Ranasinghe Premadasa

About Ranasinghe Premadasa

Who is it?: Third President of Sri Lanka
Birth Day: June 23, 1924
Birth Place: Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan
Prime Minister: Dingiri Banda Wijetunga
Preceded by: M.S. Themis
Succeeded by: Razik Fareed
President: Junius Richard Jayewardene
Political party: United National Party
Spouse(s): Hema Premadasa (née Wickrematunge)
Children: Sajith, Dulanjali
Residence: Sucharitha
Alma mater: Hāvad (හාවඩ්) Girls' College, Dam Street Lawrence College, Maradana St Joseph's College, Colombo

Ranasinghe Premadasa

Ranasinghe Premadasa was born on June 23, 1924 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan, is Third President of Sri Lanka. Ranasinghe Premadasa was a Sri Lankan politician, who served as the third President of the island nation. Prior to that, he had also served as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. Like many of the important political leaders of Sri Lanka, he was not born in a privileged family and belonged to a lower caste. He started working for the poor and downtrodden classes of Colombo from an early age. He had prepared to attend the prestigious University of London after completing his high school education but decided against it and joined the Sri Sucharita Movement. After making a mark in local politics in Colombo, he joined the United National Party and following an unsuccessful bid in an election, he finally became a member of parliament. He remained a member of parliament from Colombo Central for many years. During his political career, he introduced a range of welfare schemes for the poorer section of the population. He was instrumental in building affordable homes for the poor and that remains one his greatest legacies. He had also faced opposition from within his own party after he was named the President but he managed to survive the opposition.
Ranasinghe Premadasa is a member of Prime Ministers

Does Ranasinghe Premadasa Dead or Alive?

As per our current Database, Ranasinghe Premadasa has been died on 1 May 1993(1993-05-01) (aged 69)\nColombo, Sri Lanka.

🎂 Ranasinghe Premadasa - Age, Bio, Faces and Birthday

When Ranasinghe Premadasa die, Ranasinghe Premadasa was 69 years old.

Popular As Ranasinghe Premadasa
Occupation Prime Ministers
Age 69 years old
Zodiac Sign Cancer
Born June 23, 1924 (Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan)
Birthday June 23
Town/City Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan
Nationality Sri Lankan

🌙 Zodiac

Ranasinghe Premadasa’s zodiac sign is Cancer. According to astrologers, the sign of Cancer belongs to the element of Water, just like Scorpio and Pisces. Guided by emotion and their heart, they could have a hard time blending into the world around them. Being ruled by the Moon, phases of the lunar cycle deepen their internal mysteries and create fleeting emotional patterns that are beyond their control. As children, they don't have enough coping and defensive mechanisms for the outer world, and have to be approached with care and understanding, for that is what they give in return.

🌙 Chinese Zodiac Signs

Ranasinghe Premadasa was born in the Year of the Rat. Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Rat are quick-witted, clever, charming, sharp and funny. They have excellent taste, are a good friend and are generous and loyal to others considered part of its pack. Motivated by money, can be greedy, is ever curious, seeks knowledge and welcomes challenges. Compatible with Dragon or Monkey.

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Biography/Timeline

1924

R. Premadasa was born on 23 June 1924 at Dias Place, Colombo 11, to the family of Richard Ranasinghe (Ranasinghe Mudalali) of Kosgoda and Jayasinghe Arachchige Ensina Hamine of Batuwita, Horana. R. Premadasa was the oldest of five children, three sisters, and one brother. He received his primary education at Harvard Girls’ School, Dam Street, Colombo, post primary education at St. Lorenz’s College, Skinner’s Road South (Now Sri Sangaraja Mawatha, Maradana) and his secondary education at St. Joseph’s College, Colombo. While attending school, he attended the Hewavitharana Daham Pasala. He completed his education at St. Joseph’s College, during the Le Goc era. He satisfied all the requirements for registering at the University of London for higher studies. However, he gave up this opportunity to engage in higher studies and chose path of social Service for the welfare of the poor and down- trodden.

1939

He, the Architect of the Sri Sucharitha Movement, a volunteers organisation with the objectives of uplifting the economic, social and spiritual development of the low income people living in shanty areas of the capital. He was the full-time organizer of the community development project of the area in 1939. These youth who enrolled in his development movement refrained from taking liquor and avoided smoking and gambling. Premadasa too was a teetotaler.

1955

Premadasa initially supported the Labour Party, then headed by A. Ekanayake Gunasinha. He was elected Deputy Mayor of Colombo in 1955. Having realized that the Labour Party in the 1950s didn't have a very promising Future, in 1956 Premadasa joined the moderate United National Party, and contested 1956 parliamentary election for Ruwanwella Electorate was defeated. He became the first non-Govigama Politician to reach to the highest levels in democratic, post-independence Sri Lanka.

1960

The following year he joined the protest march to Kandy on October 3, which had been organized by the late J.R. Jayewardene (later President). This march was disrupted at Imbulgoda by some thugs led by a powerful Politician of the area. He was elected the third Member of Parliament for Colombo Central in the Dudley Senanayake government at the general election held in March 1960, but failed in the July general election. Later he was elected Member for the Cinnamon Gardens Ward in the Colombo Municipal Council.

1964

In 1960, he married Hema Wickramatunge, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wickramatunge Arachchige Charles Appuhamy of Bandarawela, on June 23, 1964. The son, Sajith, and daughter, Dulanjali, were born to this couple.

1965

He was elected second Member of Parliament at the general election held in 1965 for the same seat and was appointed Chief Government Whip besides being appointed Parliamentary Secretary of Local Government. Later he was raised to the position of Minister of Local Government.

1967

During his tenure as Minister of Broadcasting in Dudley Senanayake's cabinet, Premadasa turned Radio Ceylon, the oldest radio station in South Asia, into a public corporation - the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation on 5 January 1967.

1970

In the following general election held in 1970, he was elected first MP for Colombo Central and sat in the Opposition with late J.R. Jayewardene, the Leader of the Opposition. Premadasa was once again appointed Chief Opposition Whip. Further, he was elected chairman of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth Inter- Parliamentary Association held in Australia. In the meantime, he held membership of the Constituent Assembly which drafted the constitution of 1972.

1978

Premadasa was elected first MP for Colombo Central in 1977 and became the Leader of the House and the Minister of Local Government. In addition he became the Deputy Leader of the UNP. When J.R. Jayewardene became the first Executive President of the country, Minister Premadasa became the Prime Minister on February 23, 1978.

1987

Premadasa proposed at the United Nations Organisation in New York to declare a year as International Year of Shelter for the Homeless. The proposal was unanimously accepted at the 37th session of the United Nations General Assembly and 1987 was declared the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless.

1989

He was elected second Executive President of the country when late J. R. Jayewardene stepped down. He led the UNP to victory at the general election held in 1989. He survived the attempted impeachment by some of his party men together with opposition Members of Parliament. When he assumed duties as President, the country was in a bad shape with an insurgency in the South and the presence of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in the North and East. So, he first set about overcoming the two major problems in a very competent and matter of fact way. Then, he concentrated on building the economy, in which exercise too he was successful as seen by the improved position of the country’s economy during his tenure.

1992

In 1992, he changed the country’s name in English from Sri to Shri Lanka on the advice of soothsayers, who predicted it would improve the country’s fortunes. However, after his assassination in 1993 the former spelling was restored.

1993

Ranasinghe Premadasa was killed along with 17 others on 1 May 1993, at 12.45 p.m. during a May day rally in north Colombo, by an LTTE suicide bomber. Another 38 people were injured in the bombing including seven who were seriously wounded. An island-wide curfew was imposed hours after the assassination. Prime minister Dingiri Banda Wijetunga sworn in as the new acting-president in the afternoon. Government did not announce the death of President Premadasa until 6 p.m. local time when state television Rupavahini broadcast a tape of BBC's report of the incident. A period of national mourning was announced until the funeral. Police claimed that they recovered the severed head of a young man suspected to be the bomber, which found to have a cyanide suicide capsule, bearing LTTE tradecraft in his mouth.

2019

However, Premadasa’s greatest achievements were in the field of housing, poverty alleviation and the upliftment of the down- trodden. He was the Architect of many innovative development schemes, such as, the Gam Udawa, Presidential Mobile Service, 200 Garment Factories programme and so on.

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