Ranasingha Premadasa
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Sri Lankabhimanya Sri Lankabhimanya (; ; The Pride of Sri Lanka) is the highest National Honours of Sri Lanka, national honour of Sri Lanka, which is awarded by the President of Sri Lanka on behalf of the government, equivalent to the National Heroes of Sri Lanka, ...
Ranasinghe Premadasa ( ''Raṇasiṃha Premadāsa''; ''Raṇaciṅka Pirēmatācā''; 23 June 1924 – 1 May 1993) was a Sri Lankan politician and statesman who served as the third
President of Sri Lanka The president of Sri Lanka ( ''Śrī Laṅkā Janādhipati''; ''Ilaṇkai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union governm ...
from 2 January 1989 until his
assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...
in 1993. He previously served as
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka The prime minister of Sri Lanka, officially the prime minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the most senior member of parliament in the cabinet of ministers. It is the second-most powerful position in Sri Lanka's exec ...
from 6 February 1978 to 2 January 1989. Premadasa's tenure as prime minister made him the longest-serving uninterrupted Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, having served in the post for nearly 11 years. He was the first person to be conferred with Sri Lanka's highest civilian award, the
Sri Lankabhimanya Sri Lankabhimanya (; ; The Pride of Sri Lanka) is the highest National Honours of Sri Lanka, national honour of Sri Lanka, which is awarded by the President of Sri Lanka on behalf of the government, equivalent to the National Heroes of Sri Lanka, ...
in 1986 by President
J. R. Jayewardene Junius Richard Jayewardene (; ; 17 September 1906 – 1 November 1996), commonly referred to by his initials JR, was a Sri Lankan lawyer, public official and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1977 to 1978 and as the secon ...
.


Early life

Ranasinghe Premadasa was born on 23 June 1924 at Dias Place, Colombo 11, to the family of Richard Ranasinghe (Ranasinghe Mudalali) of Kosgoda and Battuwita Jayasinghe Arachchige Ensina Hamine of Batuwita,
Horana Horana (, , ) is a town in Kalutara District, in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. It is on the A8 highway between Panadura and Ratnapura, away from Ratnapura and away from Panadura. Horana is connected with Colombo via B84 Colombo - Horana r ...
. Premadasa was the oldest of five children, three sisters, and one brother. His father was engaged in the transport business in Colombo employing
rickshaw Rickshaw originally denoted a pulled rickshaw, which is a two- or three-wheeled cart generally pulled by one person carrying one passenger. The first known use of the term was in 1879. Over time, cycle rickshaws (also known as pedicabs or tr ...
s. He received his early education at the Purwarama temple under Ven. Welitara Sri Pannananda and secondary education at Lorenz College, Skinner's Road, South Maradana and at
St. Joseph's College, Colombo St. Joseph's College is a selective-entry Roman Catholic school in Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1896 by French Missionaries led by Rev. Father Christophe Ernest Bonjean. The college has over 4,000 enrolled students with a staff of over 450 as o ...
under Rector Fr. Le Goc. At age fifteen, Premadasa started the Sucharita Children's Society, which later became the
Sucharitha Movement Sucharitha was the home of Ranasinghe Premadasa, former President of Sri Lanka. It was the headquarters of his Sri Sucharitha Movement. Premadasa remained at Sucharitha even after being elected president, using President's House, Colombo only for o ...
, a volunteers organisation with the objectives of uplifting the economic, social and spiritual development of the low-income people living in shanty areas of the capital. He was the full-time organizer of the community development project in the area in 1939. These youth who enrolled in his development movement refrained from taking liquor and avoided smoking and gambling. Premadasa too was a teetotaler.


