.<\/p>\n
By<\/p>\n D.B.S.Jeyaraj<\/strong><\/p>\n Eelam People\u2019s Democratic Party(EPDP) chief and Secretary-General, Douglas Devananda became the latest political leader to be arrested in Sri Lanka. The former Jaffna district MP and ex-cabinet minister was arrested by the Police on Friday December 26th in Colombo. Initially he was held by the Police for further inquiries on a 72 hour detention order obtained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act(PTA). On Sunday December 28th, Devananda was produced before the Gampaha magistrate and remanded until January 9th 2026.<\/p>\n The acting Police media spokesman, ASP Minura Senarath told newspapers that the arrest was connected to an on going investigation into the alleged transfer of a firearm to an organised gang criminal. It is alleged that a pistol issued to Devananda had later been found in the possession of underworld gang leader and drug lord \u2018Makandure Madush\u2019.<\/p>\n Douglas Devanamda was summoned by the Police Criminal Investigation department(CID) to record a statement concerning details of firearms issued to him by the defence ministry for his protection during the years of war between the Sri Lankan Armed forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE). Devananda was supportive of the Government and the EPDP under his leadership cooperated with the armed forces in a para-military capacity. The LTTE then branded Douglas as a traitor and made several attempts to kill him.<\/p>\n According to informed Tamil sources Devananda had been asked to present himself on December 26th to record a statement concerning firearms issued to him years ago. The ex-minister travelled down to Colombo from Jaffna and presented himself to the CID on Friday. He did not suspect that he would be arrested.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Weliweriya<\/strong><\/p>\n Devananda was quizzed by Police officers attached to the Homicide and Organized Crime Investigation unit of the CID. He was told that a 9 mm handgun had been recovered in a shrub jungle area near a culvert in the Weliweriya area of Gampaha district in the year 2019. The Police had found the concealed weapon due to information supplied by drug kingpin Makandure Madush who was later killed in 2020 under suspicious circumstances.<\/p>\n Some months ago the Police launched an intensive, wide ranging investigation into organized crime and the narcotics trade. It is well known that President Anura Kumara Disanayake. has declared war on the use and trade of narcotics. The JVP led NPP Government headed by him is fully committed to the elimination of the drug menace.<\/p>\n When the files concerning slain drug lord Madush were re-activated in this regard,it was discovered that the firearm found in Weliveriya bore the serial number of a handgun given to Douglas Devananda in 2001 by the Defence ministry. Police had then wanted to find out how a gun given officially to Devananda in 2001 went into the \u201cpossession\u201dof the drug kingpin Makandure Madush.<\/p>\n Devananda was summoned to record a statement clarifying how the weapon given to him had got into the hands of Madush. Devananda however had not been able to provide a satisfactory explanation when being questioned said the Police. As a result the CID arrested him and detained him for 72 hours under a PTA order. He was later produced in courts on December 28th and remanded until January 9th 2026.<\/p>\n Firearms<\/strong><\/p>\n According to informed Tamil circles close to Douglas Devananda, the EPDP leader had received the 9mm pistol in July 2001 as part of a mini-arsenal provided to the EPDP for protection against the LTTE. The cache consisted of nineteen T-56 assault rifles and six 9 mm pistols. Subsequently the EPDP had been asked to hand over the firearms issued to them twice.<\/p>\n The first occasion was after the 2002 ceasefire facilitated by Norway. The EPDP reportedly returned their firearms to the Defence ministry. As a result several unarmed EPDP cadres were gunned down by the LTTE during the ceasefire period. The EPDP got back their firearms after the ceasefire ended and war erupted again.<\/p>\n The second occasion was after the war ended conclusively following the military defeat of the LTTE in May 2009. The EPDP had returned the arms on a staggered basis to the defence ministry.The firearm in question had also been returned to the defence ministry. If the gun had really been in Madush\u2019s possession, then it was more likely that the \u201clapse\u201dwas by the \u201cdefence sector\u201d and not the EPDP opined informed Tamil sources.<\/p>\n Another possibility is that an EPDP cadre may have sold the firearm to the underworld without Devananda\u2019s knowledge. Several cadres of other Tamil groups had lso sold their firearms to the underworld after the war ended. Even if this were tru, it is the EPDP leader Devananda who has to shoulder responsibility as the arms had been given to him under certain conditions and guarantees.