Adrian Wijemanne: The Passage of a Warrior

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 August 2006, 11:14 GMT]
Adrian Wijemanne, a human rights activist and most eminent Sinhala proponent of Tamils’ right for self-determination in Sri Lanka passed away on July 22nd in London. His funeral took place at the Parish Church of St. Mary & St. Michael, Trumpington, Cambridge. He was 81.

Mr Wijemanne has written extensively empathizing with the Tamil struggle for justice and equality.

In his book “War and Peace in Post-Colonial Ceylon, 1948-1991” he argued that "States and state structures are the handiwork of man and there is nothing irrevocable about them. … human life is more important than political or geographical structures". He reasoned for a negotiated settlement whereby the Tamils will be granted an interim government for a number of years at the end of which Tamils would hold a referendum on the separate state.

He espoused the belief that a separate Tamil state is the only viable solution to the ethnic conflict. He envisioned that at a later period in history the two states of Sri Lanka and Tamil Eelam might come together to form a loose union for their mutual economic interests.

Adrian Wijemanne was born on May 29, 1925. He read European, Indian and Sri Lankan history at University of Ceylon. In 1948 he entered the Ceylon Civil Service, where he worked for fourteen years, the last five as Deputy Land Commissioner. After a varied career in Sri Lanka in both public and private sectors, he worked in Switzerland and the Netherlands for charitable foundations and financial institutions, including an 11-year stint with the World Council of Churches.

Adrian Wijemanne is survived by his wife Chitra and daughter Shevanti.

External Links:

TNation:		Bosnian Experience in Conflict Resolution
Amazon:		War and Peace in Post-Colonial Ceylon, 1948-1991
General:		The Road to Peace - Peace by Federation