11 August
2nd death anniversary of Late Mr. Kadirgamar falls on 12 August

An Alms giving will be held on the 12 August, to commemorate the second death anniversary of former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies.

It is organized on the instructions of Minister of Foreign Affairs Rohitha Bogollagama, with the participation of the Board of Directors of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute.

The eminent Sri Lankan diplomat and former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was assassinated by the LTTE terrorists on 12 August, 2005.

Late Mr. Kadirgamar was brought up in his early childhood in the southern part of the Island. An alumnus of Trinity College, Kandy, he captained the college first eleven cricket team in 1950 while also competing in the college athletic and rugby teams. In recognition of his all round performance in academic and extra curricular spheres he was awarded the prestigious Ryde Gold medal for the best all round student.

He went on to study law at the University of Ceylon from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) degree in 1953 and became the top student in the First Class at the Advocates Intermediate Examination in 1953. In 1954 he won the scholarship for the candidate placed first in the First Class at the Advocates Final Examination of the Ceylon Law College and was awarded prizes for the Law of Evidence and the Law of Persons and Property. He was admitted to the Ceylon Bar in 1955. Later, at Oxford University, UK, he received his B.LITT degree. Mr.Kadirgamar, like several other prestigious Sri Lankans, was elected to serve as President of the Oxford Union.

Late Mr.Kadirgamar was the author of a number of scholarly articles published in international legal journals such as the Modern Law Review, The South African Law Journal and The Conveyancer and Property Lawyer, etc. An ardent international civil servant, Kadirgamar, held many positions in numerous international organizations including the ILO, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) and South Asia Foundation (SAF). In 1963, he was the Special Commissioner of Amnesty International to investigate Buddhist-Catholic clashes in Vietnam.

As an active member of the People's Alliance (PA) party, he was selected as a national list MP in 1994 under the Alliance’s list for the General Elections. Following the victory of the Alliance, he was appointed Foreign Minister in the PA government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga. After the defeat of the government in 2001, he became special adviser on Foreign Affairs to the President. Despite being a Tamil, he strongly supported the Bandaranaike government's policy of not negotiating with the Tamil Tigers terrorists insurgents in northern Sri Lanka.

Late Mr.Kadirgamar, born a Christian, brought a proposal to the United Nations to make Vesak Day an international celebration day.

LTTE was against Mr. Kadirgamar due to fact that he was responsible for getting the United States among many countries to classify the LTTE as a terrorist organization.