Early political career


Ceylon Labour Party

Allying with
A. E. Goonesinghe Alexander Ekanayaka Goonesingha (1 May 1891 – 1 August 1967) was a Sri Lankan trade unionist and politician. A pioneering trade union leader, known as the "Father of the Labour Movement", he was the founder of the Ceylon Labour Party, Sri Lan ...
, the founder leader of the Ceylon Labour movement, Premadasa started his political career in 1946 joining the
Ceylon Labour Party The Ceylon Labour Party (CLP) was a political party in Sri Lanka. History The Ceylon Labour Party was formed in October 1928, with A. E. Gunasinha as president and Proctor Marshall Perera as secretary. Its executive committee included C. H. Z. ...
as a full-time member and campaigned for Goonesinghe in the 1947 general election. In 1950, he was elected to the
Colombo Municipal Council The Colombo Municipal Council is the municipal governing body of Colombo, the largest city and financial centre in Sri Lanka. It consists of a directly elected executive Mayor of Colombo, and elected 119 municipal councilors. The council was f ...
as a member of San Sebastian's Ward.


United National Party

Having realized the limited future prospects in the Labour Party in the mid-1950s, Premadasa supported Sir
John Kotelawala General (Sri Lanka), General Sir John Lionel Kotelawala (; 4 April 1897 – 2 October 1980) was a Sri Lankan statesman, who served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from 1953 to 1956. Born to a wealthy landholding and mining f ...
's attempts to remove the then-incumbent
Mayor of Colombo The Mayor of Colombo is the elected head of the Colombo Municipal Council. The post was created in 1866 when the Colombo Municipal Council was established by the Legislative Council of Ceylon. The mayor is assisted by the deputy mayor and a Munic ...
, Dr
N. M. Perera Nanayakkarapathirage Martin Perera, commonly known as Dr. N. M. Perera ( Sinhala එන්.එම්.පෙරේරා ; 6 June 1904 – 14 August 1979), was one of the leaders of the Sri Lankan Trotskyist Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP). He w ...
of the
Lanka Sama Samaja Party The Lanka Sama Samaja Party, often abbreviated as LSSP ( literally: Lanka Equal Society Party, Sinhala: ලංකා සම සමාජ පක්ෂය, Tamil: லங்கா சமசமாஜக் கட்சி), is a major Trotskyist po ...
. In 1955, Premadasa succeeded
T. Rudra Thillainathan Rudra, JP, UM (1909–1960) was a Ceylonese politician. He was the mayor of Colombo from 1953 to 1954. Rudra's father Thillainathan hailed from Vaddukkoddai and he grew up in Wellawatte. He became a champion weight lifter and gai ...
as Deputy Mayor and joined the
United National Party The United National Party (UNP; , ) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right political party in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1946, the party was one of Sri Lanka's two main parties for several decades. The UNP has served as the country's ruling party ...
in 1956 following the successful removal of N. M. Perera as Mayor of Colombo in February 1956. From the UNP, Premadasa contested the 1956 general election from the Ruwanwella electorate but lost to N. M. Perera. Following his defeat, he joined
J. R. Jayewardene Junius Richard Jayewardene (; ; 17 September 1906 – 1 November 1996), commonly referred to by his initials JR, was a Sri Lankan lawyer, public official and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1977 to 1978 and as the secon ...
working for the party reorganization under
Dudley Senanayake Dudley Shelton Senanayake (Sinhala language, Sinhala: ඩඩ්ලි ශෙල්ටන් සේනානායක: ; 19 June 1911 – 13 April 1973), was a Sri Lankan wikt:statesman, statesman who thrice served as Prime Minister of C ...
and served as the secretary of the Religious Affairs Committee of the Buddhist Council appointed by the government to organize the 2500th Buddha Jayanthi celebrations. The following year he joined the protest march to
Kandy Kandy (, ; , ) is a major city located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka, Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of ...
on 3 October, which had been organized by J. R. Jayewardene. The march was disrupted at Imbulgoda by thugs led by
S. D. Bandaranayake Samuel Dias Bandaranayake (1 December 1917 – 3 June 2014) was a Sri Lankan socialist politician and a member of Parliament of Sri Lanka, parliament representing Gampaha Electoral District (1947–1989), Gampaha. Early life and education Born ...
. Premadasa was elected as the third Member of Parliament from Colombo Central in the March 1960 general election. The short-lived Dudley Senanayake government was defeated in three months and in the July 1960 general election that followed he polled fourth in the three-member constituency of Colombo Central. In 1961, he re-entered the Colombo Municipal Council having been elected from the Cinnamon Gardens Ward and served till 1965. During this time, he worked to open
preschool A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an school, educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they ...
s for poor families and initiated vocational training centres in
sewing Sewing is the craft of fastening pieces of textiles together using a sewing needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of spinning yarn or weaving fabric, archaeo ...
and
tailoring A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
for the youth.


