Samantha Vidyaratna

Last updated

Samantha Vidyaratna
MP
Member of Parliament
for Badulla District
In office
2004–2010
Personal details
BornBadulla
Nationality Sri Lankan
Political party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
ResidenceRidimaliyadda
Education University of Kelaniya

Samantha Vidyaratna (or K.V.Samantha Vidyaratne) is a Sri Lankan politician and a former member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. [1] He fought over the Uma Oya issue and the transfer of 65,000 acres of land to a Singaporean company.

Biography

Lives in Ridimaliyadda, Badulla. He is a graduate of the University of Kelaniya. In 2004, is appointed deputy minister by President Chandrika Kumaratunga. [2] Despite his MP position, he lived for 6 years in a house without electricity. [3] In April 2015, he publicly criticized the Uma Oya Hydropower Complex and the heavy ecologic catastrophy it resulted in for the Uma Oya region. [4] He is fighting against the forcible acquisition of lands in Uva Wellassa by a Singaporean company in the year 2022.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranil Wickremesinghe</span> President of Sri Lanka since 2022

Ranil Wickremesinghe is a Sri Lankan politician who is the current president of Sri Lanka since 21 July 2022. He also holds the position of Minister of Finance of Sri Lanka. He has been the leader of the United National Party since 1994. He served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in five separate stints, leading six governments, from 1993 to 1994, 2001 to 2004, 2015 to 2018, 2018 to 2019, and in 2022. He also served as Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United National Party</span> Political party in Sri Lanka

The United National Party, often abbreviated as UNP, is a centre-right political party in Sri Lanka. The UNP has served as the country's ruling party, or as part of its governing coalition, for 38 of the country's 74 years of independence, including the periods 1947–1956, 1965–1970, 1977–1994, 2001–2004 and 2015–2019. The party also controlled the executive presidency from its formation in 1978 until 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahinda Rajapaksa</span> President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015

Mahinda Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015; the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2005, 2018, and 2019 to 2022; the Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2004 and 2018 to 2019, and the Minister of Finance from 2005 to 2015 and 2019 to 2021. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Kurunegala since 2015.

Seyed Ali Zahir Moulana is a Sri Lankan politician, former diplomat and local government activist. He is most known for the pivotal and important role he played in bringing about an end to the Sri Lankan Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beruwala</span> Town in Western Province, Sri Lanka

Beruwala is a large town in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. The town covers a total area of approximately 15 km2 (5.8 sq mi) and is located on the south-west coast of Sri Lanka, 60 km (37 mi) south of Colombo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gotabaya Rajapaksa</span> President of Sri Lanka from 2019 to 2022

Lieutenant Colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa is a former Sri Lankan military officer and politician, who served as the eighth President of Sri Lanka from 18 November 2019 until his resignation on 14 July 2022. He previously served as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development from 2005 to 2015 under the administration of his elder brother former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, during the final phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War.

Upeksha Swarnamali, popularly known as "Paba", is an actress in Sri Lankan cinema and television and a former member of the Sri Lanka Parliament. She gained popularity for her role on the television series "Paba" broadcast on Independent Television Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajitha Senaratne</span> Sri Lankan dentist, politician

Nambukara Helambage Rajitha Harischandra Senaratne is a Sri Lankan dentist, politician, member of parliament and former cabinet minister. He is currently a member of parliament representing Kalutara district

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maithripala Sirisena</span> President of Sri Lanka from 2015 to 2019

Maithripala Yapa Sirisena is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the seventh President of Sri Lanka from 9 January 2015 to 18 November 2019. Sirisena is Sri Lanka's first president from the North Central Province of the country and does not belong to the traditional Sri Lankan political elite. He is currently a member of parliament from Polonnaruwa.

Petikirige Dayaratna is a Sri Lankan politician and a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. He was elected to Ampara electorate in 1977 as a Member of Parliament from the United National Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wimal Weerawansa</span> Sri Lankan politician

Weerasangilige Wimal Weerawansa is a Sri Lankan politician, Member of Parliament and current leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF). Weerawansa has served many cabinet positions, including Minister of Industries from 2020 to 2022, Minister of Small and Medium Business and Enterprise Development, Industries and Supply Chain Management from 2019 to 2020, Minister of Housing and Social Welfare in 2018 and the Minister of Construction and Housing from 2010 to 2015.

Colombo Electoral District is one of the 22 multi-member electoral districts of Sri Lanka created by the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka. The district is conterminous with the administrative district of Colombo in the Western province. The district currently elects 19 of the 225 members of the Sri Lankan Parliament and had 1,709,209 registered electors in 2020.

Gampaha electoral district is one of the 22 multi-member electoral districts of Sri Lanka created by the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka. The district is conterminous with the administrative district of Gampaha in the Western province. The district currently elects 18 of the 225 members of the Sri Lankan Parliament and had 1,785,964 registered electors in 2020.

Tiran Alles, MP is a Sri Lankan businessman and politician. He is a current member of Parliament of Sri Lanka and the Minister of Public Security. Alles had entered politics as an ally of former General Sarath Fonseka and a member of parliament for Fonseka's Democratic National Alliance in 2010. Leaving parliament in 2015, he returned as a member of Mahinda Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and the leader of the United People's Party in 2020 and became a minister in 2022.

Reginald Cooray was a Sri Lankan teacher and politician. He was a provincial chief minister, a government minister, and governor of the Northern Province. He was briefly governor of the Central Province in April 2018, his tenure lasting less than 24 hours, making it the shortest of any governorship in Sri Lankan history.

Mahamood Lebbe Alim Mohamed Hizbullah is a Sri Lankan politician and state minister. He was a minor presidential candidate in the 2019 presidential elections.

The Uma Oya Hydropower Complex (also internally called Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project or UOMDP) is a irrigation and hydroelectric complex currently under construction in the Badulla District of Sri Lanka. Early assessments of project dates back to 1989, when the first studies was conducted by the country's Central Engineering and Consultancy Bureau. The complex involves building a dam across Dalgolla Oya, and channelling water over a 3,975 m (13,041 ft) tunnel to Mathatilla Oya, both of which are tributaries of the Uma Oya. At Mathatilla Oya, another dam is constructed to channel 145,000,000 m3 (5.1×109 cu ft) of water per annum, via a 15,290 m (50,160 ft) headrace tunnel to the Uma Oya Power Station, where water then discharged to the Alikota Aru via a 3,335 m (10,942 ft) tailrace tunnel. The Alikota Aru is a tributary of the Kirindi Oya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna</span> Political party in Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka People's Front, commonly known by its Sinhalese name Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), is a political party in Sri Lanka. Previously a minor political party known as the Sri Lanka National Front (SLNF) and Our Sri Lanka Freedom Front (OSLFF), it was relaunched in 2016 as the SLPP and became the home for members of the United People's Freedom Alliance loyal to its former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa.

References

  1. "PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION - 02-04-2004" (PDF). Sri Lanka Department of Elections. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  2. "Next chapter with Weerawansa". Dailynews.lk. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  3. "Video: Despite being MP for 6 years Samantha's house had no electricity". Lankatruth.com. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  4. "Uma Oya Project has destroyed rivers and waterways: Samantha Vidyaratna". Frontpage.lk. 4 April 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2018.