<\/p>\n Tamil Statement<\/strong><\/p>\n According to these Tamil circles close to the EPDP, former minister Devananda had clearly furnished details of the various arms given to the EPDP by the Defence ministry. Devananda however had insisted during the interrogation that his statement should be recorded in Tamil. He had pointed out that Tamil was his mother tongue and also an official language. Therefore he was entitled to have his statement recorded in Tamil as his Constitutional right. The CID officers who quizzed Devananda were unable to record the statement in Tamil. It is expected that arrangements would be made to enable the statement to be recorded in Tamil.<\/p>\n Makandure Madush<\/strong><\/p>\n Samaarasingha Arachchige Madush Lakshitha alias Makandure Madush was an underworld gangster and drug lord who was very powerful and politically influential. He relocated to Dubai in 2006 and operated his drug network from there. He was arrested in February 2019 for a drug offence and was deported to Sri Lanka in May 2019. Madush allegedly provided much information regarding his illegal activities and connections to the Police. He is said to have implicated over 80 persons in this regard including top politicians , senior Govt officials and high rankingPolice officers.<\/p>\n In October 2020 Madush was reportedly taken by the Police to a housing scheme in Maligawatte to uncover stashed heroin. According to the \u201cofficial\u201dversion released by the Police, Madush was fired upon by two unknown persons. There was a fire fight when Police retaliated. Madush was allegedly caught in the crossfire and killed. This Police story was disbelived by many.<\/p>\n It is indeed strange that the Police reactivating inquiries into Madush\u2019s activities should probe the pistol given to Douglas Devananda instead of so many other grave matters concerning Madush and possibly incriminate people in powerful positions. Compared to the scale and scope of the drug lord\u2019s illegal activities, the Douglas pistol matter seems rather insignificant.<\/p>\n Tigerish Elements<\/strong><\/p>\n The arrest and detention of Douglas Devananda has been welcomed by people supportive or sympathetic to the LTTE. Tigerish elements and fellow travellers are flooding social media with anti-Douglas posts and comments. Some you tubers seem confident that this is the end of Douglas and that the EPDP chief would be behind bars for a long time.<\/p>\n Tiger and pro-tiger elements hate Douglas Devananda because he defied the LTTE and fought against them alongside the armed forces. Hence they are agog with joy over Douglas Devananda\u2019s present predicament. They are delighted that people like Pillaiyaan and Douglas who fought with the army against the LTTE are now being arrested and detained.<\/p>\n Who then is Douglas Devananda and what is the role he played in Sri Lanka\u2019s recent history?I have written about him before and will try to answer the question raised with the aid of earlier writings.<\/p>\n Defiance of Tigers<\/strong><\/p>\n Kathiravelu Nythiananda Douglas Devananda is in a sense a very unique personality. Douglas displayed a high degree of consistency in opposing the LTTE in the past.. In those days the LTTE claimed to be the sole representative of the Sri Lankan Tamils, Douglas Devananda tried to counter that claim by projecting the EPDP as the sole alternative in defiance of the tigers.<\/p>\n Douglas had to pay a high price for his bold stance; the LTTE killed numerous comrades and cadres, including his own brother. Furthermore multiple attempts were made on his life. Douglas Devananda is the only person who has survived several different assassination attempts by the LTTE. Among these are a full-scale attack with SMGs, grenades and RPGs on his former residence in Colombo 5 , a brutal assault by LTTE prisoners in Kalutara jail and two attempts by women suicide bombers at his former ministry in Colombo 3.<\/p>\n \u201cAthiaddyk Kuthiyan\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Douglas Devananda\u2019s rise to power and office is a fascinating tale. His family hailed originally from Chunnakam but later moved to Athiaddy in Jaffna town. The LTTE\u2019s \u201cpoet laureate\u201d Puthuvai Ratnadurai referred to Douglas in his poems as \u201cAthiaddy Kuthiyan\u201d(hunk of Athiaddy) Devananda\u2019s father Kathiravelu was a Clerk at the Inland Revenue dept and later a staff officer of the Petroleum Corporation. His mother Maheswary taught at Jaffna Central College.<\/p>\n Devananda\u2019s paternal uncle was the well-known trade unionist and activist K.C. Nythiananda. Devananda spent many years with Nythiananda at 17 Frances Road in Colombo 6. The bachelor Nythiananda virtually adopted Devananda who studied at Colombo Hindu College then. Earlier he was at Jaffna Central College. Devananda was no academic bright light but learned rudimentary politics from his uncle. Devananda went on to include both Nythiananda\u2019s name and his nom de guerre in the militant movement, \u201cDouglas,\u201d as part of his official name later.