Lakshman Kadirgamar

Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lankan politician (born April 12, 1932), was appointed Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka in April 2004. He previously held this position 1994-2001.

Kadirgamar is a Tamil and a Christian, an unusual combination in a country dominated by Sinhalese Buddhists and Tamil Hindus. He was educated at Trinity College, Kandy, and obtained a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) degree from the University of Ceylon in 1953. He also has a B.Lit. from Oxford University. He practiced law at the Ceylon Bar and in London until 1974, when he became a consultant to the International Labour Organization in Geneva.

Kadirgamar is a long-time supporter of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). He was Foreign Minister in the SLFP government of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. After the defeat of the government in 2001 became special adviser on Foreign Affairs to the President of Sri Lanka, Chandrika Kumaratunga. Despite being himself a Tamil, he strongly supported the Bandaranaike government's policy of not negotiating with the Tamil Tigers insurgents in northern Sri Lanka.

In 2003 Kadirgamar was a candidate for the position of Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, but was defeated by Don McKinnon of New Zealand.

Following the victory of the United People's Freedom Alliance in the April 2, 2004 Sri Lankan legislative elections, was mentioned as a candidate for Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, but on April 6 President Kumaratunga appointed Mahinda Rajapakse to the post. Four days later, however, he became foreign minister again in the new cabinet.

External link

• An Open Letter To Lakshman Kadirgamar (highly critical of his role in the Sri Lanka conflict)