Nimal_Siripala_de_Silva

Nimal Siripala de Silva

Nimal Siripala de Silva

Sri Lankan politician


Nilenthi Nimal Siripala de Silva MP (born 6 September 1944) is a Sri Lankan politician currently serving as the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation[1] and as the acting chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.[2] He served as the Leader of the Opposition for a few months in 2015, and has served in several other ministerial posts: he is the former Cabinet Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation in 15th Parliament of Sri Lanka, former Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Management and former Leader of the House.[3]

Quick Facts MP, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation ...

He is a member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and a Member of Parliament representing the Badulla District.

Early life and education

De Silva born to a family of teachers in Badulla. He was educated at Nalanda College, Colombo where he was a member of the college debating team. He entered Colombo Law College in 1966 and qualified as a proctor in 1971.[4][5]

Early career

Having started his legal practice in 1971, de Silva was active in politics from his student years, having started the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Law Students Association. He supported Sirimavo Bandaranaike in her campaign in the 1970 general election. He travelled to the United Kingdom in 1975 and qualified as a solicitor. He returned to Sri Lanka in 1978, and assisted Bandaranaike in her defense against the Special Presidential Commission appointed by President J. R. Jayawardene to investigate allegations against Bandaranaike for abuses of power during her tenure as Prime Minister.[4]

Political career

He entered parliament in 1989 having been elected from the Colombo Electoral District in the 1989 general election and was re-elected from Colombo till 2000, when he was elected from Badulla Electoral District and had been re-elected consecutively till the present. He is the Assembly President of the World Health Organization. He has hold cabinet positions in all 5 presidents cabinet after 1994.

Assassination attempt

On 4 July 1996, De Silva escaped with injuries in an attempted assassination by a LTTE female suicide bomber at the Stanley Road in Jaffna. This incident took place minutes after the Minister declared open a branch of Building Materials Corporation (BMC) in Jaffna. Brigadier Ananda Hamangoda (Jaffna Sector Commander), Ranjith Godamuna (Chairman, Lanka Cement) and 21 others were killed with more than 50 injured in the explosion.[6]

See also


References

  1. "Sri Lanka Freedom Party appoints Nimal Siripala as acting chair, CBK as advisor". EconomyNext. 8 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  2. "COVER STORY - JULY 2013". Business Today. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  3. Wasantha Siriwardena (7 July 1996). "Thursdays blast in Jaffna". The Sunday Times - Sri Lanka. Retrieved 19 February 2014.

Sources



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