1948 in Sri Lanka
# 1948 in Sri Lanka

1948 in Sri Lanka marks the turn from the British Ceylon period to independent modern Sri Lanka. The year saw Sri Lanka, then British Ceylon, regain its independence becoming the Dominion of Ceylon.

## Incumbents

### British Ceylon (Until 4 February)

* Governor Henry Monck-Mason Moore (Until 4 February)
* Prime Minister D. S. Senanayake
* Speaker of the Parliament Alexander Francis Molamure
* Chief Justice John Curtois Howard
* Leader of the Opposition N. M. Perera

### Dominion of Ceylon (From 4 February)

* Governor-General Henry Monck-Mason Moore (from 4 February)
* Prime Minister D. S. Senanayake
* Speaker of the Parliament Alexander Francis Molamure
* Chief Justice John Curtois Howard
* Leader of the Opposition N. M. Perera

## Events

### January

* 1 January –

### February

* 4 February – British Ceylon is disestablished as Sri Lanka regains its independence as the Dominion of Ceylon.
* 23 February – The film Kapati Arakshakaya is released.

### March

* 19 March – The Australian cricket team stopped over in Ceylon, En route to England during their 1948 tour of England, where they played a one-day single-innings match—not limited overs—against the Ceylon national team at the Colombo Oval.

### May

* 22 May – The film Divya Premaya is released.

### June

* 4 July – Ceylonese are included in the list of British 1948 Birthday Honours.

### July

* 29 July-14 August – Ceylon participates for the first time in the Summer Olympics in London sending 7 athletes.
* 31 July – Duncan White wins the silver medal in the Men's 400 metres hurdles becoming the first Ceylonese athlete to win an Olympic medal.

### August

* 20 August – The controversial Ceylon Citizenship Act is passed in parliarment.

### November

* 15 November – Ceylon Citizenship Act becomes law qualifying only about 5,000 Indian Tamils for citizenship. More than 700,000 people, about 11% of the population, were denied citizenship and made stateless.

### December

* 3 December – The film Veradunu Kurumanama is released.

## Births

### February

* 2 February - Lakshman Kiriella, (lawyer, politician)
* 21 February - Sumana Amarasinghe, (actress)

### April

* 13 April - Arul Pragasam, 71 (d. 2019), (activist and rebel)
* 24 April - Gangodawila Soma Thero, 55 (d. 2003), (Buddhist monk)

### May

* 11 May - Nirj Deva, (Sri Lankan-British politician)

### June

* 8 June - D. A. M. R. Samarasekara, (Admiral)
* 12 June - Jayalath Manoratne, 71 (d. 2020), (actor)
* 21 June - Rukman Senanayake (politician)

### July

* 4 July -
   * Wimal Kumara de Costa, 68 (d. 2016), (actor)
   * Suminda Sirisena (actor)
* 11 July - Duleep De Chickera, (Anglican Bishop of Colombo)
* 17 July - Cletus Mendis (actor)
* 22 July - Chandran Rutnam, (filmmaker and entrepreneur)
* 24 July - K. Sri Dhammaratana, (Buddhist monk)

### October

23 October - M. H. M. Ashraff, 51 (d. 2000), (lawyer, politician)

### Unknown

* Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, (physician)
* Maru Sira, (d. 1975), (criminal)

## Deaths

### February

* 6 February - Bernard Henry Bourdillon, 64 (b. 1883), (British colonial administrator)
