https://www.profile.lk/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=Bhashi 2026-06-13T02:50:09Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.43.3 https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Upali_Wijewardene&diff=194 2025-10-30T06:07:21Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Upali Wijewardene<br /> | image = Upali_Wijewardene.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Philip Upali Wijewardene''' (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_magnate business magnate] and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;A6 : Population by ethnicity and district according to Divisional Secretary's Division, 2012&quot;. Census of Population &amp; Housing, 2011. Department of Census &amp; Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2014.&lt;/ref&gt; The Upali Group diversified from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confectionery confectionery] to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upali_Air Upali Air], Upali Mazda and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upali_Newspapers Upali Newspapers], which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved &quot;largely through bravado and wit.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Colombo&quot;. Collins English Dictionary (13th ed.). HarperCollins. 2018. ISBN 978-0-008-28437-4.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Malacca Malacca] soon after leaving Malaysia en route to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombo Colombo].&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Colombo&quot;. Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2020.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early life and family==<br /> Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.[4][5]<br /> <br /> The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete.[6] His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.<br /> <br /> On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.[7][8] Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.[9] He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family.[4] An amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two older sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled at Royal College, Colombo and later attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Queens College, Cambridge from 1956 to 1959, earning a BA degree. At Cambridge, he held the position of secretary of the Marshall Society.[4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early ventures==<br /> On his return to Ceylon in 1959, Wijewardene joined the British manufacturing company Lever Brothers as a management trainee and was assigned the responsibility of overseeing soap processing. However, he left Lever Brothers in 1961 due to a disagreement with the chairman.[5]<br /> <br /> ====Delta toffee====<br /> Wijewardene ventured into business by setting up a confectionary company and establishing a candy ball machine on his property on Bloemendaal Road. He later expanded the business and branded it 'Delta Toffee'.[3][5]<br /> <br /> ====Kandos chocolates====<br /> In 1970, after the passing of his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed control of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic to an international market, and with the help of a friend, Ratnam, he cultivated 14,000 acres of cocoa in Malaysia. During the transition of the business, he acquired cocoa plantations, processing plants, and factories in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[4][5][3]<br /> <br /> ==Upali Group==<br /> Wijewardene founded the Upali Group of Companies in the mid-1960s, consolidating his holdings and forming a conglomerate of companies.[10][11]<br /> <br /> ====Manufacturing====<br /> Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.<br /> <br /> ====Aviation====<br /> In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.[3]<br /> <br /> ====Electronics====<br /> He started the Upali Electronic Company in the 1970s, introducing radios, calculators, wall clocks, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under the import restrictions of the time.<br /> <br /> ====Automotive====<br /> In 1970, Wijewardene founded the Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were known locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over 500 units were assembled. In 1978, UMC began the assembly of the Fiat 128, known locally as Upali Fiat.[12]<br /> <br /> ====Print media====<br /> In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.<br /> <br /> In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as &quot;romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women,&quot; crammed into 16 pages.[2] It expanded into 32 pages, with a different story on every page. Editor Janaka Ratnayake noted that the publication had &quot;many topics—romance, detective, sci-fi, heroes, two pages built around movie stars, and almost a page of pen pals&quot; (1993). All the stories were serialised and in black and white with a &quot;spot&quot; of one additional colour.[13] The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines.[13]<br /> <br /> In 1980, Wijewardene travelled to Silicon Valley and signed five agreements, including one with Motorola.[2] The construction of chip plants started in 1983. However, with the start Sri Lankan civil war and bombing across the country, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction of the plants were killed, and the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.[14]<br /> <br /> ==Horse racing==<br /> Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse racing at the Nuwara Eliya Race Course. He was the chairman of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Turf Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where his horse &quot;Rasa Penang&quot; won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous jockey Lester Piggott.<br /> <br /> In 1980, he won the Singapore Derby at the Bukit Timah Race Course and the Perak Derby at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia with his horse &quot;Vaaron.&quot;. He raced &quot;General Atty&quot; too, who won many races in England. He would fly to the races in his private aircraft, and made it a point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses and ponies racing.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> In 1978, Wijewardene was appointed by President J. R. Jayewardene as the first director general of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political establishment did not favour his arrival in politics.[14] Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.[2] He set up an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas to learn English and computer technology.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Disappearance==<br /> <br /> Learjet 35A<br /> Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private jet, a Learjet 35A, which he had modified with another controller for the rear body.[3] His plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 8:41 p.m. on 13 February 1983, bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney De Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Fifteen minutes later, the aircraft disappeared while flying over the Straits of Malacca. Extensive search operations by air and naval units of Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia failed to locate any evidence of a crash.[15][16][17]<br /> <br /> A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel.[18] According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further.[14] Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.[citation needed]<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:profile]]</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Roshan_Perera&diff=193 2025-10-30T06:07:09Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Roshan Perera<br /> | image = Roshan_Perera.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> <br /> '''Roshan Perera''' (born 2 April 1976) is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka Sri Lankan] entrepreneur, business magnate, investor, and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philanthropy philanthropist]. &lt;ref&gt;&quot;Roshan Perea crates a model working environment&quot;.&lt;/ref&gt; He was also the CEO of Bellucci Sri Lanka (pvt) Ltd in 1996,&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Bellucci launched in SL&quot;. Retrieved 20 September 2014.&lt;/ref&gt; which he made into Asia's largest ceramic figurine manufacturing company.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Roshan Perea crates a model working environment&quot;.&lt;/ref&gt;He eventually owned the company while employing over 5,000 staff members. The company was the flagship supplier to multinational companies such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walt_Disney_Company Disney], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallmark Hallmark] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walmart Walmart].<br /> <br /> At 22, he was considered the youngest Sri Lankan billionaire [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneurship entrepreneur]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/features/20020107model_working_environment.html The Sunday Times, 6 January 2002&lt;/ref&gt; to run organizations with over 10 billion [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_rupee Sri Lankan rupees] turnover. By 2001, his business empire was diversified into branches for ceramics, agriculture, packaging, freight-forwarding, clothing and fashion, and media and investments.&lt;ref&gt;Roshan Perera 56th president&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> After dropping out of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Business_School Harvard Business School] and returning home, he developed the contact he had made with Disney, in particular with the then Disney CEO [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Eisner Michael Eisner].