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{{update|date=September 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox political party
| name = Eelam People's Democratic Party
| native_name = ஈழ மக்கள் ஜனநாயகக் கட்சி<br />ඊළාම් ජනතා ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රවාදී පක්ෂය
| logo = Eelam People's Democratic Party logo.jpg
| logo_size = 250px
| colorcode = #FC2726
| abbreviation = '''EPDP'''
| leader =
| chairperson =
| president =
| secretary_general =
| founder = [[Douglas Devananda]]
| leader1_title = Secretary
| leader1_name = [[Douglas Devananda]]
| slogan =
| founded = {{start date and age|df=yes|p=y|1987|11}}
| dissolved =
| merger =
| split = [[Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front]]
| predecessor =
| merged =
| successor =
| headquarters = 121 Park Road, [[Colombo]] 05
| newspaper =
| student_wing =
| youth_wing =
| membership_year =
| membership =
| ideology =
| position =
| religion =
| national = [[Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance]]<br />[[Democratic Tamil National Front]]
| international =
| european =
| europarl =
| affiliation1_title =
| affiliation1 =
| colors =
| seats1_title = [[Sri Lankan Parliament|Parliament of Sri Lanka]]
| seats1 = {{Composition bar|2|225|hex=#FC2726}}
| seats2_title = [[Provinces of Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan Provincial Councils]]
| seats2 = {{Composition bar|2|455|hex=#FC2726}}
| seats3_title = [[Local government in Sri Lanka|Local Government]]
| seats3 = {{Composition bar|98|8356|hex=#FC2726}}
| symbol = Veena
| flag = [[File:Flag of Eelam People’s Democratic Party.svg|150px]]
| website = [http://www.epdpnews.com/ epdpnews.com]
| country = Sri Lanka
| footnotes =
}}
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]].

==Background==
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sangam.org/ANALYSIS_ARCHIVES/Jeyaraj_11_22_01.htm|title=The Douglas Devananda phenomenon|author=DBS Jeyaraj|author-link=|date=22 November 2001|publisher=The Sunday Leader, Sri Lanka}}</ref>

===Kidnapping and extortion===
The EPDP lacked funds and Devananda resorted to kidnapping and extortion of Sri Lankan Tamils living in Madras.<ref name="SL181101">{{cite news|author=DBS Jeyaraj|author-link=|title=The Dougles Devananda phenomenon|url=http://www.thesundayleader.lk/archive/20011118/issues.htm|newspaper=[[Sunday Leader]]|date=18 November 2001}}</ref> 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.<ref name="SL181101"/><ref name="Hin100610">{{cite news|title=Chennai Police alert Delhi on Douglas Devananda|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article452023.ece|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=10 June 2010}}</ref><ref name="IE110610">{{cite news|title=Rajapaksa minister wanted for murder, kidnapping in TN|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rajapaksa-minister-wanted-for-murder-ki.../632376/|newspaper=[[Indian Express]]|date=11 June 2010}}</ref> He was given bail. In 1990 police in [[Kodambakkam, Chennai|Kodambakkam]], Madras, started an investigation on Devananda on charges of rioting and criminal intimidation of a person called Valavan.<ref name="Hin100610"/><ref name="IE110610"/> In 1990 Devananda jumped bail and returned to Sri Lanka.<ref name="SL181101"/> A secret US government cable written by Ambassador [[Robert O. Blake Jr.]] states that "President Rajapaksa's government, strapped for cash, has cut direct payments to paramilitaries initiated by former President Kumaratunga and instead turns a blind eye to extortion and kidnapping for ransom by EPDP and Karuna."<ref name="CL">{{cite web | url=https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/wikileaks-epdp-sold-jaffna-children-girls-to-prostitution-rings-and-boys-to-slavery/ | title=WikiLeaks: EPDP Sold Jaffna Children: Girls To Prostitution Rings And Boys To Slavery | publisher=Colombo Telegraph | date=13 September 2013 | accessdate=4 July 2021}}</ref>