Minister of Local Government (1965–1970)

Premadasa successfully contested the Colombo Central electorate in the 1965 general election and was elected to parliament and appointed as
Chief Government Whip The Chief Whip is a political leader whose task is to enforce the whipping system, which aims to ensure that legislators who are members of a political party attend and vote on legislation as the party leadership prescribes. United Kingdom I ...
and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Local Government, M. Tiruchelvam. When Tiruchelvam resigned in 1968 after the
Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK; ; , ) is a Sri Lankan political party which represents the Sri Lankan Tamil minority in the country. It was originally founded in 1949 as a breakaway faction of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC). In 1972, ITA ...
left Dudley Senanayake's government, Premadasa was promoted as Minister of Local Government and became a minister in Senanayake's cabinet. During his tenure, he instituted a bridges programme using pre-stressed concrete components, created the Maligawatta Housing Scheme and became known in the local governments across the island. Premadasa turned
Radio Ceylon Radio Ceylon ( ''Lanka Guwan Viduli Sevaya'', , ''ilankai vanoli'') is a radio station based in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) and the first radio station in Asia. Broadcasting was started on an experimental basis by the colonial Telegraph Departme ...
, the oldest radio station in South Asia, into a public corporation – the
Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) (, ''Shrī Lankā Guvan Viduli Sansthāva'', , ''Ilangkai Oliparappuk Kūṭṭuttāpaṉam'') came into existence on 5 January 1967 when Radio Ceylon became a public corporation. Dudley Senanayak ...
on 5 January 1967.


Opposition and the Citizens Front (1970–1977)

In the following 1970 general election, Premadasa was elected as the first Member of Parliament for Colombo Central and sat in the opposition with J. R. Jayewardene, the
Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...
. Premadasa was appointed Chief Opposition Whip. Furthermore, he was elected chairman of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth Inter-Parliamentary Association held in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Premadasa was a member of the Constituent Assembly which drafted the constitution of 1972. Premadasa called for reforms of the party which Dudley Senanayake refused, resulting in Premadasa resigning from the party working committee. He went on to form the ''Samastha Lanka Puravesi Peramuna'', known generally as the ''Puravesi Peramuna'' or ''Citizens Front''. Building up the Citizens Front, he was in open conflict with Senanayake who had recently healed a rift with Jayawardane. Amidst this conflict, Senanayake died on 13 April 1973 following a heart attack and Senanayake loyalists found fault with Premadasa. Jayawardane, who became UNP leader came to terms with Premadasa, who stopped the Citizens Front and returned to fully support the UNP, driving up its membership at grassroot levels and becoming the Deputy Leader of the party.


Minister of Local Government, Housing and Construction (1977–1978)

Premadasa was re-elected as the first member of parliament for Colombo Central in the general election in 1977 and was appointed the Leader of the House and the Minister of Local Government, Housing and Construction.


