Real Crime/Paranormal/Conspiracy Theories Book III

Lalith Athulathmudali

Lalith William SamarasekeraAthulathmudali, PC (Sinhala: ලලිත්ඇතුලත්මුදලි; 26 November 1936 – 23April 1993), known as Lalith Athulathmudali, was a Sri Lankanstatesman. He was a prominent member of the United National Party,who served as Minister of Trade and Shipping; Minister NationalSecurity and Deputy Minister of Defence; Minister of Agriculture,Food and Cooperatives and finally Minister of Education. Following afailed impeachment of President Ranasinghe Premadasa, he was removedfrom the UNP and formed his own party, the Democratic United NationalFront. He was assassinated under mysterious circumstances in 1993.

Early life and education

Born to a family of lawyers hailingfrom Kaluthara District, his father D. D. Athulathmudali was a memberof the State Council of Ceylon and his mother was SrimathiSamarasekera Athulathmudali. He had two siblings, a brother Dayanthewho became an electrical engineer and a sister Sujaee who became aPhysician.

Athulathmudali received his primaryeducation at St. John's College Panadura and Royal Primary School;before moving to Royal College Colombo from 1948 to 1955 for hissecondary educated, where he won the Steward Prize and excelled inathletics.

He then went on to read jurisprudenceat Jesus College, Oxford from 1955 to 1958. He graduated with a BA in1958 and continued his post-graduate studies at Oxford. In 1959, hisfather died and he had to return due to a lack of funds. S. W. R. D.Bandaranaike on hearing his case, provided him with a CeylonGovernment Scholarship. He gained a BCL and MA in 1960 from Oxfordwinning the Lord Sanky Prize in 1959. While at Oxford, Athulathmudalijoined the Oxford Union, serving as its Secretary (1956), Treasurer(1957) and became the first Sri Lankan to become its President in1958. In 1962 he entered Harvard Law School on scholarship andgraduated from Harvard University with a LLM in 1963. He was fluentin Sinhalese, English, Tamil, German and French.

Academic and legal career

Athulathmudali was admitted to the baras a Barrister from the Gray's Inn in 1959. From 1960 to 1962 heserved as a law lecturer at the University of Singapore. In 1963 hebecame the Associate Dean of the legal faculty of the University ofSingapore. From 1960 to 1964 he had served as a visiting lecturer atthe Hebrew University in Israel, the University of Edinburgh and theUniversity of Allahabad. Returning to Ceylon in 1964, he took oathsas an Advocate and started his legal practice. From 1967 to 1974, hewas the lecturer in jurisprudence at the Ceylon Law College. In 1985he was appointed a President's Counsel.

Political career

Minister of Trade and Shipping

Lalith Athulathmudali entered politicsin the early 1970s. He joined the policy planning committee of theUnited National Party in 1973. He contested the 1977 general electionfrom the Ratmalana electorate and was elected to Parliament. J.R.Jayewardene appointed him to his cabinet as Minister of Trade. In1978, he received the additional portfolio of shipping, as Ministerof Trade and Shipping, which he held till 1984. During this time, asMinister of Trade, he introduced Intellectual Property Law;established the Sri Lanka Export Development Board and the PortsAuthority. He established the Mahapola Trust Fund in 1981 toprovision of financial assistance to students undertaking highereducation.