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| Sunday, 3 April 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Memoirs of Sirima R.D.Bandaranaike Quelling the 1962 Coup : Braved it all to save democracy In 1962 my Government was suddenly faced with an attempted coup organised by some top army, navy and police officials and some volunteer corps men including top officers and army officials. They took advantage of the emergency when the volunteer corps were mobilised.
In Jan '62 I was preparing to leave for Kataragama next morning when quite suddenly at about 7 p.m. DIG CID S. A. Dissanayake and SP CID John Attygalle called at Temple Trees (TT), official residence of PM and they informed me that there was an attempt to take over the Government by a coup by certain army, navy and police personnel according to information received. We had to take immediate steps to somehow quell it. Felix Bandaranaike, a Minister of my Cabinet had also independently heard the news and he too rushed to TT and we together took immediate necessary steps. I would be failing in my duty if I did not mention here the part played by Felix. If not for his co-operation and quick thinking. the coup might have succeeded and that would have been the end of democracy in Sri Lanka.
The Army Commander Winston Wijekoon and the IGP M. W. F. Abeykoon were not aware of these plans. It is interesting to state here that the plan leaked out through Colombo SP Stanley Senanayake who apparently got cold feet and squealed. We had only about 2 hours from the time of getting the information to the time fixed for putting into operation the plot. Before morning most of the leaders were arrested and brought to TT under guard. The annexe there was used for the operation. They were all questioned by Felix assisted by the CID officials. Finally it was decided to indict them. They were tried by a Special Commission appointed for the purpose headed by the Chief Justice of the day. Most of them were found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment and confiscation of property. At the time an appeal to the Privy Council was possible. So they asked for leave to appeal which was contested by the Attorney General (AG) of the day. He even retained a lawyer in UK to appear for the State. In the meantime our Government went out of power and the UNP succeeded. The AG was summoned to the Cabinet and instructed not to contest leave to appeal to the Privy Council. The AG was very unhappy but he was compelled to do so. He realised the injustice of this. They were a set of people who tried to overthrow a duly elected Government by the people. (Queen's Government). Then we were still a Dominion. The Privy Council upheld the appeal supposedly on a point of law. So they were not only acquitted and freed but they were all given important jobs, some of them were paid much bigger salaries than they received in their previous posts. Most of them worked for the return of the UNP. It was well-known that some important members of the UNP were in the plot to overthrow our Government. That was confirmed by their subsequent actions. They allowed the appeal when it was proved beyond all doubt that they were guilty by the Courts. After they were acquitted only on a point of law, they were all given employment in Government corporations etc. Probably Sri Lanka is the only country that this could happen. In some countries they would have been shot immediately even without a trial. A group of top service personnel who planned to overthrow the Queen's Government by illegal means was shown so much consideration. Even their civic rights were not taken away. But in my case for supposed abuse of power which is not an offence even today according to the law, was deprived of my civic rights. Whereas attempting to overthrow a Government is treason, they continued to retain their civic rights. Perhaps Felix and I were punished by depriving us of our civic rights for the action we took to quell that coup and for the subsequent actions taken. We were never forgiven for that. They waited for their chance even though we had to suffer for it, we have the satisfaction that we saved democracy and the country from a dictatorship by a set of despots. It is significant to mention here that all those except one or two involved in that coup belonged to a particular denomination not Buddhist. Reproduced with the kind permission of ANCL Editorial Consultant
Malalgoda Bandutilleke custodian of the manuscript. |
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