Prime minister

In the following year, when J. R. Jayewardene became the first executive
president of Sri Lanka The president of Sri Lanka ( ''Śrī Laṅkā Janādhipati''; ''Ilaṇkai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union governm ...
, he appointed Premadasa as
prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
. Premadasa began to define the new role of the prime minister under an executive president. He took residence at
Temple Trees Temple Trees is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. It is located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Several recent presidents have used it as their official residence as well. History Private residence The history of ''Temple Tree ...
, retained the use of the Prime Minister's Lodge and established a new prime minister's office at Sirimathipaya. He began representing Sri Lanka internationally, having led the Sri Lankan delegation to the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM; or) is a wiktionary:biennial, biennial summit meeting of the List of current heads of state and government, governmental leaders from all Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth nations. ...
in 1979, where he secured British funding for the construction of the Victoria Dam. He headed the Sri Lankan delegation to the
United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...
in 1980 where he addressed the general assembly. Continuing to hold the portfolios of Local Government, Housing and Construction, he initiated his political program, shelter for the poor, after the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
declared a Year of Shelter. His proposal to declare 1987 as the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless was unanimously accepted at the 37th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Other policies included '' Jana Saviya'', the instrument he used to help the poor, a foster parents scheme, the ''Gam Udawa'' project with which he tried to stir up the stupor in the villages, the mobile secretariat whereby he took the central government bureaucracy to the peasants, the Tower Hall Foundation for drama and music, and the pension schemes he initiated for the elder artistes. On the economic front, the garment industry project that he initiated became a forerunner in earning foreign exchange and provision of employment in the villages. Premadasa served as prime minister from 1978 to 1988, with little rifts with President Jayewardene with the exception of the latter's signed the
Indo-Sri Lanka Accord The Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord was an accord signed in Colombo on 29 July 1987, between Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J. R. Jayewardene. The accord was expected to resolve the Sri Lankan civil war, Sri Lankan Civ ...
. Jayewardene decided to step down after his second term and Premadasa was nominated as the party candidate for the presidential election set for December 1988. Premadasa was elected as the 2nd executive president of the country at the 1988 presidential election, gaining 2,569,199 (50.43%) votes and defeating former prime minister
Sirimavo Bandaranaike Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (; ; ; 17 April 1916 – 10 October 2000), commonly known as Sirimavo Bandaranaike, was a Sri Lankan politician. She was the List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government, world's first fe ...
, who came in second with 2,289,860 (44.95%) votes. Premadasa became the first non-
Govigama Govigama (also known as Goyigama, Govikula, Govi Vansa or Goyi Vansa) is a Sinhalese caste found in Sri Lanka. They form approximately half of the Sinhalese population and are traditionally involved in agriculture. The term Govigama became popula ...
politician to be appointed prime minister and elected president of Sri Lanka.


Presidency

Soon after being elected president, Premadasa dissolved parliament and called for fresh elections. In the 1989 parliamentary election in February the UNP gained 125 seats in parliament, forming a government with a majority in parliament. At the time he became president, the country faced both a
civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
in the north and a communist insurgency in the south, both key issues Premadasa concentrated on, with particularly ruthless actions against the insurgents. The security forces brutally put down the revolt and killed many of its leaders.


Monetary policy

Premadasa also concentrated on a grassroots-level economic development drive, focusing on the provision of housing, poverty alleviation and the upliftment of the poor. He encouraged the building of model villages with clean water, transport infrastructure, schools and health centres. He encouraged the establishment of small-scale industries (mostly garment-related) in poor areas by giving factory owners low-interest loans and a share in textile quotas for the United States and Europe. The ''
Gam Udāwa Gam or GAM may refer to: Art and entertainment * GAM (group), a Japanese pop idol duo * Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral, a cultural center in Santiago, Chile * Galería de Arte Mexicano, an art gallery in Mexico City * Galleria d'Arte Moderna, ...
'' programme is one of his best-known achievements in this area, along with the ''
Janasaviya Janasaviya was a poverty reduction program in Sri Lanka. It was introduced in 1989 by the government of Ranasinghe Premadasa, and was a lead program of his government. In 1995, under the new president Chandrika Kumaratunga, it was replaced by the S ...
'' programme that is today part of the '' Samurdhi'' scheme.


JVP insurrection

Appointing
Ranjan Wijeratne General Ranjan Wijeratne (4 April 1931 – 2 March 1991) was a Sri Lankan planter and politician. He served in the Premadasa cabinet as Minister of Foreign Affairs and then Minister of Plantation Industries, while holding the office of Stat ...
as Minister of Foreign Affairs and State Minister for Defence, Premadasa had Wijeratne clamp down on the JVP insurgent activity in the south which had been paralyzing the state machinery and economic activity of the island since 1987 with its target killings, its unofficial curfews and work stoppages.
Operation Combine Operation Combine ( Ops Combine) was a special operation established by the Sri Lanka Army from 4 August 1989 to February 1990 as counterinsurgency operation with support of the Sri Lanka Police against the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) whic ...
launched by Wijeratne successfully challenged the insurgency by brutally suppressing and killing its leaders, including JVP leader
Rohana Wijeweera Patabendi Don Jinadasa Nandasiri Wijeweera (; 14 July 1943 – 13 November 1989), better known as Rohana Wijeweera, was a Sri Lankan Marxist–Leninist political activist, revolutionary, and founder of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP; ). W ...
by late 1989 and effectively ending the insurrection by early 1990.


