Chamal Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician and former MP, best known as the elder brother of Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa.
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Wiki/Biography
Chamal Jayantha Rajapaksa was born on Sunday, 30 October 1942 (age 80 years; as of 2022) in Palatuwa, Matara, British Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). After completing his formal education at Richmond College, Chamal joined the police force in 1964.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 8″
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye colour: dark brown
Chamal Rajapaksa with Mahinda Rajapaksa
Family
Chamal Rajapaksa belongs to a Sri Lankan Sinhalese family.
parents and siblings
His father DA Rajapaksa was a freedom fighter and politician. His mother’s name is Dandina Rajapaksa (deceased).
A photo of DA Rajapaksa and Dandina Rajapaksa
Chamal Rajapaksa has eight brothers and sisters. His younger brother Mahinda Rajapaksa was the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015. He also served as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2019 to 2022. His brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the former President of Sri Lanka, who fled the country in July 2022. Amidst the economic crisis. Gotabaya returned to the country in September 2022. His younger brother Basil Rajapaksa is a former member of Parliament, who served as the Minister of Finance from 8 July 2021 to 3 April 2022.
A photo of Chamal Rajapaksa with Gotabaya Rajapaksa (right) and Mahinda Rajapaksa (left)
His younger brother Dudley Rajapaksa is the Vice President of QA/RA/Technical Services at Berlin Heart GmbH.
Dudley Rajapaksa, brother of Chamal Rajapaksa
His brother Chandra Tudor Rajapaksa died in July 2022.
Chandra Tudor Rajapaksa, Chamal’s deceased brother
His younger sister Gandini Rajapaksa died on 8 May 2017. Her younger sister Jayanti Rajapaksa is a former member of the Sri Lankan Parliament and former Deputy Minister of Water Supply and Drainage (2010 – 2015). His sister Preeti Rajapaksa was a teacher. His other sister’s name is Gandini Rajapaksa.
wife and children
His wife’s name is Chandra Malani Rajapaksa. The couple married in 1975. His elder son, Sashindra Rajapaksa, was the Chief Minister of Uva Province and patron of Sri Skanda Kumara Maha Devalaya, Kataragama. The name of his younger son is Shamindra Rajapaksa.
A photo of Chamal Rajapaksa with his wife and sons
Religion
Chamal Rajapaksa follows Buddhism.
Address
He lives at House No. B90, Gregory Road, 7th Lane, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka.
livelihood
as a police officer
Chamal Rajapaksa joined the Ceylon Police in 1964 as a Sub-Inspector. He served in the police force for more than eight years. As a police officer, Chamal served as a bodyguard to the world’s first female Prime Minister, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, who became Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (then the Dominion of Ceylon) in 1960. In 1972, Chamal left the police force and joined the Indian Police Force. State Trading General Corporation (STC). He left the corporation in 1985 as assistant general manager. After leaving the corporation, Chamal Rajapaksa turned to his coconut estate in Beliat for some time.
Politics
In a 1983 by-election, UNP candidate Ananda Kularatne was elected MP from Mulkirigala. However, defeated candidate Nirupama Rajapaksa filed an election petition against him, necessitating another by-election. In 1985, Chamal Rajapaksa joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and contested a by-election from the Mulkirigala constituency in Sri Lanka in 1985; However, he lost by a slim margin of 1,300 votes. In 1989, Chamal Rajapaksa contested and won the parliamentary election from the Hambantota constituency. Between 1989 and 2022, Chamal Rajapaksa held several key ministerial appointments, such as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Lands, Deputy Minister of Ports and Southern Development, Deputy Minister of Plantation Industry, Minister of Agricultural Development, Minister of Irrigation and Water Management, and Minister of Agriculture and Land Management. Ports and aviation. As Minister of Irrigation and Water Management, Chamal Rajapaksa implemented several irrigation projects in Maw Ara, Weheragala, Veli Oya, Menik Ganga, Uma Oya, Deduru Oya, Kekiriobadkan Oya and Yan Oya. In 2010, Chamal Rajapaksa was appointed Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament by his younger brother, President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Chamal Rajapaksa serving as Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament
He served as the Speaker of the House until 2015. Later, he left the Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP) and joined Mahinda’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). On 9 November 2018, Chamal Rajapaksa was appointed Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine.
Chamal Rajapaksa takes charge as Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine
On 17 August 2020, he was once again appointed as the Minister of Irrigation and Water Management by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Chamal Rajapaksa signing a document after taking oath as Irrigation Minister
In November 2020, he was sworn in as the Minister of State for National Security, Home Affairs and Disaster Management.
Chamal Rajapaksa signing a document after taking oath as Minister of State for National Security, Home Affairs and Disaster Management
Chamal resigned as Cabinet Minister on 3 April 2022 amid the outbreak of violent protests in Sri Lanka due to the Sri Lankan economic crisis. Throughout his political career, Chamal held several non-ministerial appointments, such as Chairman of the Sri Lanka-Russia Parliamentary Friendship Association, Chairman of the Sri Lanka-Hungary Parliamentary Friendship Association and Chairman of the District Development Committee, Hambantota. Chamal Rajapaksa never lost a general election between 1989 and 2022 and remained the Member of Parliament (MP) from the Hambantota constituency for more than 32 years.
A photo of Chamal Rajapaksa was taken when he was giving a speech in Parliament
As an MP, he served on several parliamentary committees, including the Regional Oversight Committee on National Security, the Regional Oversight Committee on Transport and Communications, the Sub-Committee on Prison Reforms under the Regional Oversight Committee on National Security, the Liaison Committee, the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Ports and Shipping. Worked in. and Southern Development, and many more.
Facts/General Knowledge
- Chamal Rajapaksa is also known by his other name “The Bodyguard”.
- He played football during his school days and even represented his school in various football tournaments.
- While serving as a Member of Parliament, Chamal Rajapaksa received the Sri Lanka Janaseva Vibhushan, an honorary title bestowed upon him by the Sri Lankan government.
- In May 2022, Chamal Rajapaksa issued a statement in the Sri Lankan Parliament in which he said that his younger brother Mahinda Rajapaksa should have retired after completing his second term as President of Sri Lanka. Talking about this he said,
Must be prepared to step down. I believe Mahinda should have left after completing his second term as President of Sri Lanka. If they did not do so, they had to face the current situation. Being greedy for power leads to the situations we are facing today.”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn