Lakshman Kadirgamar

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Kadirgamar on a diplomatic visit to France, January 1996.
Kadirgamar on a diplomatic visit to France, January 1996.

Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar (April 12, 1932August 12, 2005 in Colombo, Sri Lanka) was a Sri Lankan politician. He was foreign minister of Sri Lanka from 1994 to 2001 and again from April 2004 until his assassination in August 2005.

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Early life

Kadirgamar was a Tamil Christian. Although he was born a Christian, he chose to follow Buddhism. He had a Statue of Lord Buddha in each of the rooms in his official residence and was a regular visitor of temples. He was born in Manipay, Jaffna. He was educated at Trinity College (Kandy), and obtained a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) degree from the University of Ceylon in 1953. He also had a B.Lit. from Oxford University, where he was a President of the Oxford Union and later, a honorary fellow of Balliol College. He was admitted to the Ceylon Bar in 1955 and to the United Kingdom Bar in 1958 as a Barrister at Law, Inner Temple. He practiced law at the Ceylon Bar and in London until 1974, when he became a consultant to the International Labour Organization in Geneva.

Political career

Although he had never been elected and had never addressed a political rally, he was selected as national list MP in 1994 on the Peoples Alliance list. He was Foreign Minister in the PA government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga. After the defeat of the government in 2001, he became special adviser on Foreign Affairs to the President of Sri Lanka, Chandrika Kumaratunga. Despite himself being a Tamil, he strongly supported the Bandaranaike government's policy of not negotiating with the Tamil Tigers insurgents in northern Sri Lanka. He has also been critical of the Norwegian mediators in the period 2001 to 2004, claiming they have been biased towards the Tamil Tigers.

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, he 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.

International Missions

Religious

Kadirgamar was born a Christian but he brought a proposal to the UN the "Vesak Day" as an international celebration day. The full moon day which of Lord Buddha's birth (prince Siddhartha), enlightment and attain Nibbana.

Humanitarian

Kadirgamar was a humanitarian and expressed concern for war-affected children worldwide.

Death

On August 12, 2005, around 2300 (UTC+6), Kadirgamar was shot by an unidentified sniper in Colombo as he was getting out of the swimming pool at his private residence. Early reports indicate he was shot twice in the head, once in the neck, and once in the body. He was rushed to the National Hospital, where he died. An anonymous government source indicates that he died as a result of his wounds. The BBC reports that he underwent emergency surgery before death a short time later. [1][2]

Inspector General of Police Chandra Fernando said two snipers were hiding in buildings near Kadirgamar's heavily guarded home in the capital's diplomatic district. Though officially there is no word yet on the identity of his assassin, Inspector General of Police Chandra Fernando blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam according to Reuters. LTTE is a terrorist group banned in many countries including in India, USA and UK. [3] It has been believed that he may have been on the hitlist of LTTE as early as 1994, given his successful efforts in getting that organization banned internationally.

The Tamil Tigers, however, have denied responsibility for the killing and put the blame on the forces opposed to peace process in Sri Lanka. The Tamil Tigers stated that any damage to their international reputation by Lakshman Kadirgamar was already done and it would not risk the cease-fire agreement by carrying out this assassination. [4]There are fractions of the Sri Lankan Army who is opposed to any consessions to the LTTE including the Tsunami aid sharing deal with LTTE. They feel that the Tsunami has weaken the Sea Tigers and they don't want to miss the opportunity to defeat the Tamil Tigers while they are weak. There are also the breakway Karana para militry group, who oppose LTTE and the Tsunami aid sharing deal with LTTE.

JVP and JHU were strong supporters of Kadiragamar for his strong stand against the LTTE. In fact, Kadirgamer himself was a vocal critic of the ceasefire agreement[5], and for this reason, one of the demands of JVP in forming a coalition government with PA was that Kadirgamar be named as the Prime Minister, instead of popular Sinlaha MP Mahinda Rajapakse [6].

LTTE's denial is not likely to be taken seriously in the international arena. LTTE initially issued a similar denial when it assassinated former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, but Indian investigations saw otherwise. Later in 2002, LTTE spokesman Anton Balasingham, when asked whether they still deny the assasination, merely said "I know this is a sensitive issue, not only for you but for us as well. You are raising an issue that happened 10 years ago. We want to have friendly relations with India." without any denial [7]. Mr Kadirgamar on many occasions mentioned the LTTE's threats to his life. Speaking to The Hindu, he said "They [LTTE] can get me anytime. I get very serious reports things are hotting up". [8]

The Hindu editorial on 15/08/2005 strongly condemned LTTE and held it responsible for the assassination. "There is not the slightest doubt that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam [LTTE] planned and executed this fiendish crime. The highly accomplished Mr. Kadirgamar was known to be at the top of the LTTE's hit list, just below President Chandrika Kumaratunga" [9]

(September 5) Sri Lankan police have arrested two Tamils, Muttiah Sahadevan alias Devan (Kadirgamar's neighbour's gardener) and Isidor Arokya Nathar alias Babu . They have confessed to having met the infamous Charles of the LTTE intelligence and helping out the two assassins. This is seen by many analysts as proof that the LTTE was behind his assassination as originally suspected. [10]

International reaction

Neighbouring India condemned what the foreign ministry described as a "terrorist crime" and offered its full support.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who last met Mr Kadirgamar in June, condemned the assassination of Sri Lanka's foreign minister as a "senseless murder and vicious act of terror" and urged Sri Lankans not to let it lead to resumed civil war. She praised Mr Kadirgamar as a man of "dignity, honour and integrity, who devoted his life to bringing peace to Sri Lanka".

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in a statement quoted by the AFP news agency: "Sri Lanka has lost a deeply respected statesman dedicated to peace and national unity."

Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer paid tribute to Mr Kadirgamar saying he played a key role in bringing forward the peace process in Sri Lanka. "Lakshman Kadirgamar was an eminent statesman and a distinguished representative of Sri Lanka," he said. "He was a man of moderation who sought the path of peace and worked tirelessly for his country."

Berlin, 14 August, (Asiantribune.com): The Killing of Lakshman Kadirgamar, Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka was a senseless and cowardice act of the LTTE terrorists and those responsible has to be arrested and brought before the justice said Joschka Fisher, the Foreign Minister of Germany.

Peace brokers Norway also condemned the assasination, with Foreign Minister Jan Petersen describing it as "an atrocious crime and a tragedy for Sri Lanka."

Anecdotes

Kadirgamar was known for his combative and ready wit. When Shane Warne justified Australia's decision to not play in Colombo during the 1996 Cricket World Cup due to the terrorist threat by saying that he can be targeted by a drive-in bomber while he is shopping, Kadirgamar is reported to have said "Shopping is for sissies."

Kadirgamar commented later "There was a storm of protest in Australia. A TV interviewer asked me whether I had ever played cricket.I said I had played before he was born - without helmets and thigh guards, on matting wickets that were full of holes and stones, and I had my share of broken bones to show of it. My friend the Australian foreign minister was drawn into the fray. He phoned me. We decided to cool things down... When the whole episode was over I sent a bouquet of flowers to my Australian counterpart. Flowers are also for sissies."

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