Civil War

His handling of the country's civil war was less successful. In the north, the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; , ; also known as the Tamil Tigers) was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eela ...
faced off against the
Indian Peace Keeping Force Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990. It was formed under the mandate of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lankan Accord that aimed to end the Sri Lanka ...
. The Indian presence on the island was unpopular, and Premadasa requested India to pull out its troops. In order to force the IPKF to leave the island, he authorized a clandestine operation to supply arms to LTTE to fight the IPKF-backed
Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front The Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) is a series of Sri Lankan political parties and a former militant separatist group. Militant separatists The EPRLF was formed in 1980 by K. Pathmanabha (Padmanaba), Douglas Devananda, Su ...
, a collusion that came to light in the report published by the Sri Lankan Presidential Commission to inquire into the 1992 assassination of Lieutenant General
Denzil Kobbekaduwa Lieutenant General Denzil Lakshman Kobbekaduwa, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP (; 27 July 1940 – 8 August 1992) was a senior Sri Lankan Army officer who served in the 1971 Insurrection and the Sri Lankan Civil War. Having trained with the British ...
. While the IPKF was recalled by New Delhi in 1990, the government's war with the LTTE resumed, beginning
Eelam War II Eelam War II refers to the second phase of the armed conflict between the Sri Lankan military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, lasting from June 1990 to 1995. The war erupted after the breakdown of peace talks between the LTTE and the ...
, which ended in a stalemate five years later. The
1990 massacre of Sri Lankan Police officers On 11 June 1990, the militant organisation Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) carried out a massacre of unarmed police officers in Sri Lanka's Eastern Province. LTTE members allegedly killed over 600 officers that day. Some accounts esti ...
, which occurred after the policemen were asked to surrender to the LTTE in Batticaloa at Premadasa's request, was later established to have been performed with the same weapons he had supplied them.


Impeachment attempt

In September 1991, Premadasa faced an
impeachment Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In Eur ...
attempt in parliament led by his two formidable rivals in the UNP,
Lalith Athulathmudali Lalith William Samarasekera Athulathmudali, PC (; 26 November 1936 – 23 April 1993), known as Lalith Athulathmudali, was a Sri Lankan politician. He was a prominent member of the United National Party, who served as Minister of Trade and Sh ...
and
Gamini Dissanayake Dissanayake Mudiyanse Ralahamilage Lionel Gamini Dissanayake, PC (known as Gamini Dissanayake; ,; 20 March 1942 – 24 October 1994) was a prominent Sri Lankan politician, a powerful minister of the United National Party, and Leader of the Op ...
. He defeated the attempt by adjourning Parliament and
Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...
M. H. Mohamed dismissed the impeachment stating a lack of signatures after several parliamentarians who supported the impeachment later withdrew their support after facing threats. Premadasa expelled Athulathmudali and Dissanayake from the party, who then went on to form their own political party, the
Democratic United National Front The Democratic United National Front (DUNF; , ) is a political party in Sri Lanka. It was founded in the early 1990s by a group of United National Party dissidents who were critical of then-incumbent president Ranasinghe Premadasa. The party was ...
(DUNF).


Country name change

In 1992, Premadasa changed the country's English name from Sri Lanka to Shri Lanka on the advice of soothsayers, who predicted it would improve the country's fortunes. The change was reverted after his assassination in 1993.


