Eelam People's Democratic Party
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Eelam People's Democratic Party
ஈழ மக்கள் ஜனநாயகக் கட்சி ඊළාම් ජනතා ප්රජාතන්ත්රවාදී පක්ෂය |
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| Secretary | Douglas Devananda |
| Founder | Douglas Devananda |
| Founded | November 1987 |
| Split from | Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front |
| Headquarters | 121 Park Road, Colombo 05 |
| National affiliation | United People's Freedom Alliance |
| Parliament of Sri Lanka |
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| Veena | |
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| Website | |
| epdpnews.com | |
The Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) is a political party and a pro-government paramilitary organization in Sri Lanka. It is led by its founder Douglas Devananda.
Douglas Devananda was one of the founding members of the Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS), one of the earliest Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups. In 1980 EROS split into two as K. Pathmanabha (Padmanaba) Varatharajah Perumal broke away and formed the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF). Devananda joined the EPRLF. By early 1986 disputes had arisen between Devananda and Pathmanabha, the EPRLF's political leader. The EPRLF leadership split into two factions: EPRLF (Ranjan) and EPRLF (Douglas). In 1987 the EPRLF (Douglas) faction formally split from the EPRLF. Devananda initially formed the Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (ENDLF) with a breakaway faction of the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam led by Paranthan Rajan. The ENDLF collapsed when Rajan started working with Indians - Devananda was opposed to the Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War. Devananda, now living in Madras, India, then formed the Eelam People's Democratic Party.
The EPDP lacked funds and Devananda resorted to kidnapping and extortion of Sri Lankan Tamils living in Madras. In 1989 Devananda and 25 others were arrested for the second time by the Indian police, this time for kidnapping a ten-year-old boy for ransom at Poonamallee High Road, Kilpauk, Madras, and imprisoned. He was given bail. In 1990 police in Kodambakkam, Madras, started an investigation on Devananda on charges of rioting and criminal intimidation of a person called Valavan. In 1990 Devananda jumped bail and returned to Sri Lanka.
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Wikipedia