Here he got the chance to make clothes for the army and rub shoulders with rising political figures like Lalith Athulathmudali.
During this time, he organized several offensives against territories held by the LTTE including Vadamarachchi Operation.
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Upon Jayewardene's retirement in 1988, Athulathmudali tried to obtain the UNP's nomination for the presidential election, but was defeated by Ranasinghe Premadasa who went on to win the presidency.
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He was seriously injured in an attack inside the Parliament complex in 1987.
In 1986 the Home Guard Service was created by the then Minister of National Security the late Hon. Lalith Athulathmudali with a strength of about 5000 personnel.
These proved so successful that the then Minister for National Security, Hon Lalith Athulathmudali, co-opted all the engineering firms in the country to build the vehicles to the specifications drafted by Major de Silva.