If he was up live and kicking he would have

propped up this disgusting regime of R’pakse’s

It is not a cardinal sin to associate with people of other communities. In fact it is good to associate with others and work together for the common good of all. Our country is too small to be divided and besides we are free to live and work where ever we wish.

If we can shed our communal thoughts and feelings there is whole new world open to us. Communal politics is the bane of this country. It divides not unites. Learning about and understanding each other is the way to break all these barriers. Working for the good of the country should be our aim not only our own communities. Learn to respect treat each other as human beings without thinking of race and religon.

Neither.

He was a Sri Lankan

Dear Walter,

“He was expecting to be appointed as a vice President or as Prime Minister. He was so blind, covered with ambition, that he never thought that the Majority Sinhala Buddhist’s, would never accept him at that level, and that they would never take the risk of appointing a Tamil”

History does not support your rhetoric.

Check out the Kings of Kandy. The most venerated Buddhist shrine came under the care of the Kandyan Kingdom.

Elara was loved by his Sinhala Buddhist subjects.

If he contested the Presidency, I and many others would have voted for him without a second thought.

Politically there are two majorities in the island, sinhalese and tamils,which one do he associated himself with?

Many find fault with Lakshman Kadirgama for associating with the Government and Majority Community. This he did for the unity of the people of this country. He spoke on behalf of this country at many an international fora setting an example for others. He worked hard to marginalise the LTTE and free his community of that evil scourge. He maintained his character and dignity and was untouched by the stains of corruption that colour many a politician.

The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones. – William Shakespeare

That said, I believe that very few commentators place adequate emphasis on the fact that LK was personally ambitious, had a propensity for cheap, gallery-fetching comments on occasion and came from the “Colombo-7 Tamil elite” that wasn’t representative of the larger mass of the Tamil population. Neither Sam Kadirgamar or any of this progeny fitted that bill!
The company he kept in Chandrika’s cabinet is also indicative of his moral “flexibility” as well!
Unfortunately, in this increasingly stifling and repressive country, one is not likely to see anything resembling an intimate, in-depth study of LK and his times, anytime soon.

India banned LTTE in 1992, UK in 2002, EU in 2006 and between 2002-2004 organizations linked to LTTE were banned, Lakshman Kadirgamar was not in office during these years..

It is unlikely that he would have softened the stance of the Govt against the LTTE or Tamil Civilians caught up in the fighting. Since the Govt and Military took the upper hand after Mavilaru and Thoppigala none could have prevented the final outcome.

His services and credibility with the international community would have certainly helped the Govt face the current problems with the UN and international community. His maturity, knowledge and experience in the diplomatic field is unmatched by the present assortment of diplomats.

He may also have been able to interface with the Tamil diaspora and Govt to bring about some form of political settlement.
It is strange that the investigation into his killing is not being expedited by the President. Was it the LTTE or some other unknown faction? Elimination of moderates is a policy followed by extremists on both sides of the conflict.

1. He served in the same cabinet with Douglas Devananda and Aniruddha Ratwatte. Devananda was of course well known for his abductions and murders. Ratwatte and is sons were implicated in the Udattalawinna massacre of Muslims and the assassination of Kumar Ponnambalam. The Bindunuwewa massacre of suspected LTTE militants also happened during the time Ratwatte was in charge of Defense. Kadirgamar pretended not to know about it all. A conscientious person would have protested or resigned.
2. Kadirgamar’s success in getting the LTTE banned globally was largely due to is playing up the child soldiers card. It was his major plank, and the Western world is especially moved by talk about children’s plight. But when it came to talking about Karuna’s child soldiers once Karuna separated from the LTTE and was protected by the GoSL, Kadirgamar pretended not to know.
3. As the FM, he denied many atrocities carried out by the SLA had taken place, even though such atrocities had been documented by groups like the UTHR.

In other words, Kadirgamar was just another politician focused on advancing his career with little concern for truth and justice; perhaps not as unscrupulous as many other GoSL politicians, but lacking in conscience nonetheless. The only reason he was held in esteem by the nationalist Sinhalese was that his anti-LTTE stand appealed to them. Had he lived and talked about resolving Tamil grievances, he would have been ridiculed and dumped by the same people.