[8] He convinced Disney to visit Sri Lanka in 1996 braving the civil war that ravaged the country[9] This was the breakthrough the country needed: Disney was the world's only Fortune 500 company to purchase goods from the war-torn island, which laid the foundation for other companies such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallmark Hallmark] to follow suit and boost the economy of Sri Lanka.[10]<br /> <br /> Unhappy with simply manufacturing figurines for international brands, Perera launched his own brand named Bellucci.[11][12]<br /> <br /> ==Beauty Pageants==<br /> Roshan Perera is the Franchisee for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Sri_Lanka_Online Miss Sri Lanka Online],[13] Miss Sri Lanka for Miss Intercontinental,[14][15] which is the country's most popular beauty pageant to-date.,[16][17][18]<br /> <br /> In 2005, he ventured into the beauty pageant Industry, some of the winners who came from his organizations include [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Sri_Lanka_Online Maria Colombage] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacqueline_Fernandez Jacqueline Fernandez].[19][20][21][22][23]<br /> <br /> ==Other ventures==<br /> His main investment is considered to be &quot;Lanka SS&quot;, the company he inherited from his father, which manufactures [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_skate ice skates]. The flagship company Platinum Holdings is considered to have investments diversified in countries from Australia to India.[24]<br /> In agriculture, the company is currently popularizing traditional rice varieties[25] known as the Miracle Rice of Sri Lanka.[26][27][28][29] Over 10,000 acres of farm land is used for this purpose.[30][31][32]<br /> <br /> ==Interests==<br /> He was the youngest major donor to Sri Lanka's largest [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_International Rotary Club] and subsequently became its President.[33][34][35][36][37]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:profile]]</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Otara_Gunewardene&diff=192 2025-10-30T06:06:58Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Otara Gunewardene<br /> | image = Otara_Gunewardene.jpeg<br /> | occupation = [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneurship Entrepreneur]<br /> | website = [https://otara.lk/ otara.lk]<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Otara Gunewardene''' (Sinhala: ඔටාරා ගුණවර්ධන) is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Sri_Lanka Sri Lankan] entrepreneur, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_welfare animal welfare] advocate, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_movement conservationist] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philanthropy philanthropist].&lt;ref&gt;&quot;හිත ඇත්නම් පත කුඩාද? - ඔටාරා&quot;. BBC News සිංහල (in Sinhala). 7 December 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2021.&lt;/ref&gt; She is the founder of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odel ODEL], Embark and Otara Foundation.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;දිරිය ලක් දියණිය ඔටාරා ගුණවර්ධන&quot;. roar.media (in Sinhala). 24 November 2017. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2021.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Otara Del Gunawardene was born on 30 August 1964 in Colombo, Sri Lanka the third child to Norman and Delysia Gunewardene.[4] Her father was a former Chairman of Aitken Spence and her mother, Delysia, established the Chitra Lane School for differently-abled children.[5]<br /> <br /> Gunawardene attended C. M. S. Ladies College in Colombo,[5] where she excelled in athletics and swimming, representing the country. Gunawardene graduated from Bowling Green State University, Ohio with a degree in biology.[4][6]<br /> <br /> Whilst on holiday back home, she did some fashion modelling[4] – shooting for high-profile brands and international apparel catalogues right after graduating from University.[7]<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Main article: ODEL<br /> In 1989, Gunawardene began selling factory surplus garments and apparel from her car boot to family and friends.[8][5][9] In 1990 she opened her first store, ODEL, on Dickmans Road in Colombo[10] and by 2010 had eighteen stores throughout Colombo.[8][11]<br /> <br /> In 2007 Gunewardene launched the Otara foundation, a non-profit organisation which focuses on environmental and wildlife conservation of Sri Lanka.[12] In 2007 she also launched the fashion brand, Embark, some of the income from which is donated to fund eradication of rabies, canine vaccinations, sterilisation surgeries, puppy adoptions, and caring for injured street dogs.[13][14][15]<br /> <br /> In February 2010 she converted ODEL into a public limited liability company and it became the first fashion retail business to be listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange.[8] On 11 September 2014 Gunewardene sold of all her shares in ODEL PLC to the Softlogic Group,[9] to concentrate on Embark.<br /> <br /> In 2015 Embark opened its first standalone store in Galle, which was followed by an additional three stores in Kandy City Centre, Bandaranaike International Airport and at Dickmans Road in Colombo.[16] In September 2017 Embark opened its tenth store in K-Zone Ja-Ela.[17]<br /> <br /> ==Advocacy==<br /> In 2015, Gunewardene launched a campaign[18] asking the government to enact the proposed Animal Welfare Bill which gained over 100,000 signatures and led to the Cabinet Approval of the said bill at the time. This inspired a trend of creating petitions for social causes in the country.[19] She continues to advocate for the revival and expedient of the Animal Welfare Bill, passing of which is continues to be stagnant.[20]<br /> <br /> In 2016, she launched a campaign against the Dehiwala zoo which resulted in the zoo improving the conditions in which wild animals are kept.[21]<br /> <br /> In 2020, she launched an online platform, Who We Are,[22][23] to promote Sri Lankan entrepreneurs and small businesses who sell local, eco-friendly, ethically-sourced, cruelty-free and sustainable products.[24][25]<br /> <br /> ==Awards and recognition==<br /> Gunewardene has achieved wide recognition in Sri Lanka and internationally.<br /> <br /> *2000 - Jaycees’ Most Outstanding Young Person in Sri Lanka[26]<br /> *2001 - Federation of Chambers and Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) Entrepreneur of the Year 2001 Award[7][27]<br /> *2002 - Zonta Woman of Achievement Award[7][27]<br /> *2007 - Alankara Jewelry, Face of Alankara Brand Ambassador<br /> *2008 - Inducted into the Dallas-Hamilton Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame, class of 2009 as an outstanding innovator at the Bowling Green State University; South Asian Association for Regional Corporation’s (SAARC) Woman of Achievement;[27] Retail Leadership Award, Asia Retail Congress, India;[27] Woman of Saabstance, Saab Cars, Singapore; World Animal Day, Sri Lankan AmbassadorIn 2008 was bestowed the honour of World Animal Day Ambassador – Sri Lanka[28]<br /> *2009 - Sri Lankan Goodwill Ambassador for Habitat for Humanity; Colombo Jewellery Stores, Dior Brand Ambassador<br /> *2010 - Orchid (Dendrobrium Otara) named after her by the Horticultural and Flora Conservation Society of Sri Lanka;[29] Winner 'Best Female Entrepreneur' award at the seventh US Stevie Awards for Women in Business[30]<br /> *2013 - named Echelon Magazine's 'Most Powerful Woman in Sri Lanka',[31] listed in 'The Sri Lanka Rich List 2013'; her personal website, www.otara.lk won the ‘Best Personal Website’ award for the first time in 2010 conducted by the Lanka Domain Registry Office[32][33]<br /> *2014 - Selected and honoured as one of the ‘Prominent Women of the Country’ by the Women’s Parliamentarians’ Caucus, for her achievements in business and for her service to the country; Ambassador Earth Hour Sri Lanka.[34]<br /> *2017 - 'Passionate 2017' by Business Today.[35]<br /> *2018 - Woman of the Year Award, Women in Management (WIM) in partnership with IFC, member of the World Bank Group.[36] Featured in LMD’s 2018 A-List of Sri Lankan Top 50 Business People.[37]<br /> <br /> ==Personal life==<br /> In 1990, Gunewardene married Raju Chandiram,[7] with whom she had two sons, in 1994 and 2000. The couple separated in 2006.[38] Chandiram served as a senior executive at Odel and following their divorce subsequently served as a Director on the Sri Lankan Airlines board from May 2005 until March 2008.[39][40]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> <br /> [[Category:profile]]</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Merrill_J._Fernando&diff=191 2025-10-30T06:06:42Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Merrill J. Fernando<br /> | image = Merrill_J_Fernando.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman <br /> | website = [https://www.dilmahtea.com/ www.dilmahtea.com]<br /> }}<br /> <br /> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deshamanya Deshamanya] '''Merrill Joseph Fernando''' (6 May 1930 – 20 July 2023) was a Sri Lankan businessman who was the founder and chairman of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylon_tea Ceylon tea] company [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilmah Dilmah]. He was known for introducing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-origin_coffee single-origin tea] to an international market, and for conducting his business using the principles of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_responsibilitysocial responsibility].<br /> <br /> ===Early life and education===<br /> Merrill Joseph Fernando&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Founder of Dilmah tea Merrill J. Fernando has passed away&quot;. Hiru News. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.