CEYLON

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85T00875R001100100014-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 14, 2006
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: April 6, 1971
• Content Type: IM

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65
OCI No. 0993/71
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE
6 April 1971
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
CEYLON
(Situation as of 1230 EST)
1. A spokesman for the Ceylonese Ministry
of Defense described the security situation as
"very, very serious" in a conversation with the
US charge today at 1630 hours Ceylonese time (0600
hours EST). The mid-afternoon to dawn curfew
imposed on the island early this morning remains
strictly in effect. Colofnbo itself is fairly
quiet, with power and phone systems operating,
but security officials have refused to issu-
passes to permit US Embassy personnel to travel
to the chancery during curfew hours. A skeleton
staff is manning the embassy on a 24-hour basis.
2. The number of attacks upon police stations
probably exceeds the 25 mentioned in the prime
minister's early morning radio broadcast, and up
to 200 insurgents have reportedly been killed so
far. Communications with the city of Kandy, some
65 miles from Colombo, have been cut off; the
road to Kandy is blocked at Warakapola, 36 miles
from the capital, by insurgents who have captured
a police station. Action is still going on in
the Kegalle area, between Colombo and Kandy, muQh
of which is apparently in rebel hands. Few trains
in the interior are running and railway stations
at several towns are out of commission following
insurgent attacks. According to the US charge,
it is becoming increasingly apparent that the
security authorities will have little warning of
further insurgent activity.
3. Ceylon's armed forces can mobilize to a
total cf approximately 14,000 active and inactive
State Dept. review completed
Approved For Release SQ770?! t~A RDPU5T00875R00t100100014-0
 Approved For Release 2007/02/08 : CIA-RDP85T00875RO01100100014-0
CONF~ Ii)EN'i:'IAJ:,
military personnel in 30 days; the military
reserves, which at full strength only number
about ;.0, 000, are being called up now. The
armed forces and the 11,500-man police force
are poorly equipped and trained, although for
the time being the army appears to be holding
its own. The police, however, appear to be in
trouble in a number of areas and both forces
can be expected to run into increasing diffi-
culties, particularly in the area of logistics,
if the insurgency is prolonged.
4. The government has ordered all newspapers
shut down and all schools have been closed.
5. Mrs. Bandaranaike was scheduled to call
a cabinet meeting at 1500 hours (0430 EST) this
afternoon and there was much speculation among
members of the Colombo press corps that the meet-
ing would result in a change of government. Ac-
cordinq to rumors circulating at the press club,
Mrs. Bandaranaike could be forced to step down
as prime minister and, if the army approved,
"strong-man" Felix Dias Bandaranaike--who is
related to her--would take over.
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 2007/02/08 : CIA-RDP85T00875RO01100100014-0