Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the fifth President of Sri Lanka, from 12 November 1994 to 19 November 2005. The country's first and only female president to date and the country's second female prime minister. She is the daughter of two former prime ministers and was the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) until the end of 2005.
Sri Lankabhimanya Lakshman Kadirgamar, PC was a Sri Lankan lawyer and statesman. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka from 1994 to 2001 and again from April 2004 until his assassination in August 2005.
Anura Priyadarshi Solomon Dias Bandaranaike was a Sri Lankan politician, served as Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka (2000-2001) and Leader of the Opposition (1983–1988). He held several cabinet ministries as Foreign Minister briefly in 2005, Minister of Higher Education (1993–1994), Minister of Tourism, Minister of National Heritage (2007) and he last served as a member of parliament from the opposition.
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is one of the major and most well known political parties in Sri Lanka. It was founded by S.W.R.D Bandaranaike in 1951 and, since then, has been one of the two largest parties in the Sri Lankan political arena. It first came to power in 1956 and since then has been the predominant party in government on a number of occasions. The party is generally considered as having a democratic socialist or progressive economic agenda and is often associated with nationalist Sinhalese parties. The party follows a Non-Aligned foreign policy but always had close ties to socialist nations.
Lakshman Jayakody was a Sri Lankan politician, an SLFP stalwart and the Minister of Cultural and Religious Affairs in the Sri Lankan Cabinet from 1994 to 2000.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a cabinet ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka responsible for conducting and managing Sri Lanka's foreign relations through oversight of its missions abroad via the Sri Lanka Overseas Service, as well as drafting and general implementation of the nation's foreign policy.
Rear Admiral Rajanathan Kadiragamar, MVO was a Ceylonese flag officer. He was the second Ceylonese Captain of the Royal Ceylon Navy from 1960 to 1970 and as such the longest serving Commander of the Navy.
Amal Jayawardane is a Sri Lankan historian. He was born in 1947 in the Western province of Sri Lanka. He had his early education at De Mazenod College, Kandana. He obtained his B.A. Honours degree from the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and M.A. PhD from the University of Washington, Seattle, USA. Presently, he is the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Deshamanya Dr Vernon Loraine Benjamin Mendis was a prominent Sri Lankan diplomat, who served as the United Nations' Special Envoy to the Middle East. He is referred to as the Sri Lanka's Father of Diplomacy due to his role in formation of the country's diplomatic service and has served as Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Canada; Ambassador to France, Cuba and Secretary General of the Non Aligned Movement.
The Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI) is a foreign policy think tank currently based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka is ex officio the Chairman of LKI. LKI conducts independent research and functions as an autonomous organisation. LKI was established in 2006 and is named after the late Sri Lankabhimanya Lakshman Kadirgamar, PC, MP, and former Sri Lankan Foreign Minister. The Institute is the realisation of a goal actively pursued by the late Minister, to fulfill the country's need for a think tank in the field of foreign policy research and engagement. Its stated mission is 'to engage in independent research of Sri Lanka’s international relations and strategic interests, and to provide insights and recommendations that advance justice, peace, prosperity and sustainability.'
The Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), is a convention center located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Built between 1970 and 1973, the convention centre was a gift from the People's Republic of China in memory of Solomon Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike, Prime Minister (1956–1959).
Deshamanya Neville T. D. Kanakaratna was a Sri Lankan lawyer, diplomat and scholar, who was the former Governor of the Southern Province. He was the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States and High Commissioner to India.
Deshamanya Herman Leonard de Silva, PC was a Sri Lankan lawyer and diplomat. He was the former Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations. He was a former President and honorary life member of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka.
The University of Colombo currently has seven faculties with 41 academic departments and two interdependent schools with five academic departments. All faculties and schools carries out courses of study and research in both graduate and undergraduate studies. In addition, the university has several institutions that specialize in different areas of research.
The Lighthouse is a large bungalow in Colombo, Sri Lanka. At present it is owned by the Sri Lankan Government and houses the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies.
Asanga Abeyagoonasekera is a Sri Lankan academic, geopolitics and foreign policy analyst. He is a political columnist and author. He is a visiting professor for geopolitics and global leadership at Northern Kentucky University and a visiting lecturer in International Political Economy for The University of London in Sri Lanka Royal Institute of Colombo and teaches at the International Security at University of Colombo. Abeyagoonasekera has more than a decade of experience in government administration, serving as the head of several government institutions to positions at the board level. His commentaries on International Relations and Geopolitics are published by Observer Research Foundation New Delhi, London School of Economics and South Asia Journal. Abeyagoonasekera writes the monthly column Dateline Colombo for IPCS think tank in New Delhi.
Admiral Jayanath Colombage, RSP, VSV, USP, FNI is a Sri Lankan flag officer and diplomat. He was the Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until 2022, prior to which he served as Additional Secretary to the President for foreign relations. A career naval officer, he had served as the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy, the professional head of the navy from September 2012 to June 2014.
Irangani Manel Abeysekera is a Sri Lankan diplomat. Having served as Sri Lankan Ambassador in Germany and Thailand, she is known as Sri Lanka's first woman career diplomat.
Prasantha Lal De Alwis, President's counsel, obtained his LLB and LLM from University of Colombo. He initiated his career as a State Counsel at the Attorney General's Department of Sri Lanka in 1983, and had served in that capacity until 1990. Subsequently, he joined the private bar and since then had been practicing in both appellate and trial courts, specialized in the spheres of criminal and family Law. He also is a Corporate Director, visiting Lecturer at faculty of Law of the University of Colombo and Sri Lanka Law College. He is a member of the board of management for Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International relations and Strategic Studies.
Cyril Esmond Lucien Wickremesinghe was a Ceylonese press baron, lawyer, and a successful entrepreneur. He also played key role in defeating Sirimavo Bandaranaike that brought United National Party's Dudley Senanayake to power in 1965's Parliamentary Election. He was also father of President of Sri Lanka and Leader of the UNP Ranil Wickremesinghe.
