Athauda Seneviratne

Athauda Seneviratne
Member of Parliament
for Ruwanwella Electoral District
In office
1970–1977
Preceded byP. C. Imbulana
Succeeded byP. C. Imbulana
Member of Parliament
for Kegalle Electoral District
In office
1989–2015
Chief Minister of Sabaragamuwa Province
In office
1999
Preceded byKantha Gunatilleke
Succeeded byAsoka Jayawardena
Deputy Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
In office
1 September 1994 – 9 June 1997
Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways
In office
9 June 1997 – 2 June 1999
Minister of Ethnic Affairs, National Integration and Mineral Resources
In office
17 November 2000 – 14 September 2001
Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment
In office
10 April 2004 – 9 April 2010
Minister of Justice
In office
23 April 2010 – 22 November 2010
Preceded byMilinda Moragoda
Succeeded byRauff Hakeem
Minister of Rural Affairs
In office
22 November 2010 – 9 January 2015
Personal details
Born(1931-12-19)19 December 1931
Died31 March 2022(2022-03-31) (aged 90)
Colombo, Sri Lanka
PartyUnited People's Freedom Alliance
Other political
affiliations
Socialist Alliance
Lanka Sama Samaja Party
Sri Lanka Freedom Party

Athauda Seneviratne (19 December 1931 – 31 March 2022) was a Sri Lankan politician. A member of various left-wing political parties, he served in the Parliament of Sri Lanka and was a cabinet member in various offices.

Early and personal life

Seneviratne was born on 19 December 1931.[1] However, one newspaper claims he was born on 19 September of the same year.[2] He was married and a Buddhist, and worked as an educator. He lived in Colombo.[1] He had a son who in 2020, was arrested in Cinnamon Gardens for allegedly assaulting a police officer; he was released on bail after making a court appearance.[3] He died on 31 March 2022, aged 90, at a private hospital in Colombo.[4]

Political career

Seneviratne entered politics in either 1954[5] or 1957.[6] He was first a member of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party. He later joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.[4] In 1991, the Leicester Mercury stated he was a member of the Socialist Alliance, a political alliance which encompasses Lanka Sama Samaja.[7] He was elected to his last political office on a ticket of the United People's Freedom Alliance.[1]

Seneviratne served in the Parliament of Sri Lanka as a member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. He served from 1970 to 1977, and again from 1989 to 2015, representing the Ruwanwella Electoral District, then the Kegalle District, respectively.[1] In 1999, he was Chief Minister of Sabaragamuwa Province.[2] In 2007, he accompanied President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a meeting with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, regarding human rights.[8]

Seneviratne was Deputy Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, from 1 September 1994, to 9 June 1997. He was Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways, from 9 June 1997, to 2 June 1999. He was Minister of Ethnic Affairs, National Integration and Mineral Resources, from 17 November 2000, to 14 September 2001. He was Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment, from 10 April 2004, to 9 April 2010. He was Minister of Justice, from 23 April 2010, to 22 November 2010. Finally, he was Minister of Rural Affairs, from 22 November 2010, to 9 January 2015.[1]

Seneviratne supported Sajith Premadasa in the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election.[2] He, in retrospect, supported Mahatma Gandhi, with him saying Gandhi "safeguarded" Sri Lanka.[9] In 1989, he called for a ceasefire to end then-ongoing violence present in the country.[10] At some point, he was sued by police, as part of a group of nineteen litigants, for causing damage to a drinking water project in Kohombadeniya, a rural community.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Parliament of Sri Lanka - Directory of Members". www.parliament.lk. Archived from the original on 6 May 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Athauda Seneviratne Passes Away". Lanka Sara. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  3. ↑ "Athauda Seneviratne's son arrested & later released for berating cop". www.themorning.lk. 22 November 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 Marian, Teena (31 March 2022). "Ex-Minister Athauda Seneviratne passes away". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "Former Cabinet Minister Athauda Seneviratne bids farewell to life". Hiru News. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Fmr Minister Athauda Seneviratne passes away". Adaderana. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "Lankan Speaker Boycott". Leicester Mercury. 22 October 1991. p. 3. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "Mahinda to meet rights watchdogs". BBC. 13 June 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "Heritage Is Highlighted". Leicester Mercury. 13 June 1991. p. 5. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "More Killings In Sri Lanka Despite Ceasefire Deals". Alberni Valley Times. 19 September 1989. p. 2. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  11. ↑ "Police sue Senior Minister Athauda Seneviratne and 19 others". Hiru News. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
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