===Prostitution ===
Asecret US government cable written by Ambassador [[Robert O. Blake Jr.]] states “The children are sold into slavery, usually boys to work camps and girls to prostitution rings, through EPDP’s networks in India and Malaysia. Sunthararaj maintains that children are often smuggled out of the country with the help of a corrupt Customs and Immigration official at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo.” [[Disappearance of Stephan Sunthararaj|Stephan Sunthararaj]]'s allegations about child prostitution were verified by one Government Agent Ganesh.<ref name="CL"/> [[Disappearance of Stephan Sunthararaj|Stephan Sunthararaj]] has since been kidnapped and has disappeared.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-person-who-exposed-epdps-child-prostitution-was-abducted-and-no-information-so-far/ | title=The Person Who Exposed EPDP’s Child Prostitution Was Abducted And No Information So Far | publisher=Colombo Telegraph | date=14 September 2013 | accessdate=4 July 2021}}</ref>

==Paramilitary group==
In 1990 Devananda arrived in Colombo. A meeting was arranged by Sri Lankan intelligence between Devananda and Deputy Defence Minister [[Ranjan Wijeratne]].<ref name="SL181101"/> Devananda offered to place the EPDP under Sri Lankan government control in return for support and protection from the Tamil Tigers.<ref name="SL181101"/> The government accepted - the EPDP had transformed itself into a paramilitary organisation. Devananda was attacked for betraying the Tamil people and collaborating with the enemy.

EPDP cadres from all over Sri Lanka and India converged on Colombo. The government gave the EPDP vast financial assistance.<ref name="SL181101"/> The EPDP, with the support of the government, took control of the islands off [[Jaffna peninsula]] after the Tigers withdrew.<ref name="SL181101"/> The EPDP used the islands as a base to transport goods, particularly dried fish, between India and Sri Lanka.<ref name="SL181101"/> It also imposed taxes.<ref name="SL181101"/> Tamils living in Colombo were extorted for money.<ref name="SL181101"/>

On 1 January 1993 Tharmalingam Selvakumar, a former EPDP sympathiser, was abducted from the Premil Sports Club at Kotahena, Colombo. Selvakumar has alleged that he was taken in a van driven by Devananda to Devananda's house at 121 Park Road, Colombo 5.<ref>{{cite web|title=ASA 37/009/1993 Sri Lanka: death threats / fear of torture: Tharmalingam Selvakumar and others|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa37/009/1993/en/|publisher=[[Amnesty International]]|date=13 April 1993}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Transnational social movements and global politics: solidarity beyond the state|year=1997|publisher=Syracuse University Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IpF2RlHxQiQC|author=Jackie Smith|author2=Charles Chatfield|author3=Ron Pagnucco|page=88|isbn=9780815627432}}</ref> He was detained along with other prisoners in cells at the back of Devananda's house. Selvakumar was tortured and the EPDP tried to extort money from his family.

All of this resulted in Devananda making a fortune.<ref name="SL181101"/>

The EPDP's paramilitary wing continues to operate, despite its claims to have given up violence.<ref name=WSWS>{{cite web |url=http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/mar2007/sril-m31.shtml |title=Sri Lankan SEP holds media conference over disappearance of party member |access-date=2007-11-03 |year=2007 |work=[[World Socialist Web Site]]|publisher=International Committee of the Fourth International}}</ref><ref name=IPF>{{cite web |url=http://www.medico-international.de/en/projects/srilanka/watch/20070824rsf.pdf |title=Jaffna's media in the grip of terror |access-date=2007-11-03 |year=2007 |work=IPF |publisher=[[Reporters Without Borders]]}}</ref><ref name=BBC>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2340433.stm |title=Killed journalist: Sri Lanka 'injustice' |access-date=2007-11-03 |publisher=[[BBC]] | date=2002-10-18 |first=Frances |last=Harrison}}</ref> The paramilitary wing has been accused of helping the [[Sri Lankan Navy]] commit massacres in places like [[Allaipiddy massacre|Allaipiddy]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.uthr.org/SpecialReports/spreport23.htm | title = The Choice between Anarchy and International Law with Monitoring | access-date = 2007-11-03 | date = 2006-11-07 | work = [[University Teachers for Human Rights|University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna)]]}}</ref><ref name=AI>{{cite news | author = Amnesty International Canada | author-link = Amnesty International | title = Sri Lanka: Amnesty International condemns killings of civilians | url = http://www.amnesty.ca/resource_centre/news/view.php?load=arcview&article=3479&c=Resource+Centre+News | work = [[Amnesty International]] Canada | date = 2006-05-16 | access-date = 2007-11-04 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070911101052/http://www.amnesty.ca/resource_centre/news/view.php?load=arcview&article=3479&c=Resource+Centre+News | archive-date = 2007-09-11 }}</ref>

