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Maithripala Sirisena

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Honourable
Maithripala Sirisena
MP
Minister of Mahaweli Development
In office
2000–2001
Minister of River Basin & Rajarata Development
Minister of Agricultural Development & Agrarian Services
Minister of Health
Assumed office
2010
General Secretary of SLFP
Member of Parliament
for Polonnaruwa District
Assumed office
1989
Personal details
Born (1951-09-03) September 3, 1951 (age 72)
Political partySri Lanka Freedom Party
Other political
affiliations		United People's Freedom Alliance
Residence(s)417 Ambaraluwa South, Weliweriya
OccupationPolitician

Pallewatte Gamaralalage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena[1] (known as Maithripala Sirisena)Sinhala: මෛත්‍රිපාල සිරිසේන is a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. He is the common candidate of the opposition parties in Presidential elections in January 2015. He joined mainstream politics in 1989 and has held several ministries since 1994. He is also the Cabinet Minister for Agricultural Development & Agrarian Services Development and the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. He escaped an assassination attempt carried out by a suicide cadre of the LTTE in 2008.

Early life

Sirisena was born on 3 September 1951. He was educated at Royal College, Polonnaruwa.[2] He has studied agriculture from the School of Agriculture in Kundasale. He has also worked as a Grama Sevaka. Sirisena was jailed after the 1971 JVP Insurrection, although he was not involved in it.[3]

Political career

Sirisena joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party 1979 as the secretary of its district organization. He became the president of the All Island Sri Lanka Freedom Party Youth Organization.[3]

In 1989, Sirisena contested for the general elections from the Polonnaruwa District and became a member of the parliament. In the general elections of 1994, he obtained the highest number of preferential votes. After this, he was made the Deputy Minister for Irrigation and Mahaweli Development.[3]

Sirisena was elected to be the Secretary General of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. In 1994, he was appointed the Minister for River Basin Development and Rajarata Development, a newly created Ministry.[4] He is serving as the Cabinet Minister for Agricultural Development and Agrarian Services Development in the current government of Sri Lanka.[5]

Assassination attempt

On 9 October 2008 a suicide bomb attack was carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam targeting Sirisena at Katuwawala, Piliyandala.[6] The attack was carried out when the convoy carrying the minister was passing by but missed his vehicle. Although Sirisena escaped unhurt 7 others were injured and 1 killed.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Parliament Profile". The Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  2. ^ Gunewardene, Prasad (25 September 2007). "'Mangala, Sripathi, JVP and UPFA'". Daily News (Sri Lanka).
  3. ^ a b c Warnapala, Wiswa (2009-02-15). "An embodiment of aspirations of common man". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  4. ^ "President retains Defence, takes Education and Constitutional Reforms". Daily News. 2004-04-12. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  5. ^ "Government Ministers". Government of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  6. ^ "The Trail of Terror - Failed attacks on political and military targets with civilian casualties". The Sunday Times. 2009-05-24. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  7. ^ de Silva, Senaka; Chamath, Kusal (2008-10-11). "Police probe suicide bomber's calls". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2009-07-02. [dead link]

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