAVATORY COUP”, by some. But to say that that it nearly ignited a religious war is poppycock.

  3. Daya Says:

    This was not called a “LAVATORY COUP”. That came later. Major Richard Udugama tried to topple a UNP government. That was a less serious problem.

    That 1962 Coup belonged to a by-gone era. That the legislation was retrospective was true, but the 1962 Coup was real, and it is understandable that Privy Council appeals were disallowed, thereafter. Governor-General, Sir Oliver Gunatilleke was replaced with William Gopallawa.

    This was the time of the Vietnam War. So, the issues were of that time.

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