==Political party==
[[File:EPDP HQ, Valvettithurai.jpg|thumb|EPDP regional headquarters, [[Valvettithurai]], in 2014]]
Devananda and the EPDP entered electoral politics when it contested the [[1994 Sri Lankan parliamentary election|1994 parliamentary election]] as an independent group in [[Jaffna Electoral District|Jaffna District]]. Most of the district was under Tamil Tiger control and so did not vote, allowing the EPDP win nine parliamentary seats with just 10,744 votes (0.14%), of which 9,944 votes came from the EPDP controlled Jaffna islands. The EPDP became an ally of President [[Chandrika Kumaratunga]] and her [[People's Alliance (Sri Lanka)|People's Alliance]] (PA) government.

At the [[2000 Sri Lankan parliamentary election|2000 parliamentary election]] the EPDP won 50,890 votes (0.59%), securing four of the 225 seats in Parliament. In October 2000 Kumaratunga appointed Devananda as Minister of Development, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of the North, and Tamil Affairs, North and East.

At the [[2001 Sri Lankan parliamentary election|2001 parliamentary election]] the EPDP won 72,783 votes (0.81%), securing two of the 225 seats in Parliament. Devananda lost his ministerial post following the change of government.

At the [[2004 Sri Lankan parliamentary election|2004 parliamentary election]] the EPDP won 24,955 votes (0.27%), securing one of the 225 seats in Parliament. Devananda was appointed as Minister of Agriculture, Marketing Development, Hindu Education Affairs, Tamil Language & Vocational Training Centres in North when the [[United People's Freedom Alliance]], the successor to the PA, returned to power. He was appointed Minister for Social Service and Social Welfare by President [[Mahinda Rajapaksa]] in 2005.<ref name="ts1">{{cite news| url =http://www.epdpnews.com/Media%20Release/The%20Statesman%2010.02.2007.html| title ='LTTE usurped Lankan Tamils' identity'| publisher =The Statesman| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070220214845/http://www.epdpnews.com/Media%20Release/The%20Statesman%2010.02.2007.html| archive-date =2007-02-20}}</ref> There are unproved allegations of corruption against Devananda.<ref name="SL181101"/>

===United People's Freedom Alliance===
Since the end of the [[Sri Lankan civil war|Sri Lankan Civil War]] in May 2009 the EPDP has contested local and national elections under the UPFA banner rather than on its own. At the [[2010 Sri Lankan parliamentary election|2010 parliamentary election]] three EPDP members were elected on the UPFA ticket, all from Jaffna District.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.epdpnews.com/ Official '''Eelam People's Democratic Party''' website]
{{Sri Lankan political parties}}

[[Category:Eelam People's Democratic Party| ]]
[[Category:1987 establishments in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Paramilitary organisations based in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1987]]
[[Category:Political parties in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Socialist parties in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Tamil Eelam]]
[[Category:Tamil political parties in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:United People's Freedom Alliance]]
[[Category:Indian Peace Keeping Force]]

Eelam People's Democratic Party - Revision history

Bot at 11:50, 17 December 2022