Assassination

Ranasinghe Premadasa was killed along with 23 others on 1 May, Saturday, 1993, around 12.45 p.m. during UNP's
May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the Northern Hemisphere's March equinox, spring equinox and midsummer June solstice, solstice. Festivities ma ...
rally in Colombo, by an
LTTE The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; , ; also known as the Tamil Tigers) was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam ...
suicide bomber. The explosion took place at Armour Street-Grandpass Junction in
Hulftsdorp Hulftsdorp (also written, incorrectly as Hultsdorf ) is a suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is part of the postal area known as ''Colombo 12''. It has been known historically as Hulffsdorp, Hulfsdorp, Hulftsdorp, Hulsdorp, Hulstsdorp and Hülffsd ...
, Colombo while President Premadasa was unofficially supervising the procession as it was heading towards the
Galle Face Green Galle Face Green is a ocean-side urban park, which stretches for along the coast, in the heart of Colombo, the financial and business capital of Sri Lanka. The promenade was initially laid out in 1859 by Governor Sir Henry George Ward, alth ...
from
Sugathadasa Stadium Sugathadasa Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is currently used for football (soccer), football, Rugby union, rugby union, and Athletics in Jamaica, athletics. The stadium holds 25,000 people and has an on-site hotel. ...
. The suicide bomber was later identified as Kulaveerasingam Veerakumar alias 'Babu', a close friend of the President's valet E. M. P. Mohideen. He rode a bicycle towards the President, left it near the President's Range Rover and walked towards the President when security personnel attempted to stop him. Despite this, Mohideen allowed him to get close to the President, when Veerakumar detonated the explosive device. Killed in the explosion were Mohideen, SSP Ronnie Gunasinghe and most of Premadasa's personal staff. Another 38 people were injured in the bombing including seven who were seriously wounded. Confusion prevailed as it was unclear what had happened, with Premadasa and his security detail missing. His death was only confirmed two hours later by his personal physician when the remains of the president were identified by his ring and watch. The site of the explosion was cleaned within hours before a proper investigation was conducted. The May Day parade continued even after the explosion for some time. An island-wide curfew was imposed hours after the assassination. Prime minister
Dingiri Banda Wijetunga Sri Lankabhimanya Dingiri Banda Wijetunga (; ; 15 February 1916 – 21 September 2008) was the fourth President of Sri Lanka from 7 May 1993 to 12 November 1994, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 3 March 1989 to 7 May 1993 and the Governor of No ...
was sworn in as the acting president in the afternoon. The government did not announce the death of President Premadasa until 6 p.m. local time when state television
Rupavahini The Sri Lanka Rūpavāhinī Corporation (; ), also known as Jathika Rupavahini (lit. National Television) or simply as Rupavahini, is the national television network of Sri Lanka. The term Rupavahini literally means "purveyor of images" in the ...
broadcast a tape of
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's report of the incident. A period of national mourning was announced until the funeral. Police claimed that they recovered the severed head of a young man suspected to be the bomber, which was found to have a cyanide suicide capsule, bearing LTTE tradecraft in his mouth. Premadasa's state funeral took place at Independence Square, Colombo on 9 May 1993.


Legacy

Amongst Sri Lankans, Premadasa has left behind a mixed legacy. While he was seen as a spokesperson of the poor, common man, his handling of the country's two civil conflicts, the JVP insurrection and the Sri Lankan Civil War, have been heavily criticised. The R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, which was built under Premadasa's supervision in 1986, still remains named after him. The
Sri Lankabhimanya Sri Lankabhimanya (; ; The Pride of Sri Lanka) is the highest National Honours of Sri Lanka, national honour of Sri Lanka, which is awarded by the President of Sri Lanka on behalf of the government, equivalent to the National Heroes of Sri Lanka, ...
Ranasinghe Premadasa Memorial is a statue depicting Premadasa, which stands in
Hulftsdorp Hulftsdorp (also written, incorrectly as Hultsdorf ) is a suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is part of the postal area known as ''Colombo 12''. It has been known historically as Hulffsdorp, Hulfsdorp, Hulftsdorp, Hulsdorp, Hulstsdorp and Hülffsd ...
, Colombo. The Former president Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa Memorial Monument stands at the location of the
bomb blast A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanica ...
, at the junction of Armour Street and Grandpass Road in Hulftsdorp. Ranasinghe Premadasa's son,
Sajith Premadasa Sajith Premadasa (, ; born 12 January 1967) is a Sri Lankan politician. He is the current Leader of the Opposition of Sri Lanka and a Member of Parliament for the Colombo District. He is the current leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. Saji ...
, went on to become a politician in his own right. Sajith ran for presidency twice unsuccessfully in
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
and
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
winning 41.99% and 32.76% of the vote respectively. He is the current
Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...
representing the
Samagi Jana Balawegaya The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB; , , ) is a centrist political alliance led by Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa. It is the largest opposition coalition in the Parliament of Sri Lanka since 2020. The alliance was formed with the approva ...
political party, a breakaway party of the
United National Party The United National Party (UNP; , ) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right political party in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1946, the party was one of Sri Lanka's two main parties for several decades. The UNP has served as the country's ruling party ...
his father once led.


