Senarath Attanayake

Senarath Attanayake
Senarath Attanayake
	Senarath Attanayake at the COSP, UNCRPD 2013
Personal details
Born	5 August 1966
Died	29 August 2017 (aged 51); Colombo, Sri Lanka
Spouse	Shikanthini Varma (1994 - 2006) Lasanthi Daskon Children Chetianga Attanayake (born July 2000)
Profession	Lawyer

Attanayake Mudiyanselage Kithsiri Senarath Bandara Attanayake (12 August 1966 – 29 August 2017) known as Senarath Attanayake was a Sri Lankan politician and lawyer.

He was a recipient of the 2016

Chief Minister for a brief period during this tenure. Attanayake was the first person with a disability in Sri Lanka to be an elected representative and a lawyer.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

Early life and education

Born to Attanayake Mudiyanselage Jayawardena Attanayake, a former member of parliament (1970–1977 & 1994–1999), former Basnayaka Nilame (Lay Custodian) of the Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Devalaya and Wimala Manathunge of Pitakumbura, a village in the

Royal College Colombo and graduated from University of Colombo and passed the law exams of the Sri Lanka Law College becoming an Attorney at law

.

Career

Maintaining a successful legal career, Attanayake entered active politics in 1999, following the death of his father. He contested for the Uva Provincial Council Elections, winning a seat and serving as a Minister in his first term.

He represented the Moneragala district – one of the most poverty-stricken and disadvantaged areas of Sri Lanka – and Senarath had been instrumental in finding alternate solutions to enhance the quality of life in the community. "Back to Earth" is one such enterprise, where natural refuse is converted into attractive eco-friendly gift items and mementos and sold at Colombo's lifestyle stores, bringing an additional revenue to the rural community.

Attanayake was also an activist for making all public places and building in Sri Lanka entirely accessible to wheelchair users. In 2006, he sued

Qatar Airlines for misplacing his wheelchairs and donated the entire amount to Ragama Rehabilitation Hospital for building proper access for wheelchairs. He had been active in bringing the rights of disabled Sri Lankans to the forefront. He was also pioneering a programme for disability counselling in Sri Lanka.^{[citation needed}

]

In 2012, Senarath prepared a set of proposals titled 'Making Moneragala the First Disable Friendly District of Sri Lanka', which he presented to the

WHO) in Colombo took these proposals into consideration and recognising the similarities of the proposals with the Global Age-friendly Cities

concept, pledged its support to the project with the altered theme 'Moneragala, the First Disable-friendly/Age-friendly District in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the Wellawaya Division of Moneragala District was selected as a pilot division for the implementation of the project. This was the second city in southeast Asia to join the network and the first in Sri Lanka.

In December 2012, the Wellawaya Division of Moneragala District joined the Global Age-friendly Cities Network. Senarath co-ordinated the project (pro-bono) which involves DPOs, CBR Networks, WHO-SEARO, WHO-CO in Sri Lanka, Ministry of Social Services, Ministry of Health, Uva Provincial Council, other government administrative bodies and structures and the community of the division in general.

He represented Sri Lanka at the sixth, seventh, and eighth Conferences of State Parties to the

United Nations Headquarters in New York on 23 September 2013. He won the Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards

given to exemplary leaders with disabilities in 2016.

Senarath was an Adviser to the Export Development Board of Sri Lanka.

Personal life

Senarath was married to Lasanthi Daskon an Attorney-at-Law and a Disability Rights Activist and lived alternatively in Colombo and in Bibila, Sri Lanka. Senarath had one daughter, Chetianga, from his previous marriage to Shikanthini Varma.

Death

Senarath Attanayake died on 29 August 2017 at a private hospital, less than a month after his 51st birthday.^[8]

References

^ "Disabled lawyer sues Qatar Airways". The Nation. Nation.lk. 16 July 2006. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
^ "Disabled politician sues airline for compensation of ten million rupees". Sri Lanka Newspapers – Sri Lanka News Updates around the clock. Lankanewspapers.com. 9 July 2006. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
^ "Back To Earth in More Ways Than One". Small Business Sri Lanka. Smallbusiness.lk. Archived from the original on 9 September 2007. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
^ "Shasheendra tops Moneragala preferential votes list". The Island-News. Island.lk. 10 August 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
^ "Advisory Committee Members" (PDF). 13 June 2007. Retrieved 7 May 2010. ^{[dead link]}
^ "Back to Earth". Retrieved 7 May 2010.
^ "Small Business International". Smallbusiness.lk. Archived from the original on 9 March 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
^ "Senarath Attanayake passes away - Breaking News | Daily Mirror".

External links

[1] "Disabled lawyer sues Qatar Airways". The Nation. Nation.lk. 16 July 2006. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.

[2] "Disabled politician sues airline for compensation of ten million rupees". Sri Lanka Newspapers – Sri Lanka News Updates around the clock. Lankanewspapers.com. 9 July 2006. Retrieved 7 May 2010.

[3] "Back To Earth in More Ways Than One". Small Business Sri Lanka. Smallbusiness.lk. Archived from the original on 9 September 2007. Retrieved 7 May 2010.

[4] "Shasheendra tops Moneragala preferential votes list". The Island-News. Island.lk. 10 August 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2010.

[5] "Advisory Committee Members" (PDF). 13 June 2007. Retrieved 7 May 2010. ^{[dead link]}

[6] "Back to Earth". Retrieved 7 May 2010.

[7] "Small Business International". Smallbusiness.lk. Archived from the original on 9 March 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.

[8] "Senarath Attanayake passes away - Breaking News | Daily Mirror".

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