29 Facts About Tissa Wijeyeratne

Suratissa Diyasena Wijeyeratne was a Sri Lankan politician, diplomat, barrister and businessman.

Tissa Wijeyeratne was Additional Secretary to the Ministry of External Affairs and Defence, and Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister.

Tissa Wijeyeratne was born 17 February 1923 to a leading family from Sabaragamuwa in Sri Lanka.

Tissa Wijeyeratne was the eldest son of Sir Edwin and Lady Leela Wijeyeratne, of Buddenipola Walauwa, Kegalle.

Sir Edwin Wijeyeratne was a former Cabinet Minister of Home Affairs and Rural Development.

Tissa Wijeyeratne had two younger brothers, Nissanka and Cuda Wijeyeratne.

Nissanka Tissa Wijeyeratne was a politician, civil servant, diplomat and Diyawadana Nilame.

Tissa Wijeyeratne completed his primary and secondary education at the Royal College, Colombo.

Tissa Wijeyeratne left school in 1941 and pursued further studies in Switzerland before studying Law in London and then he was admitted of the Inner Temple in 1945.

Tissa Wijeyeratne was called to the Bar in 1959 and became a Barrister-at-Law in 1960.

Tissa Wijeyeratne returned to Sri Lanka a year later and started a practice as a lawyer in Kegalle.

Tissa Wijeyeratne was instrumental in obtaining rights for Sri Lankan lawyers to wear the national dress to courts.

Tissa Wijeyeratne was the first lawyer since Sri Lanka's independence to appear in courts attired in the national dress of Sri Lanka.

Tissa Wijeyeratne was President, Ceylon Students Union in London and later joined the international student movement.

Tissa Wijeyeratne returned to Sri Lanka in 1956 before completing his Barristers examinations, and became a full-time activist of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka.

Tissa Wijeyeratne subsequently became the party's Chief Organiser for the Kegalle Electorate.

Tissa Wijeyeratne was an active member of the party from 1965 onwards, but did not contest the 1970 parliamentary election.

Tissa Wijeyeratne returned from France in 1974 and was appointed the Additional Secretary to the Ministry of External Affairs and Defence and Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister, where he was largely responsible for foreign affairs.

Tissa Wijeyeratne was one of the main organisers of the 1976 Non-aligned Summit in Sri Lanka.

Tissa Wijeyeratne brought a Sinhalese and Tamil oriented dimension to the Foreign Office, recruiting locally educated youth to nurture Sri Lanka's identity in missions abroad.

Tissa Wijeyeratne proposed the initiation of a Diploma course in Diplomacy at an institute of foreign affairs that would be affiliated with the University of Sri Lanka, providing training opportunities to hopeful diplomats.

Tissa Wijeyeratne's proposal was materialised in 1975 as the Bandaranaike Institute of Foreign Studies.

Tissa Wijeyeratne left the foreign service in 1976 and returned to the Kegalle Bar.

Tissa Wijeyeratne grouped together influential businessmen in the city of Kandy amidst a group of influential lawyers and embarked on his final career.

Tissa Wijeyeratne commenced business in 1979 under the name of Sinhaputhra Agricultural and Industrial Finance Ltd.

Tissa Wijeyeratne became an active member of the Finance Houses Association of Sri Lanka, and was part of an active team that spearheaded the enactment of useful legislation.

Tissa Wijeyeratne married Visakha Bulankulame, a well known Sri Lankan artist.

Tissa Wijeyeratne was the daughter of Dr Edmond Asoka Bulankulame and Ivy Senanayake Bulankulame of Nuwarawewa Walauwa, Anuradhapura.

Tissa and Visakha Wijeyeratne had one daughter, Kalpana and a son, Ravana, who is the current managing director of Sinhaputra Finance PLC, and the current Honorary Consul for France in Kandy.