Dominion of Ceylon February 1948, with an amended constitution taking effect on the same date. Independence was granted under the Ceylon Independence Act 1947. Military treaties with the United Kingdom preserved intact British air and sea bases in the country; British officers also continued to fill most of the upper ranks of the Ceylon Army. Don Senanayake became the first Prime Minister of Ceylon. Later in 1948, when Ceylon applied for United Nations membership, the Soviet Union vetoed the application. This was partly because the Soviet Union believed that the Ceylon was only nominally independent, and the British still exercised control over it
Prime Minister's Security Division guard the Prime Minister's Office and Prime Minister's House ("Temple Trees"), without special training in close protection. This was highlighted when Prime Minister S W R D Bandaranaike was assassinated at his residence by Talduwe Somarama. The need for specialized independent unit was once again highlighted when personal from the internal security detail of the Royal Ceylon Navy, the "Provost Branch" were brought to guard Temple Trees on the night of 27 January 1962 when the attempted military coup by senior police and reservist military officers was due to be launched. Since the 1950s the Ceylon Army had assisted the