Lakshman Kadirgamar
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Lakshman Kadirgamar ( Tamil லக்சுமன் கதிர்காமர் , Sinhalese ලක්ෂ්මන් කදිර්ගාමර් ; born April 12, 1932 in Colombo , British Ceylon ; † August 12, 2005 in Colombo) was a Sri Lankan politician . It was from 1994 to 2001 , and from April 2004 until his death in 2005 caused violent, Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka.
Life
Kadirgamar was a Tamil and Christian , an unusual combination in a country where Sinhala Buddhists and Tamil Hindus dominate. He completed his education at Trinity College in Kandy and received a Bachelor of Laws (Honors) degree from the University of Ceylon in 1953 . He also had a bachelor's degree in literature from Oxford University . He worked as a lawyer in Sri Lanka and London until 1974 . Then he became a consultant for the International Labor Organization in Geneva .
Political career
Kadirgamar has long supported the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). He was Foreign Minister of the SLFP government under Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike . After the defeat of the government in 2001, he became a foreign policy advisor to the President of Sri Lanka, Chandrika Kumaratunga . Despite being Tamil himself, he advocated the Bandaranaike government's policy of not negotiating with the Tamil Tigers rebels . In 2003, Kadirgamar was a candidate for General Secretary of the Commonwealth , but could not prevail against Don McKinnon from New Zealand .
After the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) won the general election on April 2, 2004 (105 seats versus 93 so far), he was run as a candidate for prime minister, but President Kumaratunga appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa to succeed Ranil on April 6 Wickremesinghe (who had held office since December 2001) as Prime Minister. At the same time, Rajapaksa became Minister of Road Infrastructure. Four days later, Kadirgamar became a member of the new cabinet and, on April 16, 2004, succeeded Tyronne Fernando as Foreign Minister.
On August 12, 2005, he was shot dead by a sniper near his home in Colombo . The Tamil Tigers were suspected, but their spokesmen denied any connection to the murder. They pointed out that parts of the army are keen to destabilize the ceasefire negotiated three years ago between Tamil rebels and the state power. President Chandrika Kumaratunga declared a state of emergency immediately after the crime . On August 22, 2005, Anura Bandaranaike , the brother of President Chandrika Kumaratunga, was appointed as the new Foreign Minister.
Lakshman Kadirgamar was posthumously awarded the highest civil honor in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankabhimanya .
Web links
- Obituary , BBC News, Aug 12, 2005
- Tabular curriculum vitae , Bandaranaike Center for International Studies
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kadirgamar, Lakshman |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Sri Lankan politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 12, 1932 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Colombo , British Ceylon |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 12, 2005 |
| Place of death | Colombo |