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Nimal Siripala de Silva, team leader
Monday, 13 February 2006 - 4:52 AM SL Time
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Commencing today, the Daily News will provide readers with pen sketches of the Government negotiating team to Geneva.
Today we feature Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, the delegation leader. Tomorrow it will be Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.
New blood has been infused to the Government Peace Negotiating team with the appointment of Minister de Silva as the team leader.
His life was in danger once when he went to Jaffna soon after the Rivirasa operation ended. He narrowly escaped with mild injuries when a female suicide cadre blew up herself.
Earlier, he was a member of the Lankan Parliamentary delegation to the United Kingdom to study the devolution experience gained by the Scottish Parliament and Wales and also served as a member of the National Peace Council appointed by the President to study ethnic harmony and reconciliation in Sri Lanka.
De Silva born on July 9, 1944 in Kalawana, Badulla was a brilliant student at the Law College and passed out as an Attorney-at-Law with First Class Honours.
He also obtained First Class in the preliminary studies in law and was equally successful at the examinations conducted by the Bar Council and passed out as a Solicitor of the United Kingdom, with First Class honours a consultant lawyer in Human Rights and civil matters.
While practising as a lawyer, he was the Vice President of the All Ceylon Buddhist Students` Federation and entered into active politics in 1960 and won the confidence of the then SLFP leader Sirimavo Bandaranaike and served as one of the members of the All Island Sinhala Youth Organisation.
He was a close confidante and legal consultant to the late leader and former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.
He is the Vice President of the SLFP and the Vice President of Eksath Janatha Nidahas Sandanaya (Freedom Alliance).
He was first elected to Parliament in 1989 as a member for the Colombo district and was re-elected in 1994. As the SLFP Badulla district leader in 2002 and 2004, he was elected to represent Badulla district.
He was the Cabinet Minister for Housing Construction and Public Utilities from November 1994 to December 1997, Health and Indigenous Medicine Minister from October 1997 to October 2000, Post and Telecommunications Minister from October 2000 to September 2001, and Heath, Indigenous Medicine and Social Services Minister from September 2001 to December 2001. From 2004 he was appointed Healthcare, Nutrition and Uva-Wellassa Development Minister.
De Silva was a Member of the WHO -Executive Board from 1997 to 1999 and was the Vice Chairman of the WHO from 1998/1999. He was also the Co-ordinating Chairman, Committee on Health-WHO in 1999 and was a member of the WHO Advisory Committee. He served the WHO from 1997 to 2000 chairing several committees.
He is now Secretary of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Sri Lanka Branch. He followed a course on health system development in 1998 conducted by the Harvard University in collaboration with the World Bank and has participated in a number of seminars, workshops and conferences covering housing, public utilities, health, indigenous medicine and telecommunications.
He attended to election petitions of the then Party leader and 1982 SLFP Presidential candidate Hector Kobbekaduwa and appeared for controversial issues, constitutional and civil law suits.
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sachine04
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 42
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13 Feb 2006 00:29:37 GMT Report for Abuse
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| It is a great idea to let the people know who we are represented by at a highly important conference like Geneva.Carry on your good work and good luck to the represantatives on behalf of all Sri Lankans hungering for the peace. |
Kumara741
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 52
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13 Feb 2006 00:37:25 GMT Report for Abuse
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Hi Nimal
Srilanka team should be represented by Srilankans from all communities, including Tamils and Muslims. If not, it will look like a Sinhalese Buddist team. Good luck, JVP & JHU. |
Jokiya
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 116
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13 Feb 2006 01:36:02 GMT Report for Abuse
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This GON THADIYA is not good at all to lead the deligation.
I thought some one like , R. Bogollagama, M.Samarasinghe , or A. Yapa , M. Samaraweera could do it better.
This leader is as good as a scarecrow. |
Thirumalai
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 217
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13 Feb 2006 01:45:46 GMT Report for Abuse
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What a great leader for the GOSL delegation?
Source : Sunday Times
Quote
Even President Mahinda Rajapaksa was amused at the joke that was doing the rounds in Government circles this week. The story went how a prominent member of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) told a Cabinet Minister that they were not too sure whether they should react with fear or frolic over the appointment of Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva as leader of the Government delegation for talks in Geneva with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the Ceasefire Agreement. The fear was because of questions over the JVP's nick-name for the Minister '25 illala 40 dunna amathi'. The Minister from whom 25 was asked, and 40 was granted.
The story refers to how Minister de Silva, is known to have conceded 40 seats to the JVP when the party asked for only 25 at the 2004 General Elections, and the fear was whether he would do the same with the LTTE. The frolic of course was because he was a Minister who was near and dear to the JVP.
Unquote
A tamil proverb:
'Aaalyilla oorukku iluppam poo sakkarai'
'In a city where there is no sugar factory illuppam flower is sugar'
Anbudan,
Thiru
Edited By - Thirumalai - 13 Feb 2006 01:49:15 GMT |
Naleen
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13 Feb 2006 02:00:40 GMT Report for Abuse
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Nimal Siripala De Silva is team leader of the government negotiating team to Asian city Geneva!
How great!
Tomorrow we will hear Anura Bandaranaike is leading our Cricket team in the VB series!
I am sure Anura Bandaranaike can do a better job at the pitch than Nimal Siripala at the negotiation table. |
Naleen
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13 Feb 2006 02:07:49 GMT Report for Abuse
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In the health circles, this chap Nimal is fondly known as 'Archimedes'. There is a nice story behind.
Once, when his wife has suddenly turned up at the ministry after an anonymous call he was shocked to find her hubby was with a secretary in his room in his birthday suit. She got so angry that she took the broom and started hitting the fellow, so the poor fellow had no option rather than running around the premises still in his birthday suit.
So he is aptly called 'Archimedes'.
The Daily news hurrah boy has missed this part in his long description. |
Gaja
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13 Feb 2006 04:43:12 GMT Report for Abuse
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The basic qualifications to manage Peace with the Tigers is respect for indigenous culture. The qualifications that the Hon Nimal Siripala de Silva has, would suit the merit basis and not the subjective basis. If such qualifications are paraded publicly, the Tigers would show in action their military qualifications. Then the government would need to blame itself for failure of Peace talks.
It will be good to hear about the Hon Nimal Siripala's achievements with another culture - any culture - the youth culture for example. This would help the Minister appreciate that there comes a point when one has to exit a relationship to preserve the dignity of the position and the dignity of all occupiers of that position. That is what this call for separation is about. If managed with care, it would produce positive results for both sides.
Gaja Lakshmi Paramasivam from Australia |
Vishnu
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13 Feb 2006 04:51:41 GMT Report for Abuse
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Naleen,
Shouldn't that be a better qualification than all the other stuff mentioned above to hold discussion with Tigers? To hold discussions on a fair ground, both parties should be balanced. In this case, they are all shameless bunch of delegates. |
Naleen
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13 Feb 2006 04:59:33 GMT Report for Abuse
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Vishnu,
Yes, I agree.
Gaja,
Yes, our 'Archimedes' does have enough experience with another culture - the culture of the ladies. (In this subject they have no discrimination at all!)
If LTTE is smart they will this time send a full women delegation. If they do so, with Nimal and Rohitha heading GOSL team, LTTE is sure to win all its demands.
Note to Bala: Please keep an eye on your wife, during the talks. |
Gaja
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13 Feb 2006 05:16:28 GMT Report for Abuse
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Thank you Naleen. I must have known this 'strength' intuitively when I suggested that there should be women in the team - on both sides. If what you say is true - then the war might have started through the women in the team.
love
gaja |
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