An officer from a different time

Douglas Ranmuthugala:

I knew him from the old days back in Colombo when he was the Commissioner of Police Colombo and I a cub reporter.

Undoubtedly, an officer and a gentleman committed to his duties he and several like him worked silently and diligently for the betterment of the service and the men they represented.

I was in his office when he answered a call from a Senior DIG who requested that he recall some policemen who had chased a criminal into then President J. R. Jayewardene’s house at Ward Place. They had surrounded the premises but could not go in to arrest him.

The President had requested a senior police officer to order the withdrawal of the police, but the OIC Borella had refused to withdraw without making the arrest.

The Inspector General of Police had then been told to intervene.

The instructions came down through a Senior DIG to Douglas to pass down to his men. Verifying the details from OIC Borella, Douglas refused to carry out his superior’s instructions saying it would send a wrong signal to the men if he asked them to allow a criminal to go free.

When his Senior officer insisted, Douglas calmly offered to resign.

At that moment I decided to leave as I did not wish to place Douglas in an embarrassing situation.

However, I was happy to know that he was still at his desk the next day.

Years later, when we met in Canberra, I asked him how he happened to retain his post.

He replied that his senior DIG had been forced to directly order the OIC to withdraw the men.

Subsequently, Douglas moved into Papua New Guinea to assist the police there and migrated to Australia where he served with the Australian Federal Police.

He also wrote a book of his experiences in the Sri Lanka Police titled ‘Tales of the Blue Elephant’.

The particular incident mentioned was twice brought up in Parliament.

Douglas passed away last month in Melbourne, Victoria. He had wanted no publicity but to move on quietly. I hope I am forgiven for divulging this story.

I consider it a privilege to have known him.

May he attain Nibbana!

Panduka Senanayake