Lakshman Kadirgamar
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2012) |
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka | |
---|---|
In office 2004–2005 | |
Preceded by | Tyronne Fernando |
Succeeded by | Anura Bandaranaike |
In office 1994–2001 | |
Preceded by | Abdul Cader Shahul Hameed |
Succeeded by | Tyronne Fernando |
Personal details | |
Born | Manipay, Jaffna District, British Ceylon (now in Sri Lanka) | 12 April 1932
Died | 12 August 2005 Colombo, Sri Lanka | (aged 73)
Manner of death | Assassination |
Political party | United People's Freedom Alliance Sri Lanka Freedom Party |
Alma mater | Balliol College, Oxford University of Ceylon Trinity College, Kandy |
Profession | Lawyer |
He achieved international prominence in this position due to his wide-ranging condemnation of the
Early life
Lakshman Kadirgamar was born in
Education
Kadirgamar received his primary education at
In 1950 Kadirgamar went on to study law at the
He was the top student with a First Class at the Advocates Intermediate Examination in 1953 of the
Thereafter he won a scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied from 1956 to 1959, receiving in 1960, his BLitt degree from the University of Oxford. His thesis was on "Strict Liability in English and Roman-Dutch Law". In November 1958 he applied successfully to become a barrister of Inner Temple, London.
Legal career
Upon leaving Oxford, he took up a legal career. He returned to Ceylon and built up a practice in commercial, industrial and administrative law. He was part of the defense team of the accused of the
Kadirgamar left Ceylon in 1971 following the
In 1988 he returned to Sri Lanka and resumed his legal career there. In 1991 he was appointed President's Counsel.[9]
Political career
Although he had never been actively involved in politics before, and had never even addressed a political rally, he was selected as
Widely respected in his role as foreign minister, he was elected vice-chairman (1997–99) and later chairman (2003–05) of the
After the defeat of the government in 2001, he became special adviser on foreign affairs to President Kumaratunga. He became critical of the attempts to negotiate with the
On 20 November 2003, Kadirgamar declared his candidacy for the position of
Following the victory of the United People's Freedom Alliance in the 2 April 2004 Sri Lankan legislative elections, he was mentioned as a possible candidate for Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, but on 6 April President Kumaratunga appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa to the post. Four days later, however, he was appointed foreign minister again in the new cabinet.
Personal life
Family
While at Oxford, Kadirgamar married Angela Malik of French-Pakistani descent, they had two children. The daughter, Ajitha Perera who became a broadcaster and a son, Sriraghavan Jebaratnam Christian "Ragee" Kadirgamar who became an architect. In 1992, he divorced his first wife Angela. He married again in 1996, Suganthi Wijeysuriya, a lawyer and senior partner at the law firm F. J. & G. de Saram.
Religious views
Kadirgamar was born to a Christian family. In 1999 he brought a proposal to the UN General Assembly to make the Buddhist holy day,
Political Views
During a BBC interview he was asked if he thought he was a traitor to the Tamil people since he was a minister in a Sinhalese-dominated government. He said "People who live in Sri Lanka are first and foremost Sri Lankans, then we have our race and religion, which is something given to us at birth". "We have to live in Sri Lanka as Sri Lankans tolerating all races and religion".[17]
Death
On 12 August 2005, around 2300 (
It is widely believed around the world that Kadirgamar's assassins belong to
Kadirgamar on many occasions mentioned the LTTE's threats to his life. Speaking to
According to Asian Tribune, on 5 September Sri Lankan police arrested two Tamils, Muttiah Sahadevan alias Devan (Kadirgamar's neighbour's gardener) and Isidor Arokya Nathar alias Babu. The website alleged that they have confessed to having met Charles of the LTTE intelligence and helping out two alleged assassins. The website further claims that this is seen in some quarters in Sri Lanka as proof that the LTTE was behind his assassination.[19] The suspects arrested in his murder case were released after no evidence was found after over two years in custody.[20]
International reaction
India condemned what the foreign ministry described as a "terrorist crime" and offered its full support.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who last met Mr Kadirgamar in June, condemned the assassination of Sri Lanka's foreign minister as a "senseless murder and vicious act of terror" and urged Sri Lankans not to let it lead to resumed civil war. She praised Kadirgamar as a man of "dignity, honor and integrity, who devoted his life to bringing peace to Sri Lanka".
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in a statement quoted by the AFP news agency: "Sri Lanka has lost a deeply respected statesman dedicated to peace and national unity."
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer paid tribute to Kadirgamar saying he played a key role in bringing forward the peace process in Sri Lanka. "Lakshman Kadirgamar was an eminent statesman and a distinguished representative of Sri Lanka," he said. "He was a man of moderation who sought the path of peace and worked tirelessly for his country."
Peace brokers Norway also condemned the assassination, with Foreign Minister Jan Petersen describing it as "an atrocious crime and a tragedy for Sri Lanka."
Cricket World Cup controversy
Kadirgamar was known for his combative and ready wit. When Shane Warne justified Australia's decision to not play in Colombo during the 1996 Cricket World Cup due to the terrorist threat – saying that he could be targeted by a drive-in bomber while he was shopping – Kadirgamar is reported to have said "shopping is for sissies."[21] Kadirgamar commented later "There was a storm of protest in Australia. A TV interviewer asked me whether I had ever played cricket. I said I had played before he was born – without helmets and thigh guards, on matting wickets that were full of holes and stones, and I had my share of broken bones to show of it. My friend the Australian foreign minister was drawn into the fray. He phoned me. We decided to cool things down... When the whole episode was over I sent a bouquet of flowers to my Australian counterpart. Flowers are also for sissies."[22]
Honours
In 1995 Kadirgamar was made Honorary Master of the
Legacy
Kadirgamar is considered as one of the most successful foreign ministers Sri Lanka has had, due to his successful efforts of changing international opinion on Sri Lanka and the LTTE. His efforts in getting the LTTE listed as a terrorist organization contributed to its ultimate defeat in 2009. He recognized that significant change was needed within Sri Lanka if its communities were to live together peacefully was an enduring part of his legacy.
The Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies, a think tank on international affairs, was established in his memory a year after his assassination. A statue of Kadirgamar has been erected at the Liberty roundabout in Colombo.
In April 2013 Balliol College established the Lakshman Kadirgamar Fund[24] to assist students from Asia at Balliol College.
Further reading
- V.S. Sambandan (9 September 2005). "Assassination and After". Frontline.
- NDTV (May 1999). Talking Heads with Laxman Kadirgamar.
See also
- List of assassinations of the Sri Lankan Civil War
- Sri Lankan civil war
- Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies
References
- ^ "The LTTE's war trap". The Hindu. 17 August 2006. Archived from the original on 24 May 2007. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
- ^ "Senior Sri Lanka minister killed". BBC News. London. 13 August 2005. Retrieved 13 August 2005.
- ^ Democracy, Sovereignty and Terror: Lakshman Kadirgamar on the Foundations of International Order (International Library of Political Studies). ASIN 1848853076.
- ^ Sir Adam Roberts, Democracy, Sovereignty and Terror: Lakshman Kadirgamar on the Foundations of International Order, I.B.Tauris, London & New York, 2012. On Google.
- ^ Sarath N. Silva, "Sketch of the Life of Lakshman Kadirgamar" in Adam Roberts (ed.), Democracy, Sovereignty and Terror: Lakshman Kadirgamar on the Foundations of International Order, I.B.Tauris, London & New York, 2012, p. 37.
- ^ "Kadi - A man destined to achieve glory". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
- ^ 1955 Ferguson's Ceylon Directory. Colombo: Ferguson's Directory. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ The full text of his report for Amnesty International, dated 1 January 1964, was published for the first time in Adam Roberts (ed.), Democracy, Sovereignty and Terror: Lakshman Kadirgamar on the Foundations of International Order, I.B.Tauris, London & New York, 2012, pp. 89–105.
- ^ Sarath N. Silva, "Sketch of the Life of Lakshman Kadirgamar" in Adam Roberts (ed.), Democracy, Sovereignty and Terror: Lakshman Kadirgamar on the Foundations of International Order, I.B.Tauris, London & New York, 2012, p. 38.
- ^ The text of the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement is reprinted in John Gooneratne, Negotiating with the Tigers (LTTE) (2002–2005): A View from the Second Row, Stamford Lake, Pannipitiya, Sri Lanka, 2007, pp. 123–34. The text of the agreement is also available at the Sri Lanka government website Archived 22 December 2003 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The full text of his speech, "Flaws in the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement" is in Adam Roberts (ed.), Democracy, Sovereignty and Terror: Lakshman Kadirgamar on the Foundations of International Order, I.B.Tauris, London & New York, 2012, pp. 193–203.
- ^ Baruah, Amit (30 November 2003). "Chandrika, Ranil back Kadirgamar for Commonwealth Secretary-General". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 4 December 2003. Retrieved 27 July 2007.
- ^ S2CID 219624427.
- ^ Baruah, Amit (7 December 2003). "PM, Blair for representative government in Iraq soon". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 December 2003. Retrieved 27 July 2007.
- ^ Kadirgamar, speech at UN General Assembly, 23 September 1999.
- ^ Adam Roberts, "'Dare the Deepening Tide': Lakshman Kadirgamar on the Revolution of our Times", in Adam Roberts (ed.), Democracy, Sovereignty and Terror: Lakshman Kadirgamar on the Foundations of International Order, I.B.Tauris, London & New York, 2012, pp. 9–11.
- ^ HARDtalk, After the tsunami
- ^ The Hindu, "They can get me anytime", 13 August 2005.
- ^ Asian Tribune [dead link]
- ^ "BBC 'No evidence' on Kadirgamar suspects". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
- ^ Recalled by Lakshman Kadirgamar in a speech in London to the Sri Lanka cricket team and members of the Sri Lankan community, 18 September 2004. This episode was also recalled in Rex Clementine, "Shopping is for Sissies", The Island, Colombo, 12 January 2011.
- ^ Kadirgamar's London speech on 18 September 2004. Also "Lakshman Kadirgamar". Ruwan Janapriya's Blog. Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
- ^ Information on his official Curriculum Vitae, checked with Inner Temple and Balliol College. See also Adam Roberts (ed.), Democracy, Sovereignty and Terror: Lakshman Kadirgamar on the Foundations of International Order, I.B.Tauris, London & New York, 2012, pp. xi and 38. On Google.
- ^ "Trust Funds | Balliol College". Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
External links
- United Nations Year of Dialogue among civilizations
- Ask Lakshman Questions and Answers
- Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar's Address to The International Conference on War-Affected Children
- Obituary on BBC News
- Lakshman Kadirgamar was deeply committed to lasting solution – Mano Wijeyeratne
- A Memorial Essay by Arjuna Hulugalle
- Ardent Campaigner Against Terrorism by Adam Roberts
- A patriot and an illustrious son of Sri Lanka
- The Father I Remember
- KADIRGAMAR INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATION AND STRATEGIC STUDIES[permanent dead link]