President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka
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Gotabaya Rajapaksa had a near escape in suicide bomb attack by LTTE and this clearly shows that he is a common enemy of both LTTE and UNP.
Basil Rajapaksa has been playing a key role in keeping the unity among various political parties of the PA government.
The cause with which he has been associated longest is that of the Sinhala community of southern Sri Lanka, into which he was born 60 years ago.
Mr Rajapaksa comes from a political family - his father, DA Rajapaksa, represented the same region of Hambantota from 1947 to 1965.
an SLFP member, from the Beliatta seat in 1970.
in President Kumaratunga's Cabinet from 1994 to 2001.
by 25 political parties and peoples movements.
Rajapaksa is sometimes known as 'Mahinda Rajapakse.
Hardliner wins Sri Lanka election Rajapaksa received 50.
Unlike some members of his coalition, Rajapaksa is believed to support peace talks with the Tamil Tigers as a means of ending the civil war with the Tamil secessionist movement.
The long running battle between the government and Tamil separatists worsens.
Rajapaksa was born in Weerakatiya in the southern rural district of Hambantota.
Rajapaksa was educated at Richmond College, Galle before moving to Nalanda College, Colombo and later Thurstan College, Colombo.
Following the death of his father in 1967, Rajapaksa took over as the SLFP candidate for Beliatte constituency and was elected to Parliament in 1970 as the youngest Member of Parliament at the age of 24.
In 1994, following the election victory of the People's Alliance a political front led by Sri Lanka Freedom Party and headed by Chandrika Kumaratunga, Rajapaksa was appointed Minister of Labour.
Rajapaksa was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s 13th Prime Minister on April 6, 2004.
While Rajapaksa was the Prime Minister, he also held the Ministry of Highways.
As Prime Minister, Rajapaksa was also put in charge of the Information and Communication Technology Agency.
After another tussle, Rajapaksa was chosen in front of Anura Bandaranaike, brother of Chandrika Kumaratunga, as the presidential candidate of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party for the Presidential Election held on November 17, 2005.
Rajapaksa was up against Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe, the leader of the United National Party in this election.
Mahinda Rajapaksa has been accused of corruption by the opposition before his election as President, citing the "Helping Hambantota" case, where he was accused of appropriating close to USD 830,000 into a Treasury approved private fund, known as Helping Hambantota, to help the victims of the Boxing Day tsunami in Hambantota - his hometown and electoral district.
Later dismissing the case, Chief Justice Sarath Silva said the court case had been brought as soon as Rajapaksa was nominated as a presidential candidate.
The money in question had been put in a state account and Rajapaksa had not taken "even a cent" for his use, then Prime Minister's secretary Lalith Weeratunga told the AFP news agency at the time.
An ill-timed and unwise proposition by Asian Tribune that would only lend to marginalize the credibility of the Sri Lankan Presidency in the international PR domain – in the event President Rajapaksa is not elected a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Since His Excellency, Mahinda Rajapaksa is a people's leader I think he would rather prefer to be treted as an equal to our great kings who unified this nation.
Clement Victor Gooneratne, popularly know as CV.
Senanayake) who could visit the Deputy Speaker without appointment.
Mahinda Rajapaksa was always in his office.
talking to Gamini’s Coordinating Officer, Al Fassy Sherriff.
stability and economic prosperity.
COLOMBO: Seeking to distinguish between the LTTE and Tamils in the country, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that the government's fight was only against terrorism and that democracy will soon be restored in the embattled North.
When President Mahinda Rajapaksa came to power in 2005, he promised that he would teach the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) a lesson by military means.
TIRUMALA: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Saturday that his government was ready to resume talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) provided it laid down arms.
Rajapaksa said the LTTE should give up terrorist activities and come to the negotiating table in the interest of the nation.
Rajapaksa expressed his deep concern and said they became a casualty even when the ceasefire was declared.
Rajapaksa said New Delhi had always remained helpful to his country.
Rajapaksa denied that Indian fishermen were being harassed by the Sri Lankan defence forces.
Rajapaksa said efforts were on to strengthen ties with all member countries of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation, particularly India, which was emerging as a developed country with a strong economy.
unlike Lalith and Gamini, to try to impeach him.
President Premadasa without being another Premadasa.
Rajapaksa is married and has 3 children.
Piruba has lost the confidence of peelam.
Dec 30 (HT) Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has hinted that Tamil Tigers chief Velupillai Prabhakaran might have been killed in the air raid on his bunker November 26.
Mahinda Rajapaksa is a visionary with absolute commitment to the democratic rights and the well being of the people of Sri Lanka.
Mahinda Rajapaksa has become the fifth President of Sri Lanka.
President Rajapaksa meets President of China Mr.