&lt;/ref&gt; was born into a Catholic family&lt;ref&gt;Perera, Melani Manel (21 July 2023). &quot;Merril J. Fernando, founder of Sri Lankan tea giant 'Dilmah' has died&quot;. Asia News. Retrieved 26 July 2023.&lt;/ref&gt; 6 May 1930 in the village of Pallansena, near Kochchikade,&lt;ref&gt;Vishwa, Surya (31 May 2023). &quot;Review: The story of Ceylon Teamaker, Merrill J. Fernando – Part 1&quot;. Daily FT. Retrieved 26 July 2023.&lt;/ref&gt; in Negombo, British Ceylon, a village north of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.&lt;ref&gt;Noack, Georgina (21 July 2023). &quot;Founder of iconic Aussie tea brand dies&quot;. news.com. Retrieved 22 July 2023.&lt;/ref&gt; After beginning at the Pallansena village school, then St Mary's in Negombo, he moved to Colombo, attending Maris Stella College and then St Joseph's College.&lt;ref&gt;Fernando, Merrill J. (26 July 2023). &quot;Merrill J. Fernando&quot;. Harvard Business School (Interview). Retrieved 26 July 2023.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> He also studied for four years to be a priest, at the St. Aloysius seminary in Borella, but was eventually rejected by the brothers there as a candidate.[4]<br /> <br /> He then went to London to train as a tea taster at Mincing Lane.[6] While there, he noticed that tea was being mixed and blended but still marketed as pure Ceylon tea. The tea was bought cheaply, with branding and packaging taking place in Europe and the UK, returning small profits to Sri Lankan tea producers while middlemen (wholesalers and resellers, mainly a few large corporations) reaped the lion's share of the profits.[8]<br /> <br /> ===Career===<br /> Fernando started his career in tea when he was just 20 years old as a tea assistant with A. F. Jones and Company,[a] a tea exporting company run by Arthur Frederick Jones and his sons Dennis and Alan Jones, where he was appointed managing director in 1954.[3] In the mid-1950s, the company was in the business of selling tea in bulk to international companies for blending and reselling.[6] Fernando is credited with changing the focus of the company from its Anglocentric market to new markets such as Japan and the USSR.[10] In 1956, when a change in government looked to seize control of some foreign-owned estates, the Jones family left the country, and Fernando acquired their estates[6] via a consortium.[10] In 1962 Fernando established Ceylon Tea Services Company and Merrill J. Fernando Company, which exported loose tea to several countries, including North America and Australasia.[3]<br /> <br /> Fernando bought his first few tea estates in the 1970s.[11] After the nationalisation of the plantations in 1971–72, Fernando stepped down to start MJF Exports, and within a few years most Australian retailers sourced their house brands from MJF.[6]<br /> <br /> In 1982, Fernando established Ceylon Tea Services Ltd, which became one of the first companies listed as a public company on the Colombo Stock Exchange.[3] In the mid-1980s, he started negotiations with the Australian supermarket retailer Coles, eventually persuading them to stock his tea.[12] He founded Dilmah in 1985,[10] by introducing single-origin tea as competition to blended commodity tea.[12][6] The tea started with exports to Australia and New Zealand,[8] and in the 1990s to Europe and North America. In 2013, Australia made up 10 percent of Dilmah's global annual retail sales.[13] As of 2016, Dilmah tea was sold in over 100 countries.[6]<br /> <br /> Fernando stood down as CEO of Dilmah in 2019 and was succeeded by his son Dilhan Fernando.[14]<br /> <br /> ===Charitable works===<br /> In 2007, Fernando founded Dilmah Conservation, &quot;to incorporate environmental and wildlife conservation efforts into the work of the MJF Foundation, which primarily focuses on social justice&quot;.[15] One of its main aims was to protect Sri Lankan forests.[3] The MJF charitable foundation uses 15% of the pre-tax profits of Dilmah and related companies to provide nutritional, educational, and other support to disabled children, the elderly, and youth in marginalised communities. It has also supported Indigenous Indian tribes adjust to the 21st century, and survivors of the 2004 tsunami.[1]<br /> <br /> ===Recognition===<br /> In 2015, Fernando was honoured by an Oslo Business for Peace award.[16]<br /> <br /> In 2016, he was chosen as Sri Lankan of the Year[17] and in the same year he was awarded the FIRST Award for Responsible Capitalism for improving the lives of underprivileged children and deprived communities.[16]<br /> <br /> Dilmah was recognised by brand think tank Medinge Group as a Brand with a Conscience.[17]<br /> <br /> In 2018, Fernando received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Association of Chefs' Societies.[16]<br /> <br /> In August 2019, Dilmah's founder was honoured with the second highest Sri Lankan national award, having the title of &quot;Deshamanya&quot; bestowed upon him.[16][17]<br /> <br /> In November 2019, Fernando was awarded an honorary doctorate (Doctor of Science) by Massey University in New Zealand, &quot;in recognition of his leadership in ethical business within the food and beverage industry&quot;. He had had an association with the university since the late 1990s, when he worked with Distinguished Professor Paul Moughan at the Riddet Institute.[18]<br /> <br /> Upon his death, Hiru News described Fernando as &quot;a legend in the industry&quot;.[1]<br /> <br /> ===Personal life===<br /> Fernando was married and had two sons, Malik and Dilhan, but split from his wife when their sons were four and two years old respectively, and he brought them up as a single parent.[10]<br /> <br /> In May 2023, a biography of Fernando was published, entitled The story of Ceylon Teamaker Merrill J. Fernando; Disruptor, Teamaker, Servant, co-written by Anura Gunasekera, and Fernando.[4][19]<br /> <br /> ===In popular culture===<br /> Fernando became known in New Zealand and Australia for his TV ads in which he urged viewers to &quot;do try it&quot;.[20][5]<br /> <br /> ===Death and legacy===<br /> Fernando died in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 20 July 2023, at age 93.[21][1][5]<br /> <br /> His commitment to maintaining the purity of his product, and educating people about the benefits of drinking single-origin tea, earned him fans around the world, and set a high bar for others in the tea industry.[22]<br /> <br /> ===Footnotes===<br /> The company, which was founded in 1912, still exists, branded Jones Tea.[9]<br /> <br /> ===References===<br /> <br /> [[Category:profile]]</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Kandiah_Balendra&diff=190 2025-10-30T06:06:31Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Kandiah Balendra<br /> | image = Kandiah_Balendra.png<br /> | occupation = Chairman, South Asia Regional Fund<br /> }}<br /> <br /> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deshamanya Deshamanya] '''Kandiah &quot;Ken&quot; Balendra''' (3 February 1940&lt;ref&gt; ஜோன் கீல்ஸ் குழும முதலாவது இலங்கைத் தலைவர் கென் பாலேந்திரா காலமானார் (in Tamil)&lt;/ref&gt; – 3 February 2025) was a Sri Lankan corporate leader and executive, who held many corporate positions in Sri Lanka and the region. He served as the first Sri Lankan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_(officer) chairman] of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_(officer) John Keells Holdings Ltd.], the largest conglomerate in the island.&lt;ref&gt;Desamanya Ken Balendra Executive Profile, Bloomberg Businessweek&lt;/ref&gt;He was the chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_(officer) Brandix Lanka Ltd]. and the South Asia Regional Fund of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_International_Investment Commonwealth Development Corporation].&lt;ref&gt; &quot;Brandix board of directors&quot;. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Biography==<br /> Early life and education<br /> Born in 1940[4] into a well-to-do, Tamil family in Colombo, his father was a revenue inspector.[citation needed] He was educated at the Royal College, Colombo, where he excelled in sports.[5] He participated in the Royalist team at the 1958 Bradby Shield Encounter, where Trinity was defeated to end their streak of six consecutive victories.[6] It was when he represented Ceylonese Rugby &amp; Football Club, he was affectionately called as Ken from that point of time.[7]<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Balendra began his career in 1963 as a planter at Finlays, an independent tea and horticultural product trader. He joined John Keells Holdings in 1969 (then known as John Keell Thompson White Ltd) and following a successful stint as a tea broker, he was appointed a company director in 1974.[8] From 1990 until his retirement from the company in 2000 he served as its chairman, the first Sri Lankan to hold the position, overseeing a period of rapid growth and diversification.[9] It was during Ken's tenure that witnessed a massive turnaround as far as John Keells Holdings was concerned when it transformed into Sri Lanka's biggest conglomerate from being a colonial-era tea broking house.[10][5]<br /> <br /> He served as chairman of the Bank of Ceylon (2000–2002),[4] the Ceylon Tobacco Company (2003–2008),[11] the Securities and Exchange Commission (2000–2002),[12] the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka, and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (1998–2000).[2][3][13] In April 200, Balendra was appointed the first president of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors.[14] He was a director at Chevron Lubricants Lanka until his resignation in 2011, having served over 10 years.[15]<br /> <br /> In 2011 The Sunday Leader named Balendra as one of &quot;The 20 Billionaires of Sri Lanka's Stock Market&quot;. He was featured in 11th place, with holdings said to be worth nearly 2.5 billion Rupees.[16]<br /> <br /> ==Personal life and death==<br /> Balendra married Swyrie, a doctor, in 1969.