Founded 1964 | Split from Ceylon Communist Party | |
Ideology Communism,
Anti-Revisionism,
Marxism–Leninism,
Maoism International affiliation Revolutionary Internationalist Movement | ||
Ceylon Communist Party (Maoist) is a political party in Sri Lanka. The party surged in 1964 following a split in the Ceylon Communist Party. Initially the party just called itself 'Ceylon Communist Party' as well, and was distinguished from the main CCP by denominations like 'Ceylon Communist Party (Peking Wing)', etc. In the end of the 1960s the party was one of the major leftist parties in the country. The general secretary was N. Shanmugathasan.
Following the death of Mao Zedong and the take-over in China by Deng Xiaoping, the party strongly denounced the new line of the Chinese leadership. The party regrouped internationally amongst those who reaffirmed Maoism, and was one of the signatories of the founding declaration of the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement.
The strength of the party did however decline, and it suffered several splits. In 1991 a conference was held which reconstructed it as 'Ceylon Communist Party (Maoist)'. Shanmugathasan led the party until his death in 1993.