His Excellency Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was introduced to a range of our unique AirWater Machines, and after tasting the water, gave the company and its products a major positive endorsement, as well as an invitation to establish a manufacturing plant in Sri Lanka to service both the local market, and for export to neighboring India, where demand for clean drinkable water by far outstrips supplies.
Rajapaksa was appointed the Minister of Agriculture and Lands in 1959.
Rajapaksa was Minister for Labour Vocational Training and of Fisheries in President Kumaratunga's Cabinet from 1994 to 2001.
Mahinda Rajapaksa had no sudden rise to the Presidency of Sri Lanka.
President Rajapaksa remains committed to a negotiated political solution to the crisis of power sharing in the country, and in a major policy initiative has appointed an All Party Representative Committee to work out a consensus solution on methods of power sharing and necessary constitutional reform in the country.
In a major initiative in humanitarian policy, President Rajapaksa has ordered a stop to the killing of dogs for rabies eradication, carried out under British colonial law, and initiated the introduction of modern, humane and scientific methods of rabies control recommended by the World Health Organization.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa is married to Shiranthi Rajapaksa, a keen social worker who heads the Seva Vanitha Movement a womens service movement in the public sector, and takes a keen interest in issues of the rights of women and children, as well the advance of the humanitarian policies in the Mahinda Chinthana.
President Rajapaksa is himself a very keen sportsman.
member, from the Beliatta seat in 1970.
In March 2002 Rajapaksa was elected Leader of the Opposition.
his manifesto at a closely contested and peaceful election.
Now that the presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa has passed its one year mark, it's time to do a reality check.
In principle, Mahinda Rajapaksa is the nominal elected President.
Few weeks ago Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa has recommended a one years extension for Fonseka but President Rajapaksa is yet to place his signature to approve the recommendation.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has reportedly decided to extend the service of Army Commander Sarath Fonseka whose term is due to expire on December 18.
Informed sources said President Rajapaksa had placed his signature on the document after going through the details of the Commander.
Earlier Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa had recommended one years extension to Commander Fonseka.
Rajapaksa is representing with his Mahinda vision (Mahinda Chintana.
elder brother, President Mahinda Rajapaksa greeted and embraced him.
and wounded in this terrible incident.
Rajapaksa was safe and sound except for a few blood stains on his shirt.
It was the first indication that Rajapaksa was a man who firmly believed that politics was the art of the possible.
President Rajapaksa has indeed proved to be a master of real-politik that has left his rivals in disarray.
Even if there are villains in the story, Rajapaksa is banking on emerging the hero at the end of it all and barring any unforeseen circumstances, that is the likely ending, at least in the next presidential polls.
The war effort is popular and President Rajapaksa is not coy to flaunt it.
Dividing the UNP may pay more dividends but dividing the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) probably took more effort and Rajapaksa has managed that too.
And that is hardly surprising because, over the past three years, President Rajapaksa has demonstrated that he is a clever political animal.
When then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was chosen as the SLFP presidential candidate last September and Rajapaksa was signing anti-Tamil election campaign agreements with openly racist Singhala political parties, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) in the South, the Daily Mirror in Colombo contacted Mr.
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan defence secretary and the brother of SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in an exclusive interview to state owned Sunday Observer, claimed that the relationship between Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is in an all-time high, and has reached the same level of trusted relationship that marked Srima-Shastri period.
The sources further said Rajapaksa has directed his officials to consider ensuring Sinhalese majority in the East.
The government, especially President Rajapaksa has a very good relationship with India during this two year period.
Mahinda Rajapaksa is upto a three-pronged strategy now: limiting LTTE's jurisdiction with a low-profiled war, coercing Tamil political circles for his plans and conducting snap polls.
Mahinda Rajapaksa is engaged now is three-pronged: First to ensure military silence of the LTTE, either by getting some assurance or by making it committed to an international protocol.
Wickremesinghe, addressing the gathering at the end of rally on Thursday, charged that Mahinda Rajapaksa had come to power on illegal terms, colluding with the Tigers.
Dissanayake told THE COLOMBO POST that the only thing that President Mahinda Rajapaksa was doing well is conducting the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Mahinda Rajapaksa is within that stand.
Mahinda Rajapaksa is conducting the war better than any other President in the history of Sri Lanka.
Anyway Mahinda Rajapaksa is conducting the war well.
Q: What is your opinion on the soaring cost of living? A: Mahinda Rajapaksa is devastating the countrys economy.
Person to hold this coveted position.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan 8 (UPI) -- The shooting death of an anti-government newspaper editor in Sri Lanka is the latest in a string of attacks on such journalists, an advocacy group said.
NDTV Walk the Talk with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa (Part 1)Days before the official ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE ends on Tuesday, January 15, Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa has promised to hand over the LTTE chief to India if his forces catch him.