<\/p>\n The seventies of the 20th Century was a period of political ferment for the Tamils. The old left lost its lustre because of its political cohabitation with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Leftist stalwarts like Nythiananda metamorphosed into Tamil nationalists. The Tamil youth too were getting radicalised. Secession and armed struggle to achieve it was the credo of the youth. <\/p>\n EPRLF<\/strong><\/p>\n Devananda also was not immune to these currents. He joined the Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students(EROS) and, thanks to his erstwhile Trotskyite mentor , Eliathamby Ratnasabapathy, went to Lebanon and obtained military training with the Palestinians. Devananda acquired the nom de guerre Douglas then.After returning from the Middle East, Devananda along with K. Pathmanabha and others broke away from the EROS and formed its off-shoot the General Union of Students(GUES) followed by the Eelam People\u2019s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF).<\/p>\n Devananda\u2019s indulgence in pre-1983 militancy was short-lived. He led a not-so-successful robbery of the Thirukkovil Bank in the Amparai District but was caught in Akkaraippattru when fleeing.. Jailed at Welikada, Devananda like Panagoda Maheswaran and others fought tooth and nail to escape death at the hands of Sinhala convicts in July 1983. <\/p>\n PLA Commander<\/strong><\/p>\n Transferred to Batticaloa, Devananda played a crucial role in engineering the breakout from within. Escaping to India he underwent Indian arms training at KUMBAKOANAM also and then formed the Military Wing of the EPRLF the People\u2019s Liberation Army (PLA). Douglas was the first PLA Commander. He reportedly got Palestinian arms training a secod time also. The first was with Al Fatah and the second with PFLP.<\/p>\n The PLA\u2019s military track record was not very impressive and its most ambitious project, the 1985 attack under Douglas\u2019s command on the Navy installation at Karainagar, was a disaster. Douglas lost his sister Madhivadani alias Shobha (the first woman cadre to die in combat) as well as his second-in-command Sinnavan among other casualties in the abortive attempt.<\/p>\n Soon sharp differences arose between Devananda the Military Chief and Pathmanabha the Political Commissar of the EPRLF. The movement in practical terms was vertically split . The EPRLF politburo removed Douglas from his post and appointed Gaffoor as Military Commander.<\/p>\n Choolaimedhu<\/strong><\/p>\n This resulted in Devananda travelling in late 1986 to Chennai (then Madras) to meet Pathmanabha and resolve matters. While Douglas was staying at Choolaimedhu in Chennai, there arose an unsavoury incident where a mob was instigated by interested parties into attacking the EPRLF-backed office, the Eelam People\u2019s Information Centre (EPIC). The EPRLF fired at the mob and an Indian Tamil lawyer was killed. Though not directly involved,Douglas was arrested. Under these circumstances the EPRLF rupture became permanent.<\/p>\n ENDLF<\/strong><\/p>\n After his release on bail Devananda\u2019s faction and a PLOTE dissident faction led by Thangarajah alias Paranthan Rajan came together and formed the Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (ENDLF). The Indo-Lanka accord and its aftermath led to this front collapsing. Devananda took up a firm Tamil nationalist stance and condemned New Delhi. Devananda\u2019s position on the Indo-Lanka Accord was very much akin to that of the LTTE then. This assertion of Independence cost Devananda greatly as the pro-Indian Paranthan Rajan ingratiated himself with New Delhi at Devananda\u2019s expense. A friendless Devananda and cadres were left to fend for their own.<\/p>\n EPDP<\/strong><\/p>\n This phase was perhaps the nadir of Devananda\u2019s politico-military fortunes. He formed the Eelam People\u2019s Democratic Party(EPDP) in Madras but found himself pathetically short of funds. The EPDP situation then was pitiful. The desperate EPDP was compelled to engage in extortion and kidnapping of Sri Lankan Tamils in Madras to extract money. Douglas was arrested on a kidnapping charge and tasted prison life again. This episode earned him the negative sobriquet \u2018Pillaipidikaran\u2019 (Kidnapper) among Tamil circles. After securing a temporary release from prison, Devananda jumped bail and returned to Sri Lanka where he soon dialogued with intelligence officials and struck a deal with Ranjan Wijeratne.<\/p>\n Ranjan Wijeratne<\/strong><\/p>\n Douglas Devananda met with Ranjan Wijeratne, then Deputy Defence Minister under President Ranasinghe Premadasa, for a confidential discussion. Devananda made an offer that the unconventionally dynamic Wijeratne could not refuse. Devananda was prepared to place at the Government\u2019s command the full cooperation and unstinted support of his newly-formed organisation in return for protection and support.