[9] They had a daughter and a son named Natasha (Ex Chairperson of the National Child Protection Authority) and Krishan, who has served as the chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange since mid-2011.[17] Krishan was educated at INSEAD in France and the University of London.<br /> <br /> Kandiah Balendra died in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 3 February 2025, on his 85th birthday.[18][19]<br /> <br /> ==Honours and recognition==<br /> Awarded the Sri Lankan national honour Deshamanya by President Chandrika Kumaratunga (1998).[2][3]<br /> Appointed Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Sri Lanka.[20]<br /> Awarded The Cavaliers Cross of the Order of Merit of Poland (2007).[21]<br /> Named Sri Lankan of the Year (1998) &amp; voted the Most Effective Business Leader in Sri Lanka (2003) since independence in a poll conducted by the Lanka Monthly Digest magazine.[22][23]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:profile]]</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Ishara_Nanayakkara&diff=189 2025-10-30T06:06:21Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Ishara Nanayakkara<br /> | image = Ishara_Nanayakkara.webp<br /> | occupation = Businessman / Entrepreneur<br /> }}<br /> <br /> Ishara Chinthaka Nanayakkara is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka Sri Lankan] entrepreneur and businessman. As of August 2025, he is the Richest man in Sri Lanka.&lt;ref&gt; &quot;Chairman of LOLC becomes richest person in SL&quot;. Retrieved 2020-06-06.&lt;/ref&gt; He is currently serving as the deputy group chairman of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LOLC_Holdings LOLC Holdings].&lt;ref&gt;&quot;LOLC | The Board of Directors&quot;. www.lolc.com. Retrieved 2020-06-06.&lt;/ref&gt; His father Rajah Nanayakkara was also a prominent businessman and he died in 2017 at the age of 77. Ishara is considered a billionaire with a net worth of around 1.6 Billion. Mostly locked up in investments in LOLC and Browns.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Rajah Nanayakkara no more&quot;. www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2020-06-06.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Biography==<br /> Nanayakkara's father Rajah was an entrepreneur and founded the automobile industry through Ishara Traders in 1973 which is now regarded as the pioneer in importing reconditioned repaired vehicles from Japan to Sri Lanka.[4] Ishara at his teenage was sent to Japan for extensive training after his secondary education at Royal College, Colombo 07. He holds a diploma in Business Accounting from Australia's Dandenong College.<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Nanayakkara pursued his career in financial services and started investing in finance companies such as LOLC. He was also appointed to the Board of Directors of LOLC in 2002. He also served as deputy chairman of Lanka Orix Finance from 2011 to 2018 and was appointed as the chairman of Browns Investments in 2013.[5] In September 2018, he resigned from the Board of Directors of Seylan Bank.[6]<br /> <br /> He was appointed as chairman of LOLC in 2018 after previously serving as a board member from 2002 to 2018. Under his leadership, LOLC also reached total assets amounting to 1.008 trillion as of December 2018.[7][8] In 2019, he eventually toppled Dhammika Perera to become the richest person in Sri Lanka after a Korean bank came forward with interest and intention to buy the LOLC's subsidiary Cambodian microfinance arm for a staggering US$603.4 million.[9][10][11] His Browns Healthcare was acquired by another business magnate Harry Jayawardena for LKR 1.6 billion in February 2020.[12]<br /> <br /> He received the prestigious Young Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards in 2012. He is the current chairman of Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology.<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> <br /> [[Category:profile]]</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Harry_Jayawardena&diff=188 2025-10-30T06:06:11Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Harry Jayawardena<br /> | image = Harry_Jayawardena.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deshamanya Deshamanya]&lt;ref&gt;&quot;National Awards&quot;. President of Sri Lanka Secretariat. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2013.&lt;/ref&gt; '''Don Harold Stassen Jayawardena''' (17 August 1942 – 3 February 2025), known as Harry Jayawardena, was a Sri Lankan industrialist. He was the chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melstacorp Melstacorp PLC]&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Lanka Bell targets over 100,000 CDMA lines by mid August&quot;. Daily News. Sri Lanka. 9 August 2005. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2009.&lt;/ref&gt; and was the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consul_(representative) Honorary Consul General] for Denmark in Sri Lanka. Forbes listed him as one of the richest people in Sri Lanka.&lt;ref&gt;Springer, Jon (20 November 2013). &quot;Sri Lankan Dhammika Perera's Master Plan&quot;. Forbes. Retrieved 17 January 2021.&lt;/ref&gt; His daughter [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stasshani_Jayawardena Stasshani Jayawardena] was appointed as the chairperson of Aitken Space after his death.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Stasshani Jayawardena appointed as Aitken Spence Chairman&quot;. Daily Mirror. Sri Lanka. Retrieved 8 February 2025.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> ===Early career===<br /> Jayawardena first joined a British-owned tea export firm in Santha as a tea trader.[citation needed] He moved to the government-owned State Trading Corporation (Consolidated Exports), better known as Consolexpo Ltd, becoming the head of the Tea Department, which controlled the monopoly of tea exports of Sri Lanka under the administration of Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike in the 1970s.[5][6]<br /> <br /> ===Private sector===<br /> After resigning from Consolidated Exports, Jayawardena founded Stassen Exports Limited on 7 September 1977 to export Ceylon Tea.[citation needed] In 1988 Jayawardena's companies became a significant shareholder of the country's largest private commercial bank, Hatton National Bank.[7] These companies later ventured into many other areas. In 1992, his business empire bought a controlling interest in the Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka PLC (DCSL), which was at the time the largest transaction in the Colombo Stock Exchange.[citation needed] In 2007, under Jayawardena's Chairmanship, DCSL became the No. 1 listed company as per the &quot;Business Today&quot; Top 10 rankings.[8][9][10]<br /> <br /> ===Controversy===<br /> In December 2006, an alleged attempt to remove the Chairman of the Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka, Jayawardena, then managing director of DCSL, was allegedly quoted as threatening to shoot the chairman.[11] Subsequently, Harry Jayawardena assumed duties as the Chairman of DCSL. The same newspaper alleged that Jayawardena threatened a customs officer, many years back.[12]<br /> <br /> Jayawardena announced his voluntary resignation from CPC (Ceylon Petroleum Corporation) on 12, January 2012, a post given by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Due to his personal issues, he announced his resignation.[13]<br /> <br /> ===Business interests===<br /> Jayawardena was a major shareholder and Chairman of the board of directors of the following Colombo Stock Exchange companies:[14]<br /> <br /> Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka<br /> Lanka Milk Foods – Chairman/Founder<br /> Madulsima Plantations – Chairman/managing director<br /> Balangoda Plantations – Chairman/managing director[15]<br /> Browns Beach Hotels<br /> Aitken Spence<br /> Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings<br /> Melstacorp<br /> Jayawardena had interests in these publicly traded companies:[citation needed]<br /> <br /> Hatton National Bank<br /> Development Finance Corporation of Ceylon (DFCC)<br /> And in these private companies:[14][citation needed]<br /> <br /> Stassen Group<br /> Milford Exports<br /> Lanka Dairies<br /> Ambewela Livestock Company<br /> Pattipola Livestock Company<br /> Lanka Bell<br /> Continental Insurance Lanka<br /> Bellavantage Pvt Ltd<br /> <br /> ==Death==<br /> Jayawardena died in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 3 February 2025, at the age of 82.[16]<br /> <br /> ==Honours==<br /> Jayawardena was awarded the title of Deshamanya by the President of Sri Lanka for his services to the industry in 2005.[1] In 2010, he was appointed Knight of the Order of Dannebrog by Queen Margrethe II for his services to Denmark as its Honorary Consul General in Sri Lanka. He received the award for his outstanding and exemplary contribution to Denmark and for fostering bilateral ties between Sri Lanka and Denmark.[17]<br /> <br /> ==Company awards and recognition==<br /> Jayawardena was the chairman of both Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka and Aitken Spence, these companies were the first Sri Lankan companies ever to be listed on the Forbes List of best managed companies outside the USA.[18] In 2007, Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka PLC was the sole Sri Lankan company to be listed once again in the Forbes List of Asia's best 200 under a US$1 Billion.[19]<br /> <br /> ==Honorary positions==<br /> Jayawardena held honorary positions including the Senior Adviser for International Trade and Foreign Investments to the then Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga.[20] He was a member of Colombo Stock Exchange for many years.[citation needed] He was a member of the Apex Task Force to Rebuild the Nation (TAFREN)[21] established by the President of Sri Lanka after the December 2004 tsunami. He was also appointed Chairman of SriLankan Airlines, Sri Lanka's National carrier,[22] becoming Executive chairman in January 2008.