As mentioned in the previous article, in the mid-1960s, six groups, including the JVP, broke away directly from the Chinese wing of the Ceylon Communist Party led by N. Shanmugathasan. Including these groups, a total of 11 new left-wing factions emerged during that period.
Dharmasekera Joins the JVP
Having entered politics through the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, subsequently joined the JVP and later broken away from it, the Maoist Youth Front emerged as a significant faction. It later became the Motherland Defence Association and subsequently the Democratic National Front. Its leader was Gammandvila Imiyage Don Dharmasekera, also known as G. I. D. Dharmasekera, who was born in Beruwala on 19 February 1942.
While working as a teacher at the Sunethradevi Pirivena in Piliyandala, Dharmasekera met Rohana Wijeweera in February 1967. Jayakody arranged the meeting at Sudasinghe’s residence. Dharmasekera was a former president of the Vidyalankara University Students’ Union in Kelaniya and the founding president of the All Ceylon Unemployed Graduates Association, established in 1966. By that time, the association had organised three protests in Galle, Colombo and Horana and established branches in Puttalam, Anuradhapura, Ratnapura, Kurunegala, Kegalle, Galle, Matara, Kandy, Kalutara and Colombo. Dharmasekera and his extensive network subsequently contributed actively to Wijeweera’s theory of a nationwide uprising to seize state power across the country in a single night.
Among the activists of the Maoist Youth Front, later known as the Motherland Defence Association, were several graduates. They included J. A. Jayakody, secretary of the Communist Youth Union at Vidyalankara University; Lal Parakrama; Bandara Perera; Fernando of Kuliyapitiya, who had studied at the University of Peradeniya; Ruwan Pathirana of Kollupitiya; and Chandrasiri Herath of Vidyodaya University.
A brief account of several individuals follows.
Lal Parakrama Daluwatta was born in Dodanduwa, Galle, on 2 November 1946. Parakrama Gunasinghe Daluwatta, popularly known as Lal Parakrama, was regarded as one of the most socially respected leaders in Dharmasekera’s group. His father, Gunapala, was a businessman. Educated at Dharmapala Vidyalaya in Ratnapura, Parakrama graduated from the University of Kelaniya. He was living in Ratnapura when he was arrested at the end of March 1971. He later served as the Sabaragamuwa Regional Director of the Youth Corps and became the founding chairman of the Sabaragamuwa Development Bank. A father of three, he died on 29 January 2011.
Fernando of Kuliyapitiya began his political career in the Communist Party. After studying at the University of Peradeniya, he joined Dharmasekera’s group. He served as chairman of the Post-Independence Liberation Dharma Centre and maintained close ties with the Devasarana Centre in Ibbagamuwa. During the emergence of the national consciousness discourse known as Jathika Chinthanaya, he became one of its prominent spokespeople. He died in August 2021.
Dayapala Thiranagama was born in Happavana, Harumalgoda, in Habaraduwa. He entered the University of Kelaniya in 1967 and broke away from the JVP alongside Dharmasekera in 1970. While associated with the Motherland Defence Association, Thiranagama was accused of involvement in the attack on the US Embassy in Sri Lanka on 6 March 1971, but was subsequently acquitted.
After joining the Alternative Group, Thiranagama spent approximately six months in hiding in 1988 at a farm in Dambulla, allegedly connected to the disappeared journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda, to evade repression by the state and the JVP. On 27 August 1977, he married Dr Rajini Rajasingham, a founding member of the Jaffna University Teachers’ Association for Human Rights. She was assassinated by the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Jaffna on 21 September 1989. Born in Jaffna and educated at the Colombo Medical Faculty, Rajini’s assassination prompted Thiranagama to migrate to Britain on 27 December 1989 with their two daughters, Namarda and Sharika. He subsequently returned to Sri Lanka, where he currently resides.
In connection with an alleged attempt to overthrow the government during the 1980s, indictments were filed on 8 July 1987 against 23 defendants in the Second Anti-State Conspiracy Trial before Colombo High Court Judge T. Sunderalingam. Twelve of the defendants belonged to the Alternative Group, including Dayapala Thiranagama. Following the implementation of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord on 29 July 1987, all the defendants, including Thiranagama, were acquitted on 22 April 1988 by Colombo High Court Judge Ameer Ismail.