<\/p>\n The offer was path-breaking at that time as no Tamil militant organisation had until then come forward to help the main \u2018enemy\u2019 directly. An uneasy truce between the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was in force then. Devananda however could prove useful if war broke out in the future. It was advantageous to Colombo then to procure the services of Devananda.<\/p>\n Preliminary arrangements were made. The agreement arrived at with the Government then was like manna from heaven to Devananda. It was only some weeks before that he had arrived in Colombo with two comrades from Chennai (then Madras). His political fortunes were at a low ebb. The offer to help the Government was born through desperation. The bold gamble worked and then bloomed successfully after war broke out with the Tigers.<\/p>\n Over 300 Cadres<\/strong><\/p>\n With war erupting in June 1990 between the Government and the Tigers. Douglas Devananda was in business. EPDP cadres scattered in several parts of India and Sri Lanka began to converge in Colombo. Devananda also went in for new recruits and dissidents from other groups. Soon he had more than 300 cadres at his disposal. Apart from outright block grants of money by the State, arrangements were also made to pay monthly allowances per cadre. The EPDP also engaged in propaganda for the State in both the print and electronic media. <\/p>\n Devananda was criticised severely then for betraying the Tamil cause and openly collaborating with the enemy. Douglas however maintained some form of independence and autonomous action from the start. It is to Devananda\u2019s credit that he did not let the EPDP deteriorate – devoid of political content – into a stark mercenary outfit alone.<\/p>\n As war progressed the LTTE withdrew from the islands off the northern peninsula. This was Devananda\u2019s opportunity. Douglas and his boys arrived with food and provisions by sea and set foot after many years in the north. The islands were entrusted to the EPDP\u2019s care by the then UNP Government. This helped the EPDP to establish a strong presence in areas coming under the Kayts constituency.<\/p>\n Life thereafter was on the ascendant for Douglas. Utilising the control he had over the offshore islands, Devananda began transporting seafood to Colombo. A lucrative trade in dried fish was established. The transport of goods to and from the islands were another source of revenue. <\/p>\n Entered Parliament<\/strong><\/p>\n He next moved into the Parliamentary arena, fielding an Independent list of EPDP and UNP candidates in 1994. The captive voters of the offshore islands \u2018cast\u2019 their votes overwhelmingly for Douglas. Since the bulk of Jaffna voters were under LTTE control and therefore could not vote, the EPDP list with about 10,000 votes went on to gain nine seats. Douglas entered Parliament. Thereafter he was elected MP from Jaffna in every election until 2024. He switched sides from the UNP to the SLFP and then to the SLPP.<\/p>\n Violations<\/strong><\/p>\n The EPDP was allegedly involved in many human rights violations during the war years. Several Tamils were allegedly killed or made to disappear by the EPDP. Many of these incidents were documented by responsible human rights organizations. Even the UN Human Rights Commissioner\u2019s office in reports have specifically noted the EPDP\u2019s alleged offences.<\/p>\n Service<\/strong><\/p>\n On the other hand,there is no denying the fact that Douglas Devananda was of great service to the Tamil people in general and the people of Jaffna in particular. Utilising his proximity and access to the Sri Lankan corridors of power, the EPDP cabinet minister gor many things done in many spheres. A great number of jobs were made available. Despite the immense good he did, Douglas Devananda was continuously vilified as a traitor by LTTE and pro-LTTE elements in Sri Lanka and abroad<\/p>\n What Next?<\/strong><\/p>\n Douglas Devananda has represented Jaffna for 30 years at a stretch in Parliament from 1994 to 2024. He also served as a cabinet minister for 18 years in the years 2000 -2002,2004-2010,2010- 2015 and 2019-2024. No Sri Lankan Tamil politician possesses such a record. The unexpected victory of the JVP led NPP in the north in 2024 resulted in Douglas Devananda becoming a political casualty. Now he has been arrested and detained. What next for Douglas Devananda?<\/p>\n This is an updated version of an article appearing in the \u201cDBS Jeyaraj Column\u201dof the \u201cDaily Mirror\u201ddated 29th December 2025.It can be accessed here –<\/p>\n ****************************************************************************<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nD.B.S.Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.dailymirror.lk\/opinion\/Douglas-Devananda-who-fought-with-the-Sri-Lankan-Army-against-the-LTTE\/172-328875<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n