In popular culture

* The 1993 Indian Tamil-language film ''Gentleman'' was rewritten by the director
S. Shankar Shankar Shanmugam (born 17 August 1963) is an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter, primarily known for his work in Tamil cinema. Known as one of the most prominent directors in the history of Indian cinema, he has also worked in H ...
based on the assassination of Ranasinghe Premadasa after a request by film producer
K. T. Kunjumon K. T. Kunjumon (born 15 November 1953) is a former Indian film producer and writer, politician active in Tamil cinema, Tamil and Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He began his career co-producing several Malayalam films, often working with dir ...
. The film was in the post-production stage when Premadasa was assassinated, and the film was released on 30 July 1993. * The 2013 Indian Hindi-language film ''
Madras Cafe ''Madras Cafe'' is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language political action thriller film directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by John Abraham and Ronnie Lahiri under the banners JA Entertainment and Rising Sun Films. The film stars John Abraham, ...
'', which takes place during the Sri Lankan Civil War, refers to a Sri Lankan president being killed by a suicide bomber. While the film never names Premadasa, he is the only Sri Lankan president to be assassinated in this manner.


Personal life

Premadasa married Hema Wickramatunge, the only daughter of Mr and Mrs Wickramatunge Arachchige Charles Appuhamy of Bandarawela on 23 June 1964. They had a son, Sajith, and a daughter, Dulanjali. A hard worker, Premadasa was known for rising early and following a strict routine. He lived and worked from his private residence and office, Sucharitha even during his tenure as prime minister and president.


Further reading

*


See also

*
Sajith Premadasa Sajith Premadasa (, ; born 12 January 1967) is a Sri Lankan politician. He is the current Leader of the Opposition of Sri Lanka and a Member of Parliament for the Colombo District. He is the current leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. Saji ...
*
List of political families in Sri Lanka This is a partial listing of prominent political families in Sri Lanka. Abdul Majeed *A. L. Abdul Majeed (15 November 1933 – 13 November 1987) also known as Mutur Majeed, former Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Member Par ...
* List of assassinations of the Sri Lankan Civil War *
List of assassinated and executed heads of state and government The following is a chronological list of notable heads of governments and heads of state deaths that have resulted from assassination or execution. This list considers only the incumbent head of state or government. Heads of state or government ...


References


External links


Website of the Parliament of Sri Lanka

Official Website of United National Party (UNP)




, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Premadasa, Ranasinghe 1923 births 1993 deaths Assassinated Sri Lankan politicians Colombo municipal councillors Ministers of defence of Sri Lanka Housing ministers of Sri Lanka Leaders of the United National Party Ceylon Labour Party politicians Local government and provincial councils ministers of Sri Lanka Members of the 4th Parliament of Ceylon Members of the 6th Parliament of Ceylon Members of the 7th Parliament of Ceylon Members of the 8th Parliament of Sri Lanka Candidates in the 1988 Sri Lankan presidential election Parliamentary secretaries of Ceylon People killed during the Sri Lankan civil war Deaths by suicide bomber People from British Ceylon Ranasinghe Presidents of Sri Lanka Prime ministers of Sri Lanka Sri Lankabhimanya Terrorism deaths in Sri Lanka Terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka in 1993 Sri Lankan Buddhists People of the Sri Lankan civil war Indian Peace Keeping Force Asian politicians assassinated in the 1990s Assassinated presidents in Asia National presidents assassinated in the 20th century 20th-century presidents in Asia Politicians assassinated in 1993 Deaths by explosive device Politicians killed in wars Deaths by LTTE suicide bomber