Dharmasekera Ousted from the JVP
Rohana Wijeweera received reports that Dharmasekera, the JVP leader in Kalutara District, was acting factionally and criticising the leadership. Disputes also arose over district boundaries. During a discussion in Thanabaddegama village in Galle District, activists led by Dharmadasa Peththengoda accused Dharmasekera of disputes concerning district demarcations. Wijeweera subsequently restricted Dharmasekera’s activities to Kalutara District and prohibited him from building networks in other districts.
As tensions mounted, Dharmasekera and 21 of his followers met Wijeweera in Kataragama in February 1970, accompanied by Piyathilake. The meeting proved unsuccessful, and Dharmasekera was effectively expelled from the JVP by March 1970.
During this period, members of Dharmasekera’s group had also undergone a two-day training course in weapons handling and battlefield operations in the Sinharaja Forest. To reorganise JVP activities in Kalutara District, Wijeweera appointed Peradeniya University student Sarath Wijenayake as the Horana organiser and Nayanananda Wijegunatilake as the Kalutara District organiser.
Establishment of the Motherland Defence Association
Following his expulsion from the JVP, Dharmasekera brought together 57 full-time members who had rallied around him for a three-day meeting in Wilbawa, Kurunegala. The gathering resulted in the establishment of the Motherland Defence Association. Dharmasekera became its secretary, Fernando of Kuliyapitiya its president, and Jayakody its organiser. Lal Parakrama and Ruwan Pathirana were appointed vice-presidents.
The new revolutionary organisation appointed district secretaries for Kalutara, Ratnapura, Matara, Galle, Puttalam, Kandy, Kurunegala and Colombo. It also assigned two individuals responsibility for organising activities at Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara universities. Within two months of the Wilbawa convention, eight district committees had been established. Plans were also made to create additional committees in Matale, Badulla, Monaragala, Hambantota and Polonnaruwa.
When Wijeweera was arrested in Julgamuwa, Hambantota, on 12 May 1970, he was carrying two revolvers. He told the police that Dharmasekera and J. A. P. Jayakody had supplied the weapons. The Wijeweera faction alleged that Dharmasekera’s group had planned, in April 1970, to attack several police stations in Kalutara District before retreating into the Sinharaja Forest Reserve. According to the JVP, the alleged plan was a provocation intended to give the United National Party (UNP) an excuse to postpone elections, establish a dictatorship and destroy the JVP. Dharmasekera denied the allegation, and no such attack took place.
Dharmasekera Accuses Wijeweera of CIA Ties
On 27 October 1970, several members of the Motherland Defence Association distributed anti-JVP leaflets at a JVP meeting in Moratuwa. The distribution prompted a physical assault by JVP members. One of the leaflets revealed that Dharmasekera was preparing to publish a book based on his experiences within the JVP. Wijeweera subsequently instructed Piyathilake to investigate the matter.
Dharmasekera’s book about Wijeweera, titled The Che Clique Is a CIA Tool (Che Kalliya C.I.A. Pilliyaki), was being printed at Madhava Press in Borella. On the night of 31 October 1970, a seven-member team led by Piyasiri Kularatne, the second-in-command of the JVP student wing, raided the printing press. The group intimidated the assistants, seized all the copies of the book and destroyed the typeset material.
After being summoned by Wijeweera to the residence of T. D. Silva in Aderamulla, Piyasiri carried out the order to destroy the manuscript. During the operation, Piyasiri and Thilakasiri of Ambalangoda were arrested by Borella Police. They were subsequently released on bail from remand prison following the intervention of Seelawathi, the mother of Osman Silva of Wanathamulla, who mortgaged the deed to a plot of land to secure their release.
JVP Retreats from Kalutara and Ratnapura
G. I. D. Dharmasekera’s departure dealt a significant blow to the JVP, as supporters in Kalutara and Ratnapura districts left the organisation in large numbers to join him. The JVP consequently suffered substantial losses in both districts, while its organisation in Kurunegala sustained less damage. Because Dharmasekera’s associates had already established networks in Ratnapura and Kurunegala, and his fellow students from Vidyalankara University were spread across the country, he was able to build a new faction relatively easily.