[23]<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:profile]]</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Dulith_Herath&diff=187 2025-10-30T06:05:58Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Dulith Herath<br /> | image = Dulith_Herath.jpg<br /> | occupation = [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneurship Entrepreneur]<br /> | website = [https://abansgroup.com/ http://abansgroup.com]<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Dulith Herath''' is a Sri Lankan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneurship entrepreneur].&lt;ref&gt;[https://dailynews.lk/2017/05/08/business/115264/lankan-ecom-dulith-herath-meets-jack-ma-alibaba?page=1 &quot;Lankan eCom Dulith Herath meets Jack Ma of Alibaba]. 8 May 2017.&lt;/ref&gt; He is the founder and chairman of the Sri Lankan e-commerce platform Kapruka.com,&lt;ref&gt;[https://blog.kapruka.com/about/ &quot;Kapruka Holding PLC – Corporate Details&quot;]. 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2022-12-04.&lt;/ref&gt; Java Lounge&lt;ref&gt;[https://www.javalounge.lk/&quot;About Us – Java Lounge | Sri Lanka's Largest Coffee House Chain&quot;]. Retrieved 2022-12-04.&lt;/ref&gt; and the co-founder of Grasshoppers Pvt. Ltd. which provides logistics to small enterprises in Sri Lanka.&lt;ref&gt;[https://web.archive.org/web/20170926095757/https://www.efworld.org/meet-our-fellows/2017-middle-east-and-south-asia-fellows/dulith-herath &quot;DULITH HERATH&quot;.] Archived from the original on 2017-09-26.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early life and career==<br /> Dulith was born in Colombo. He did his schooling at [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_College,_Colombo Royal College, Colombo].&lt;ref&gt; Senanayake, Maheen (7 March 2015). [http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&amp;page=article-details&amp;code_title=120909 &quot;El Dorado&quot;]. The Island.&lt;/ref&gt; Dulith graduated from the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Kentucky University of Kentucky].<br /> <br /> Herath founded Kapruka.com in February 2002.&lt;ref&gt; [https://blog.kapruka.com/about/ &quot;Kapruka Holding PLC – Corporate Details&quot;]. 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2022-12-04.&lt;/ref&gt; In 2016, Herath along with Harsha Liyanage started logistics provider Grasshoppers Pvt. Ltd.&lt;ref&gt;Roy, Debjyoti (20 June 2017). [https://www.vccircle.com/aavishkaar-strikes-second-deal-in-sri-lanka &quot;Aavishkaar strikes second deal in Sri Lanka&quot;]. VC Circle.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Controversies==<br /> Herath has been named in multiple controversies including excise department raid on his office of Kapruka.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Kapruka&quot; caught for illegal liquor trade!&quot;. archive.srilankamirror.com. Retrieved 2020-04-16.&lt;/ref&gt; Herath denied the allegations in a letter to the public.&lt;ref&gt;Lanka, Kapruka Sri. [https://www.kapruka.com/ &quot;Kapruka Response To Falle Liquor Racket Allegations&quot;]. Kapruka. Retrieved 2020-04-16.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> As global e-commerce started to rapidly grow in Sri Lanka with the increased use of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alibaba_Group Alibaba], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_(company) Amazon], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EBay eBay] by citizens, Dulith was notoriously lobbying for restricted trade from these global e-commerce channels.[12] Many speculated that his intentions were to create a monopoly for Kapruka for e-commerce in Sri Lanka and act as the middle man taking a commission from all e-commerce sales, rather than allowing customers to purchase products directly at a better price.[13] The move was heavily opposed by the public that condemned the anti-free market sentiments. Dulith was not granted his request by the government, the decision was applauded by the citizens of Sri Lanka.<br /> <br /> On March 25, 2020, the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) of Sri Lanka personnel raided Kapruka office for selling essential food items at prices far above the maximum retail price (MRP) fixed by the Government. The raid follows complaints lodged with the CAA by people who used the platform kapruka.com to order home deliveries of essential items during the curfew under COVID-19 virus pandemic. Herath faced extensive social media backlash for the reason given by him to overprice essential items.[14][15][16]<br /> <br /> During the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic COVID-19 pandemic], a curfew was enforced by the government of Sri Lanka with the effect of restricting the general public's access to groceries. Dulith was found to be unethically taking advantage of the situation at the expense of the public. Dulith was investigated for trying to exploit customers by the authorities, subsequently, Dulith was exposed on video selling items at exorbitant rates to capitalize on the situation.[17] This resulted in severe backlash from the community as they were disgusted by his lack of morals. Dulith was condemned on social media for his illegal and unethical exploitation of a crisis. This led to a general boycott of Dulith's businesses, Kapruka and Java Lounge.<br /> <br /> Globalization and the proliferation of internet access in Sri Lanka raised awareness of Western business models, resulting in Kapruka and Java Lounge losing their market share to competitors that set up similar ventures. This has not been favorable for the business's as declining revenues and profits have severely hurt the companies financially. Kapruka has been exposed several times for delivering expired products trying to skim revenue from customers.[18] In addition the company has also faced serious claims of being unable to refund customers and is embroiled in several civil suits. This was exposed on the Kapruka social media page by several customers.[19]<br /> <br /> The publicity of the Covid incident resulted in past stories of the unethical practices of Kapruka being brought to light. Several consumers have accused Kapruka of fraud and mismanagement due to the company taking full payment for delivery of goods and not delivering them. Many of these consumers had stated their complaints since 2013 on various independent forums as they stated the company was ignoring them after taking their money.[20] They claimed that Kapruka deleted their comments, so they posted their complaints on independent forums to voice out their frustration and make the public aware. In addition after the Covid incident, consumers claimed that they found it strange that Kapruka had only positive comments on their website but several negative posts on digital spaces such Google reviews and Facebook which led to further speculation that Kapruka was manipulating their reputation. Kapruka currently holds an F rating by the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Business_Bureau Better Business Bureau] due to Kapruka's failure to address customer concerns.[21]<br /> <br /> Industry experts suspect that the unethical actions of Kapruka and current investigations [22] will reflect the true position of the company and its chairman. Kapruka has all the hallmarks of a similar fraud in Sri Lanka done by Blue Mountain Properties in Sri Lanka.[23] The chairmen of both companies were notorious in making outlandish claims on social media to gain the trust of consumers and then failing to deliver, both companies had several negative reviews on independent digital forums but only had positive reviews on forums they controlled, and both companies requested payments to be made upfront without delivery of the final good and then make various excuses when customers request for a refund.<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:profile]]</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Allirajah_Subaskaran&diff=186 2025-10-30T06:05:46Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Allirajah Subaskaran<br /> | image = Subaskaran_Allirajah.jpg<br /> | occupation = [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Businessperson Businessman].[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_producer Film producer]<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Allirajah Subaskaran''' (born 2 March 1972) is a British-Sri Lankan entrepreneur. He was born in Sri Lanka, he later migrated to England and became a British citizen. He is the founder and chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyca_Mobile Lyca Mobile], a telecommunications company and its entertainment subsidiary, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyca_Productions Lyca Productions], based in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai Chennai], India.<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> In 2010, he founded the Gnanam Foundation, named for his mother, Gnanambikai Allirajah. In 2014, the foundation donated £59,000 to Save the Children during the Ebola crisis in West Africa.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Lyca's Gnanam Foundation supports Ebola fight&quot;. Trumpet Media.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The company's first production was the film Kaththi in 2014. It produced the science fiction thriller 2.0 (2018), which was India's most expensive film and the 5th most expensive non-English-language film at the time of its release.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;At Rs 543 crore, Akshay Kumar and Rajinikanth's 2.0 is costlier than Deadpool and these Hollywood blockbusters - Bollywood News&quot;. timesnownews.com. