Officers’ Plot To Topple Ceylon Govt. Fails

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29734, 30 January 1962, Page 15

Officers’ Plot To Topple Ceylon Govt. Fails

(N-Z-P-A.-Reuter—Copyright)

NEW DELHI, January 29.

A plot to overthrow the Ceylon Government had failed because the Prime Minister (Mrs Bandaranaike) postponed at the last minute a visit to temples in southern Ceylon, according to the influential Delhi newspaper, the “Statesman.”

In a report from Colombo the newspaper said the plotters had planned to seize Mrs Bandaranaike while she was visiting temples near Kandarama at midnight last Saturday. They also had planned to arrest other Ministers and leaders of Leftwing political parties.

The “Statesman” said that 10 senior police and army officers were under arrest and were being interrogated at Temple Trees, the Prime Minister's official residence Official announcements tn Colombo have listed only eight persons arrested. The newspaper said those arrested planned to set up a police and military regime after forcing Mrs Bandaranaike to sign certain declarations.

The London “Daily Mail" reported from Colombo that a former captain of the Ceylon cricket team. Colonel F. C. de Saram. was among the arrested. • Colonel de Saram aged 51 who was attached to the Ceylon Garrison Artillery, is an Oxford cricket blue and the only Ceylonese player to hit a century against the Australian tourists in England He scored it for Oxford in 1934. Arrested with him were

Colonel Maurice del Mel, the Army Chief of Staff; his brother, Rear-Admiral Royce del Mel; Cyrus Dissanayake the Deputy Inspector-General of Police; Police Superintendent C. Jirasinghe, and other police and Army officers. All were detained under the Emergency Regulations clamped on the island as a result of the Tamil-language dispute riots last April. The plot was said to have been backed by Right-wing groups which recently attacked the “Marxist" policy of some Government leaders, said the “Daily Mail.”

rather than Left-wing backing.

The Rightists have been critical mainly of Mrs Bandaranaike’s chief adviser —her nephew and Finance Minister, Mr Felix Dias Bandaranaike.

Left-wing leaders alleged in Parliament two weeks ago that the country was threatened by military dictatorship.

Exchange Of

Poltical observers in New Delhi believe the coup attempt was part of a struggle between Left and Right-wing groups inside and outside the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party. There have been increasing indications recently of dissension between Left and Right-wingers within the party. Some reports have said the Cabinet was divided. Inside the ruling party. Conservative backbenchers have been increasingly critical of the “Marxist" policies of some of its leaders. Observers said the fact that senior police and Army officers were arrested indicated that the reported attempt to overthrow the Government had Right-wing

Views

(NZP.a. -Reuter— Copynght) WASHINGTON, Jan 29 President Kennedy’s press secretary (Mr Pierre Salinger) and his Soviet counterpart, Mr Mikhail Kharlamov, probably would meet in Paris this week-end to decide how their leaders’ views might be better circulated in the other’s countries. United States officials said today One possibility likely to be reviewed was an exchange of television interviews of President Kennedy and Mr Khrushchev.

Mr Salinger and Mr Kharlamov have met before, not’ably at the summit session in Vienna last June between President Kennedy and Mr Khrushchev.