Dharmasekera’s followers were concentrated in several parts of Kalutara District, including Horana, Wadduwa, Bandaragama, Uduwara, Millaniya and Kalutara. Gerard Nanayakkara’s Manel Studio in Horana served as one of Dharmasekera’s principal bases, alongside the Uduwara Temple. With the assistance of monks such as Pelpitiyagoda Vimalagnana of Vidyalankara University and Sumanasara of Kalutara, Dharmasekera developed networks through temples across the district. These local networks were led by Sandal Perera of Pethigamuwa, Horana.
By late 1970, the JVP was compelled to rebuild its organisation in Kalutara District almost entirely from scratch. With much of the youth population that the JVP would normally have attracted already aligned with Dharmasekera, the organisation had to concentrate on areas where his influence was weaker. Following Dharmasekera’s departure, the new Kalutara District organiser, Nayanananda Wijethilake, failed to provide effective leadership. Consequently, during the uprising that began on 5 April 1971, Beruwala was the only police station in the entire district to face a systematic attack.
Attack on the US Embassy
The Motherland Defence Association carried out a bomb attack on the US Embassy in Colombo on 6 March 1971. Although Dharmasekera was identified as the principal mastermind behind the operation, he did not participate at the request of other leaders in the group. Three days before the attack, 20 leaders of the organisation met at a house near Kelaniya University. They instructed 20 squads, each comprising ten members, to assemble at Galle Face Green by 11 am on 6 March.
The participants subsequently blended in with ordinary pedestrians before moving towards the main road in front of the embassy. They then breached the embassy grounds and launched the attack.
Kollupitiya Police arrested eight suspects in connection with the hand-grenade attack, which took place around midday on 6 March 1971. A team led by Kollupitiya Police Inspector R. R. Scott and Sub-Inspector Vignarajah conducted further investigations. The government issued a statement conveying its profound regret to US Deputy Chief of Mission Peterson over the violent acts and arson committed by a group of individuals who had forcibly entered the embassy premises.
Police Inspector Killed by an Iron Spike
The most seriously injured person in the attack was Kollupitiya Police Inspector T. G. Karunaratne. As he moved forward to apprehend a suspect from the youth group involved in the 6 March attack, he was stabbed from behind with an iron spike. Medical specialists reported that the spike had penetrated his lungs and protruded through his chest.
Horana Edirisingha, alias Gadsira, was accused of carrying out the stabbing, although he did not become a formal suspect. According to the account, Edirisingha was later killed in a stabbing incident arising from an illicit affair.
During the attack, members of the group threw three hand grenades over the embassy wall. The grenades struck several cars parked outside the premises, shattering their windscreens. Inspector Karunaratne, who had suffered critical injuries, and two other people who sustained minor injuries were taken to hospital for treatment.
The Motherland Defence Association subsequently said that the attack had been carried out in protest against US actions in Vietnam. The JVP, however, claimed that the operation was a provocation intended to provide the government with a pretext to suppress the organisation. Those involved in the attack later claimed that they had stormed the embassy, pulled down the American flag and set it on fire.
Inspector Karunaratne died at Colombo General Hospital on 8 March at 4.20 pm. He was 50 years old and had five children. The US Embassy in Colombo issued a statement expressing the profound condolences of the United States government over his death. His remains were placed at Kollupitiya Police Station for members of the public to pay their respects. His funeral took place at Borella Kanatte Cemetery at 4 pm on Wednesday, 10 March 1971.
The Police Department paid Rs. 20,000 in compensation to the inspector’s wife and family following his death while attempting to apprehend those responsible for the embassy attack. Including insurance payments, the total amount received by his widow and children reached Rs. 50,000. The US Embassy also donated Rs. 5,000 to the family and provided Stanley, one of Karunaratne’s sons, with a four-year contract-based job.