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Since November 2018, Lycatel and its founder have been embroiled in disputes relating to alleged fraud. The company was due for a tribunal hearing in March 2020 to argue against the HM Revenue and Customs. The firm estimates that it would have to pay £60m if it loses – a potential liability that has almost doubled in recent years. Lycamobile declined to say how much is at stake in two other disputes.[3]<br /> <br /> In September 2021, he became the new owner of the Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Lyca Kovai Kings, a cricket team based in Coimbatore in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) tournament, is owned by Lyca Productions.[4][5]<br /> <br /> Allirajah formerly served on the Advisory Council for Sri Lanka within the British Asian Trust.[6]<br /> <br /> ==Filmography==<br /> Main article: Lyca Productions<br /> All films produced or distributed by Allirajah Subaskaran have been through Lyca Productions, the company he founded. For a complete list, see Lyca Productions.<br /> <br /> ==Awards==<br /> In October 2011 Lycatel was ranked 36th out of 250 leading mid-market private companies in The Sunday Times.[7] Allirajah received a gold award for Best Overall Enterprise in 2010 at the Asian Achievers Award ceremony for the impact he has made on the Asian community in the UK.[8] The Asian Voice Political and Public Life awarded Allirajah in 2011 its &quot;International Entrepreneur of the Year&quot; award.[9]<br /> <br /> In 2012 the English Asian Business Awards presented Allirajah with the &quot;2011 Power Business of the Year&quot; award, recognizing the growth of the Lycamobile business globally,[10] as well as the &quot;Social Entrepreneur of the Year&quot; award.[11]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:profile]]</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=185 2025-10-30T06:04:05Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>&lt;strong&gt;MediaWiki has been installed.&lt;/strong&gt;<br /> <br /> &lt;b&gt;Complete List of Profiles: &lt;/b&gt; [http://profile.lk/index.php?title=Category:profile Click here]<br /> <br /> <br /> Consult the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Help:Contents User's Guide] for information on using the wiki software.<br /> <br /> == Getting started ==<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ]<br /> * [https://lists.wikimedia.org/postorius/lists/mediawiki-announce.lists.wikimedia.org/ MediaWiki release mailing list]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Localisation#Translation_resources Localise MediaWiki for your language]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Combating_spam Learn how to combat spam on your wiki]</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Aban_Pestonjee&diff=184 2025-10-30T06:03:11Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Aban Pestonjee<br /> | image = Aban_Pestonjee.jpg<br /> | occupation = [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneurship Entrepreneur]<br /> | website = [https://abansgroup.com/ http://abansgroup.com]<br /> }}<br /> <br /> Aban Pestonjee is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_(officer) chairperson] and founder of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abans Abans] group of companies. She is known as one of the first entrepreneurs who initiated in first bringing Korean technology to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka Sri Lankan] consumers.<br /> <br /> Pestonjee launched her business in 1968 in her home garage where she managed to restore the used appliances which she acquired from auctions and home sales to better working condition and sell them at her corner shop in Galle Road.&lt;ref name=&quot;ref1&quot;&gt;[https://www.ft.lk/business/A-Sri-Lankan-story-Abans-Group-s-journey-from-corner-store-to-corporate-giant/34-689270 A Sri Lankan story: Abans Group's journey from corner store to corporate giant | Daily FT].www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2024-03-24.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Personal life==<br /> Pestonjee is of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsis Parsi] descent.<br /> <br /> ==Business life==<br /> Aban Pestonjee launched her business under the name Abans in 1968 at her home garage, where she managed to restore the used appliances she acquired from auctions and home sales to better working condition and sell them at her corner shop at [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bambalapitiya Bambalapitiya], Galle Road.&lt;ref name=&quot;ref1&quot;/&gt; She came up with the idea to launch her own company at a time when Sri Lanka entered into the prospect of a closed economy in the 1960s, which also resulted in the subsequent ban on imports. Aban also took note of how difficult it was to complete household chores through manual labour due to restrictions imposed by Sri Lankan government on importing raw materials and cashed in on the potential by selling secondhand home appliances sourced through embassy auctions.&lt;ref name=&quot;ref1&quot;/&gt;<br /> <br /> In 1978, the economy opened up and there was a large inflow of imported products. This led to an increased demand from the customers for quality global brands. First, she imported products from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England England], then from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand Thailand],[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China China],[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan Japan] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea Korea].<br /> <br /> Abans Group is mainly divided into 5 business categories such as retail, services,&lt;ref&gt;[https://buyabans.com/ Abans retail].Retrieved 27 June 2013.&lt;/ref&gt; logistics, manufacturing and real estate and infrastructure development under which come Abans (Pvt) Ltd, Abans automobile,&lt;ref&gt;[https://web.archive.org/web/20130704021256/http://www.abansgroup.com/loader/page/automobile/index Abans Automobile Division]. Retrieved 27 June 2013.&lt;/ref&gt; Abans Abstract,&lt;ref&gt;[https://web.archive.org/web/20130629155333/http://www.abansgroup.com/loader/page/aworld/index Abans Group - Abstract]. Retrieved 27 June 2013.&lt;/ref&gt; S.A. Electricals (Pvt) Ltd Services, Abans Central AC Division, Abans Finance,&lt;ref&gt;Abans Finance. Retrieved 26 June 2013.&lt;/ref&gt; Abans Tours,&lt;ref&gt;[https://web.archive.org/web/20130531111532/http://www.abanstours.lk/ Abans Tours]. Retrieved 26 June 2013.&lt;/ref&gt; AB Securities (Pvt) Ltd etc.<br /> <br /> ==Awards and honours==<br /> *The Award of Excellence for Woman Achievers for Outstanding Achievement from the SAARC Women's association in Year 2000.&lt;ref name=&quot;ref2&quot;&gt;[https://archive.ph/20130628040440/http://www.slbo.lk/investcse/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&amp;t=43 Aban Pestonjee]. Retrieved 26 June 2013.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> *The Bronze Award for the Large Business Category by the Women's Chamber of Industry &amp; Commerce at the Year 2000 Women Entrepreneurs of the Year Award Ceremony.&lt;ref name=&quot;ref2&quot;/&gt;<br /> <br /> *KOTRA Plaque of Appreciation -- 2005 for forging strategic foreign economic ties between Korea &amp; Sri Lanka presented by Mr. Young Kyo, president and CEO of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KOTRA Korea Trade Promotion Agency].&lt;ref&gt;[https://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2005/01/23/bus12.html Aban Pestonjee receives 'Kotra' plaque]. Retrieved 2013-06-26.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> *In 2006, she received International Recognition for winning the Leading Women Entrepreneur of the World award.&lt;ref&gt;[https://web.archive.org/web/20080524075352/http://www.dailynews.lk/2006/03/20/fin07.asp Women Entrepreneurs Award for Abans Chief]. Retrieved 26 June 2013.&lt;/ref&gt; Mrs. Pestonjee was awarded the prize by the Princess of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand Thailand].<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> *She also received the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LG LG] award for the Best Importer on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Asia South-East Asia] on behalf of Abans Limited.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.island.lk/2006/11/18/business7.html Abans awarded Best LG Importer in SouthEast Asia]. Official website of the Island paper, Sri Lanka.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:profile]]</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Ishara_Nanayakkara&diff=183 2025-10-29T04:57:31Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Ishara Nanayakkara<br /> | image = Ishara_Nanayakkara.webp<br /> | occupation = Businessman / Entrepreneur<br /> }}<br /> <br /> Ishara Chinthaka Nanayakkara is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka Sri Lankan] entrepreneur and businessman. As of August 2025, he is the Richest man in Sri Lanka.&lt;ref&gt; &quot;Chairman of LOLC becomes richest person in SL&quot;. Retrieved 2020-06-06.&lt;/ref&gt; He is currently serving as the deputy group chairman of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LOLC_Holdings LOLC Holdings].&lt;ref&gt;&quot;LOLC | The Board of Directors&quot;. www.lolc.com. Retrieved 2020-06-06.&lt;/ref&gt; His father Rajah Nanayakkara was also a prominent businessman and he died in 2017 at the age of 77. Ishara is considered a billionaire with a net worth of around 1.6 Billion. Mostly locked up in investments in LOLC and Browns.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Rajah Nanayakkara no more&quot;. www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2020-06-06.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Biography==<br /> Nanayakkara's father Rajah was an entrepreneur and founded the automobile industry through Ishara Traders in 1973 which is now regarded as the pioneer in importing reconditioned repaired vehicles from Japan to Sri Lanka.[4] Ishara at his teenage was sent to Japan for extensive training after his secondary education at Royal College, Colombo 07. He holds a diploma in Business Accounting from Australia's Dandenong College.<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Nanayakkara pursued his career in financial services and started investing in finance companies such as LOLC. He was also appointed to the Board of Directors of LOLC in 2002. He also served as deputy chairman of Lanka Orix Finance from 2011 to 2018 and was appointed as the chairman of Browns Investments in 2013.[5] In September 2018, he resigned from the Board of Directors of Seylan Bank.[6]<br /> <br /> He was appointed as chairman of LOLC in 2018 after previously serving as a board member from 2002 to 2018. Under his leadership, LOLC also reached total assets amounting to 1.008 trillion as of December 2018.[7][8] In 2019, he eventually toppled Dhammika Perera to become the richest person in Sri Lanka after a Korean bank came forward with interest and intention to buy the LOLC's subsidiary Cambodian microfinance arm for a staggering US$603.4 million.[9][10][11] His Browns Healthcare was acquired by another business magnate Harry Jayawardena for LKR 1.6 billion in February 2020.[12]<br /> <br /> He received the prestigious Young Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards in 2012. He is the current chairman of Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology.<br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Ishara_Nanayakkara&diff=182 2025-10-29T04:54:52Z

