Sunday Times 2
Late Lakshman Kadirgamar remembered on his 19th death anniversary
View(s):The Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI) held an almsgiving on August 12, to invoke merit to the late Lakshman Kadirgamar, PC, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, and commemorate the 19th anniversary of his passing.
Delivering the anusasana (sermon), the Chief Incumbent of the Sri Sambodhi Viharaya, Colombo, Ven Boralande Vajiraggnana Thero, paid tribute to the life and legacy of the late Lakshman Kadirgamar highlighting his statesmanship and dedication to the country.
Following the almsgiving a pirith sermon was held to invoke blessings to the Institute.
Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aruni Wijewardane, wife of the late Minister and Life Member of the LKI Board of Management Suganthie Kadirgamar, Members of the LKI Board of Management Thusantha Wijemanna and Dr Harinda Vidanage, Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha, Executive Director of LKI, Sri Lanka High Commissioner to Pakistan Admiral Ravindra C Wijegunaratne (Retired), senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and LKI staff participated in this ceremony.
Mr Kadirgamar was born in Colombo on April 12, 1932. He completed his secondary education at Trinity College, Kandy, where he excelled in academics and in a wide range of sports, including cricket, rugby, and athletics. In 1950, he studied law at the University of Ceylon and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in 1953. Mr Kadirgamar was admitted to the Ceylon Bar in 1955. He later pursued his graduate studies at Balliol College, University of Oxford, where he became President of the Oxford Union in 1959 and obtained a Bachelor of Letters (B.Litt.) in 1960. He pursued legal practice both in Sri Lanka as an Advocate and the UK as a Barrister of the Inner Temple and was appointed as a President’s Counsel in 1991. In 2004 he was appointed as an Honorary Bencher of The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple.
The late Mr Kadirgamar held the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for over a decade and is one of the most respected political leaders in Sri Lanka’s recent history. He held the position of Foreign Minister until his assassination by the LTTE on August 12, 2005.