It was 14 years ago on a Friday (12th) night the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced with profound sorrow the death of Foreign Minister Lakshman who was assassinated. The Minister was shot at from a sniper gun, and succumbed to the injuries during emergency surgery. He was 73 years old at the time of his death.
As the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Kadirgamar was at the forefront of Sri Lanka’s fight against terrorism, which resulted in the proscription of the LTTE by several foreign governments including the USA and UK. As a strong advocate of democracy and pluralism, he was committed to a united Sri Lanka and firmly believed that any durable settlement to the armed conflict should be one that is acceptable to all communities.
Mr. Kadirgamar was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the present government in 2004. He had held the same portfolio twice before from 2000-2001 and 1994-2000. He was also the Senior Adviser to the President on Foreign Affairs from 2002-2004.
Minister Kadirgamar was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) from 1998-2001 and the Chairman of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) from 2003-2005. He was also a member of the Policy Advisory Commission of the World Intellectual Property Organisation from 1999 onwards. He was also the Director for Asia and the Pacific at the World Intellectual Property Organisation from 1983 –1988 and was a Consultant to the International Labour Organisation, Geneva from 1974-1976. He was appointed by Amnesty International to investigate the Buddhist-Catholic crisis in Vietnam in 1963.
Minister Kadirgamar was a lawyer by profession and was appointed President’s Council in 1991 and Honorary Master of the Inner Temple in 1995. He was educated at Trinity College, Kandy and obtained LLB (Hons) from the University of Ceylon in 1953. In 1958 he passed out as a Barrister of the Inner Temple of the United Kingdom and the following year, was elected the President of the Oxford Union. In 1960 he read for the B Litt. at the University of Oxford (Balliol College) In 2004, he was declared an Honorary Fellow of the Balliol College. The Oxford Union unveiled a portrait of the Hon. Minister on 18th March 2005.
Kadirgamar is considered as one of the most successful foreign ministers Sri Lanka has had, due to his successful efforts of changing international opinion on Sri Lanka and the LTTE. His efforts in getting the LTTE listed as a terrorist organization contributed to its ultimate defeat in 2009. He recognized that significant change was needed within Sri Lanka if its communities were to live together peacefully was an enduring part of his legacy.