<p>Bhashi: Created page with &quot;{{Infobox person2 | name = Ishara Nanayakkara | image = Ishara_Nanayakkara.webp | occupation = Businessman / Entrepreneur }} Ishara Chinthaka Nanayakkara is a Sri Lankan entrepreneur and businessman. As of August 2025, he is the Richest man in Sri Lanka.[1] He is currently serving as the deputy group chairman of the LOLC Holdings.[2] His father Rajah Nanayakkara was also a prominent businessman and he died in 2017 at the age of 77. Ishara is considered a bill...&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Ishara Nanayakkara<br /> | image = Ishara_Nanayakkara.webp<br /> | occupation = Businessman / Entrepreneur<br /> }}<br /> <br /> Ishara Chinthaka Nanayakkara is a Sri Lankan entrepreneur and businessman. As of August 2025, he is the Richest man in Sri Lanka.[1] He is currently serving as the deputy group chairman of the LOLC Holdings.[2] His father Rajah Nanayakkara was also a prominent businessman and he died in 2017 at the age of 77. Ishara is considered a billionaire with a net worth of around 1.6 Billion. Mostly locked up in investments in LOLC and Browns. [3]<br /> <br /> ==Biography==<br /> Nanayakkara's father Rajah was an entrepreneur and founded the automobile industry through Ishara Traders in 1973 which is now regarded as the pioneer in importing reconditioned repaired vehicles from Japan to Sri Lanka.[4] Ishara at his teenage was sent to Japan for extensive training after his secondary education at Royal College, Colombo 07. He holds a diploma in Business Accounting from Australia's Dandenong College.<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Nanayakkara pursued his career in financial services and started investing in finance companies such as LOLC. He was also appointed to the Board of Directors of LOLC in 2002. He also served as deputy chairman of Lanka Orix Finance from 2011 to 2018 and was appointed as the chairman of Browns Investments in 2013.[5] In September 2018, he resigned from the Board of Directors of Seylan Bank.[6]<br /> <br /> He was appointed as chairman of LOLC in 2018 after previously serving as a board member from 2002 to 2018. Under his leadership, LOLC also reached total assets amounting to 1.008 trillion as of December 2018.[7][8] In 2019, he eventually toppled Dhammika Perera to become the richest person in Sri Lanka after a Korean bank came forward with interest and intention to buy the LOLC's subsidiary Cambodian microfinance arm for a staggering US$603.4 million.[9][10][11] His Browns Healthcare was acquired by another business magnate Harry Jayawardena for LKR 1.6 billion in February 2020.[12]<br /> <br /> He received the prestigious Young Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards in 2012. He is the current chairman of Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology.<br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=File:Ishara_Nanayakkara.webp&diff=181 2025-10-29T04:54:19Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div></div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Kandiah_Balendra&diff=180 2025-10-29T04:48:38Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Kandiah Balendra<br /> | image = Kandiah_Balendra.png<br /> | occupation = Chairman, South Asia Regional Fund<br /> }}<br /> <br /> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deshamanya Deshamanya] '''Kandiah &quot;Ken&quot; Balendra''' (3 February 1940&lt;ref&gt; ஜோன் கீல்ஸ் குழும முதலாவது இலங்கைத் தலைவர் கென் பாலேந்திரா காலமானார் (in Tamil)&lt;/ref&gt; – 3 February 2025) was a Sri Lankan corporate leader and executive, who held many corporate positions in Sri Lanka and the region. He served as the first Sri Lankan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_(officer) chairman] of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_(officer) John Keells Holdings Ltd.], the largest conglomerate in the island.&lt;ref&gt;Desamanya Ken Balendra Executive Profile, Bloomberg Businessweek&lt;/ref&gt;He was the chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_(officer) Brandix Lanka Ltd]. and the South Asia Regional Fund of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_International_Investment Commonwealth Development Corporation].&lt;ref&gt; &quot;Brandix board of directors&quot;. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Biography==<br /> Early life and education<br /> Born in 1940[4] into a well-to-do, Tamil family in Colombo, his father was a revenue inspector.[citation needed] He was educated at the Royal College, Colombo, where he excelled in sports.[5] He participated in the Royalist team at the 1958 Bradby Shield Encounter, where Trinity was defeated to end their streak of six consecutive victories.[6] It was when he represented Ceylonese Rugby &amp; Football Club, he was affectionately called as Ken from that point of time.[7]<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Balendra began his career in 1963 as a planter at Finlays, an independent tea and horticultural product trader. He joined John Keells Holdings in 1969 (then known as John Keell Thompson White Ltd) and following a successful stint as a tea broker, he was appointed a company director in 1974.[8] From 1990 until his retirement from the company in 2000 he served as its chairman, the first Sri Lankan to hold the position, overseeing a period of rapid growth and diversification.[9] It was during Ken's tenure that witnessed a massive turnaround as far as John Keells Holdings was concerned when it transformed into Sri Lanka's biggest conglomerate from being a colonial-era tea broking house.[10][5]<br /> <br /> He served as chairman of the Bank of Ceylon (2000–2002),[4] the Ceylon Tobacco Company (2003–2008),[11] the Securities and Exchange Commission (2000–2002),[12] the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka, and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (1998–2000).[2][3][13] In April 200, Balendra was appointed the first president of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors.[14] He was a director at Chevron Lubricants Lanka until his resignation in 2011, having served over 10 years.[15]<br /> <br /> In 2011 The Sunday Leader named Balendra as one of &quot;The 20 Billionaires of Sri Lanka's Stock Market&quot;. He was featured in 11th place, with holdings said to be worth nearly 2.5 billion Rupees.[16]<br /> <br /> ==Personal life and death==<br /> Balendra married Swyrie, a doctor, in 1969.[9] They had a daughter and a son named Natasha (Ex Chairperson of the National Child Protection Authority) and Krishan, who has served as the chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange since mid-2011.[17] Krishan was educated at INSEAD in France and the University of London.<br /> <br /> Kandiah Balendra died in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 3 February 2025, on his 85th birthday.[18][19]<br /> <br /> ==Honours and recognition==<br /> Awarded the Sri Lankan national honour Deshamanya by President Chandrika Kumaratunga (1998).[2][3]<br /> Appointed Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Sri Lanka.[20]<br /> Awarded The Cavaliers Cross of the Order of Merit of Poland (2007).[21]<br /> Named Sri Lankan of the Year (1998) &amp; voted the Most Effective Business Leader in Sri Lanka (2003) since independence in a poll conducted by the Lanka Monthly Digest magazine.[22][23]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Kandiah_Balendra&diff=179 2025-10-29T04:48:05Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Kandiah Balendra<br /> | image = Kandiah_Balendra.PNG<br /> | occupation = Chairman, South Asia Regional Fund<br /> }}<br /> <br /> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deshamanya Deshamanya] '''Kandiah &quot;Ken&quot; Balendra''' (3 February 1940&lt;ref&gt; ஜோன் கீல்ஸ் குழும முதலாவது இலங்கைத் தலைவர் கென் பாலேந்திரா காலமானார் (in Tamil)&lt;/ref&gt; – 3 February 2025) was a Sri Lankan corporate leader and executive, who held many corporate positions in Sri Lanka and the region. He served as the first Sri Lankan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_(officer) chairman] of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_(officer) John Keells Holdings Ltd.], the largest conglomerate in the island.&lt;ref&gt;Desamanya Ken Balendra Executive Profile, Bloomberg Businessweek&lt;/ref&gt;He was the chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_(officer) Brandix Lanka Ltd]. and the South Asia Regional Fund of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_International_Investment Commonwealth Development Corporation].