'Siege in Ceylon'

The tapes have been arranged as follows:
sequence of actuality recordings arranged according to the numbers on the original boxes (MS 4000/6/1/70/1-14B),
clips and assemblies (MS 4000/6/1/70/15-29)
versions of final programme (MS 4000/6/1/70/30-31)

For related paper files, see MS 4000/2/141

'Siege in Ceylon' was compiled by Dilip Hiro from conversations with political and religious leaders in Sri Lanka on the attemped insurrection in April 1971 and its aftermath. The insurrection was led by armed youths of the JVP [Janata Vimukti Peramura, or People's Liberation Front] by under the movement's leader Rohan Vijayweera. The programme was introduced by Saeed Jaffrey. The programme was intended for broadcast on BBC Radio 4, but correspondence in the related paper files (MS 4000/2/141) suggests that there were concerns that it was unbroadcastable in its current form because it was not impartial and commented on a political dispute likely to embarrass a foreign government. It was still unbroadcast on 5 December 1972, the latest date in the paper files, but Charles Parker and Dilip Hiro had agreed to make changes in order for it to be passed for broadcast by the Controller of Radio 4.