Nimal Siripala de Silva

Hon.
Nimal Siripala de Silva
Hon. Nimal Siripala de Silva
නිමල් සිරිපාල ද සිල්වා ; நிமல் சிறிபால டி சில்வா
	Silva at Indian Ocean Conference in Dhaka (2023)
Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation
	In office; 20 May 2022 – 23 September 2024
President	Gotabaya Rajapaksa ; Ranil Wickramasinghe
Prime Minister	Ranil Wickramasinghe ; Dinesh Gunawardena
Preceded by	Pramitha Tennakoon
Succeeded by	Vijitha Herath
Minister of Labour
	In office; 12 August 2020 – 18 April 2022
President	Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Prime Minister	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Preceded by	Dullas Alahapperuma
Succeeded by	Vidura Wickremanayake
	In office; 4 September 2015 – 26 October 2018
President	Maithripala Sirisena
Prime Minister	Ranil Wickremesinghe
Preceded by	Ranjith Maddumabandara
Succeeded by	Arjuna Ranatunga
Minister of Justice
	In office; 22 November 2019 – 12 August 2020
President	Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Prime Minister	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Preceded by	Thalatha Atukorale
Succeeded by	Ali Sabry
13th Leader of the Opposition
	In office; 16 January 2015 – 26 June 2015
President	Maithripala Sirisena
Prime Minister	Ranil Wickremesinghe
Preceded by	Ranil Wickremesinghe
Succeeded by	R. Sampanthan
Leader of the House
	In office; 09 August 2005 – 20 January 2015
Preceded by	Maithripala Sirisena
Succeeded by	Lakshman Kiriella
Member of Parliament; for Badulla District
	In office; 2000–2024
Member of Parliament; for Colombo District
	In office; 1989–2000
Personal details
Born	6 September 1944 (age 80); Badulla, British Ceylon
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Political party	Sri Lanka Freedom Party
Other political; affiliations	Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance ; (2019 – Present) ; United People's Freedom Alliance ; (2004 – 2019) ; People's Alliance ; (1994 – 2004)
Alma mater	Nalanda College, Colombo
Occupation	Politics
Profession	Proctor

Nilenthi Nimal Siripala de Silva (born 6 September 1944) is a Sri Lankan politician currently serving as the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation^[1] and one of the two acting chairmen of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party alongside Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe.^[2] He served as the Leader of the Opposition for a few months in 2015, and has served in several other ministerial posts: he is the former Cabinet Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation in 15th Parliament of Sri Lanka, former Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Management and former Leader of the House.^[3]

He is a member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and a Member of Parliament representing the Badulla District.

Early life and education

De Silva was born to a family of teachers in Badulla. He was educated at Nalanda College, Colombo where he was a member of the college debating team. He entered Colombo Law College in 1966 and qualified as a proctor in 1971.^[4]^[5]

Early career

Having started his legal practice in 1971, de Silva was active in politics from his student years, having started the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Law Students Association. He supported Sirimavo Bandaranaike in her campaign in the 1970 general election. He travelled to the United Kingdom in 1975 and qualified as a solicitor. He returned to Sri Lanka in 1978, and assisted Bandaranaike in her defense against the Special Presidential Commission appointed by President J. R. Jayawardene to investigate allegations against Bandaranaike for abuses of power during her tenure as Prime Minister.^[4]

Political career

He entered parliament in 1989 having been elected from the Colombo Electoral District in the 1989 general election and was re-elected from Colombo till 2000, when he was elected from Badulla Electoral District and had been re-elected consecutively till the present. He is the Assembly President of the World Health Organization. He has hold cabinet positions in all 5 presidents cabinet after 1994.

Assassination attempt

On 4 July 1996, De Silva escaped with injuries in an attempted assassination by a LTTE female suicide bomber at the Stanley Road in Jaffna. This incident took place minutes after the Minister declared open a branch of Building Materials Corporation (BMC) in Jaffna. Brigadier Ananda Hamangoda (Jaffna Sector Commander), Ranjith Godamuna (Chairman, Lanka Cement) and 21 others were killed with more than 50 injured in the explosion.^[6]

References

^ New Cabinet: Nimal Siripala de Silva appointed Minister of Labour
^ "Sri Lanka Freedom Party appoints Nimal Siripala as acting chair, CBK as advisor". EconomyNext. 8 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
^ Hon. Nimal Siripala de Silva is a member of the biggest thieves gang in Sri lanka, M.P
^ ^a ^b "COVER STORY - JULY 2013". Business Today. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
^ Always With The Party
^ Wasantha Siriwardena (7 July 1996). "Thursdays blast in Jaffna". The Sunday Times - Sri Lanka. Retrieved 19 February 2014.

Sources

Biographies of Present Members
"Old Nalandians elected MPs to be felicitated". Daily News. Archived from the original on 2 April 2002. Retrieved 27 March 2002.
"Opposition weaker than ever before -Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
"International concerns on Lanka elections unfounded: Minister". India.com. 11 November 2018 – via PTI.

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[1] New Cabinet: Nimal Siripala de Silva appointed Minister of Labour

[2] "Sri Lanka Freedom Party appoints Nimal Siripala as acting chair, CBK as advisor". EconomyNext. 8 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.

[3] Hon. Nimal Siripala de Silva is a member of the biggest thieves gang in Sri lanka, M.P

[BT1-4] "COVER STORY - JULY 2013". Business Today. Retrieved 9 June 2020.

[5] Always With The Party

[6] Wasantha Siriwardena (7 July 1996). "Thursdays blast in Jaffna". The Sunday Times - Sri Lanka. Retrieved 19 February 2014.

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