Minister Thondaman's remains to lie-in-state in Parliament on Thursday

The remains of the Late Arumugam Thondaman, Minister of Community Empowerment and Estate Infrastructure Development, will be kept Lying-in-State in the Assembly Hall of Parliament from 10.45am to 11.30am on Thursday (28). The remains will be taken back from Parliament at 11.30 am.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Ministers and former Parliamentarians including the former Speaker of 8th Parliament Karu Jayasuriya will pay their last respect to Late Thondaman at the Parliament Premises.  

Ministers, all former Parliamentarians, Foreign Diplomats, Staff of the Parliament, and officials from Departments and institutes affiliated to the Parliament who wishes to pay their last respects, are kindly requested to be present in Parliament on or before 10.30am on this day, states Dammika Dasnayake Secretary General of Parliament.

Arumugam Thondaman was born on 29th, May 1964 and was an old boy of Royal College. He was the grandson of prominent unionist, former leader of CWC Saumyamoorthi Thondaman and entered in to politics in 1985 as the private secretary to Saumyamoorthi Thondaman.He was elected as the Finance Secretary of CWC in 1993 and became the General Secretary of CWC in 1994.

Following the demise of Saumyamoorthi Thondaman he was elected as the Leader of CWC in 1999.

In 1994 he was elected to the parliament in Nuwaraeliya district for the first time and represented the Parliament for 26 consecutive years. During his political career, he held many cabinet ministerial portfolios such as Estate Infrastructure & Livestock Development, Housing & Plantation Infrastructure, Youth Empowerment & Socio-Economic Development and Livestock and Rural Community Development.

The funeral will take place on Sunday (31) at Nuwara Eliya.