On the Prime Minister’s recommendation, the Cabinet decided on 21 March 1971 to amend the Police Ordinance to provide for compensation to the heirs of police officers killed or disabled by injuries sustained in the line of duty.
Arrest of Suspects
Of the eight suspects arrested in connection with the embassy attack, four were granted bail of Rs. 500 each by Colombo Joint Magistrate S. Semasinghe 11 days later. The remaining suspects were ordered to be held on remand until 3 April. The charges concerned unlawful assembly.
Earlier, Fort Magistrate M. G. de Silva had conducted an identification parade at which two witnesses failed to identify any of the suspects. Another witness did not attend the parade.
Those released on bail were T. K. L. Salman, Perumal Shanmugam Subramanium, K. G. P. Rupasinghe and Premadasa Kulatunga. Those remanded were Anthony Xavier Sachithranandana, P. A. Rajaratne and Vidyadharan Kulasingham. On 27 April 1971, following a police request citing insufficient evidence, the magistrate discharged the four individuals who had been released on bail.
On the same day, police filed charges in the Colombo Joint Magistrate’s Court against seven individuals in connection with the embassy attack and the fatal stabbing of Inspector Karunaratne. Those charged were S. Anthony Xavier, R. S. Sachithanandan, D. A. Rajapaksha of Kalagampitiya, Badulla; K. Vidyaran of Dehiwala; W. K. Piyasena of Kalutara; W. A. Don Lionel Jayathilaka; and Dayapala Thiranagama of Habaraduwa.
The number of accused later increased to 14. They included Seeman Silva, alias Kalutara Saman; A. Don Premalal; Premadasa Kulatunga; Deshabandu Suriyawela, alias Suriyapathabedi; Lal Parakrama; Ruwan Pathirana; and Gunaratne Himi, who had been disrobed and was then known as Sumanaratne. On 11 September 1975, all the accused were acquitted in accordance with the jury’s verdict by High Court Judge Percy Colin-Thome.
Attacks on Lake House Vans
Following the embassy attack, Wandeluvela, one of the 57 founding full-time members of the Motherland Defence Association, attacked a Lake House newspaper delivery van in Kosgama on 17 March 1971. A second attack on a Lake House delivery van took place at Aswatte Junction in Avissawella on 2 April 1971. That attack was carried out by a group led by Higurula Raja Dissanayake.
Nationwide Bomb Explosions
In the aftermath of the embassy attack, a JVP bomb factory and storage facility exploded on 10 March 1971 at Nelumdeniya, Asalawulla, in Kegalle District, killing six people. On 20 March, a major explosion and fire occurred on the upper floor of Room No. 49 at the Mars Hostel at the University of Peradeniya, caused by the ignition of an explosive mixture.
On 25 March 1971, three people sustained critical injuries in an explosion while manufacturing hand grenades in Welimada. Two insurgents were also killed in separate incidents while making bombs in residential houses in Halloluwa, Kandy, and Nawalapitiya.
State of Emergency from 10 March
The government declared a nationwide state of emergency effective from 10 March 1971. On 16 March, it enacted legislation stipulating that post-mortem examinations were unnecessary for people who died in the custody of the security forces.
Under the emergency regulations, the Prime Minister issued an order on 21 March 1971 granting the Supreme Court powers to impose the death penalty or life imprisonment on individuals convicted of arson, looting and trespassing. These measures increased the security risks faced by JVP leaders and activists.
Dharmasekera After Independence
Dharmasekera remained in hiding during the April 1971 insurrection and was arrested several years later. In the 1977 general election, he contested the Beruwala seat under the Democratic National Front, associated with the United Left Front. During subsequent political and national campaigns, including the July 1980 general strike, his political philosophy and fundamental outlook led him to align himself with and support various factions.
During the second JVP insurrection, on 6 July 1989, three insurgents attempted to assassinate Dharmasekera by shooting at him with a revolver. He retaliated immediately and managed to escape, saving his life.
G. I. D. Dharmasekera later became Anagarika Dharmasekera and is now known as Malewana Dharmavijaya Himi. In his later years, he resides at the Infirm Bhikkhu Centre in Sri Lanka’s Southern Province.