&lt;ref&gt; &quot;Brandix board of directors&quot;. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Biography==<br /> Early life and education<br /> Born in 1940[4] into a well-to-do, Tamil family in Colombo, his father was a revenue inspector.[citation needed] He was educated at the Royal College, Colombo, where he excelled in sports.[5] He participated in the Royalist team at the 1958 Bradby Shield Encounter, where Trinity was defeated to end their streak of six consecutive victories.[6] It was when he represented Ceylonese Rugby &amp; Football Club, he was affectionately called as Ken from that point of time.[7]<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Balendra began his career in 1963 as a planter at Finlays, an independent tea and horticultural product trader. He joined John Keells Holdings in 1969 (then known as John Keell Thompson White Ltd) and following a successful stint as a tea broker, he was appointed a company director in 1974.[8] From 1990 until his retirement from the company in 2000 he served as its chairman, the first Sri Lankan to hold the position, overseeing a period of rapid growth and diversification.[9] It was during Ken's tenure that witnessed a massive turnaround as far as John Keells Holdings was concerned when it transformed into Sri Lanka's biggest conglomerate from being a colonial-era tea broking house.[10][5]<br /> <br /> He served as chairman of the Bank of Ceylon (2000–2002),[4] the Ceylon Tobacco Company (2003–2008),[11] the Securities and Exchange Commission (2000–2002),[12] the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka, and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (1998–2000).[2][3][13] In April 200, Balendra was appointed the first president of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors.[14] He was a director at Chevron Lubricants Lanka until his resignation in 2011, having served over 10 years.[15]<br /> <br /> In 2011 The Sunday Leader named Balendra as one of &quot;The 20 Billionaires of Sri Lanka's Stock Market&quot;. He was featured in 11th place, with holdings said to be worth nearly 2.5 billion Rupees.[16]<br /> <br /> ==Personal life and death==<br /> Balendra married Swyrie, a doctor, in 1969.[9] They had a daughter and a son named Natasha (Ex Chairperson of the National Child Protection Authority) and Krishan, who has served as the chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange since mid-2011.[17] Krishan was educated at INSEAD in France and the University of London.<br /> <br /> Kandiah Balendra died in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 3 February 2025, on his 85th birthday.[18][19]<br /> <br /> ==Honours and recognition==<br /> Awarded the Sri Lankan national honour Deshamanya by President Chandrika Kumaratunga (1998).[2][3]<br /> Appointed Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Sri Lanka.[20]<br /> Awarded The Cavaliers Cross of the Order of Merit of Poland (2007).[21]<br /> Named Sri Lankan of the Year (1998) &amp; voted the Most Effective Business Leader in Sri Lanka (2003) since independence in a poll conducted by the Lanka Monthly Digest magazine.[22][23]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Kandiah_Balendra&diff=178 2025-10-29T04:46:32Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Kandiah Balendra<br /> | image = Kandiah_Balendra.PNG<br /> | occupation = Chairman, South Asia Regional Fund<br /> }}<br /> <br /> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deshamanya Deshamanya] '''Kandiah &quot;Ken&quot; Balendra''' (3 February 1940[1] – 3 February 2025) was a Sri Lankan corporate leader and executive, who held many corporate positions in Sri Lanka and the region. He served as the first Sri Lankan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_(officer) chairman] of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_(officer) John Keells Holdings Ltd.], the largest conglomerate in the island.[2] He was the chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_(officer) Brandix Lanka Ltd]. and the South Asia Regional Fund of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_International_Investment Commonwealth Development Corporation].[2][3]<br /> <br /> ==Biography==<br /> Early life and education<br /> Born in 1940[4] into a well-to-do, Tamil family in Colombo, his father was a revenue inspector.[citation needed] He was educated at the Royal College, Colombo, where he excelled in sports.[5] He participated in the Royalist team at the 1958 Bradby Shield Encounter, where Trinity was defeated to end their streak of six consecutive victories.[6] It was when he represented Ceylonese Rugby &amp; Football Club, he was affectionately called as Ken from that point of time.[7]<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Balendra began his career in 1963 as a planter at Finlays, an independent tea and horticultural product trader. He joined John Keells Holdings in 1969 (then known as John Keell Thompson White Ltd) and following a successful stint as a tea broker, he was appointed a company director in 1974.[8] From 1990 until his retirement from the company in 2000 he served as its chairman, the first Sri Lankan to hold the position, overseeing a period of rapid growth and diversification.[9] It was during Ken's tenure that witnessed a massive turnaround as far as John Keells Holdings was concerned when it transformed into Sri Lanka's biggest conglomerate from being a colonial-era tea broking house.[10][5]<br /> <br /> He served as chairman of the Bank of Ceylon (2000–2002),[4] the Ceylon Tobacco Company (2003–2008),[11] the Securities and Exchange Commission (2000–2002),[12] the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka, and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (1998–2000).[2][3][13] In April 200, Balendra was appointed the first president of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors.[14] He was a director at Chevron Lubricants Lanka until his resignation in 2011, having served over 10 years.[15]<br /> <br /> In 2011 The Sunday Leader named Balendra as one of &quot;The 20 Billionaires of Sri Lanka's Stock Market&quot;. He was featured in 11th place, with holdings said to be worth nearly 2.5 billion Rupees.[16]<br /> <br /> ==Personal life and death==<br /> Balendra married Swyrie, a doctor, in 1969.[9] They had a daughter and a son named Natasha (Ex Chairperson of the National Child Protection Authority) and Krishan, who has served as the chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange since mid-2011.[17] Krishan was educated at INSEAD in France and the University of London.<br /> <br /> Kandiah Balendra died in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 3 February 2025, on his 85th birthday.[18][19]<br /> <br /> ==Honours and recognition==<br /> Awarded the Sri Lankan national honour Deshamanya by President Chandrika Kumaratunga (1998).[2][3]<br /> Appointed Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Sri Lanka.[20]<br /> Awarded The Cavaliers Cross of the Order of Merit of Poland (2007).[21]<br /> Named Sri Lankan of the Year (1998) &amp; voted the Most Effective Business Leader in Sri Lanka (2003) since independence in a poll conducted by the Lanka Monthly Digest magazine.[22][23]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=File:Kandiah_Balendra.png&diff=177 2025-10-29T04:43:56Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div></div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Kandiah_Balendra&diff=176 2025-10-29T04:41:42Z

<p>Bhashi: Created page with &quot;{{Infobox person | name = Aban Pestonjee | image = Aban_Pestonjee.jpg | occupation = [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneurship Entrepreneur] | website = [https://abansgroup.com/ http://abansgroup.com] }} Deshamanya Kandiah &quot;Ken&quot; Balendra (3 February 1940[1] – 3 February 2025) was a Sri Lankan corporate leader and executive, who held many corporate positions in Sri Lanka and the region. He served as the first Sri Lankan chairman of John Keells Holdi...&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Aban Pestonjee<br /> | image = Aban_Pestonjee.jpg<br /> | occupation = [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneurship Entrepreneur]<br /> | website = [https://abansgroup.com/ http://abansgroup.com]<br /> }}<br /> <br /> Deshamanya Kandiah &quot;Ken&quot; Balendra (3 February 1940[1] – 3 February 2025) was a Sri Lankan corporate leader and executive, who held many corporate positions in Sri Lanka and the region. He served as the first Sri Lankan chairman of John Keells Holdings Ltd., the largest conglomerate in the island.[2] He was the chairman of Brandix Lanka Ltd. and the South Asia Regional Fund of the Commonwealth Development Corporation.[2][3]<br /> <br /> ==Biography==<br /> Early life and education<br /> Born in 1940[4] into a well-to-do, Tamil family in Colombo, his father was a revenue inspector.[citation needed] He was educated at the Royal College, Colombo, where he excelled in sports.[5] He participated in the Royalist team at the 1958 Bradby Shield Encounter, where Trinity was defeated to end their streak of six consecutive victories.[6] It was when he represented Ceylonese Rugby &amp; Football Club, he was affectionately called as Ken from that point of time.[7]<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Balendra began his career in 1963 as a planter at Finlays, an independent tea and horticultural product trader. He joined John Keells Holdings in 1969 (then known as John Keell Thompson White Ltd) and following a successful stint as a tea broker, he was appointed a company director in 1974.[8] From 1990 until his retirement from the company in 2000 he served as its chairman, the first Sri Lankan to hold the position, overseeing a period of rapid growth and diversification.[9] It was during Ken's tenure that witnessed a massive turnaround as far as John Keells Holdings was concerned when it transformed into Sri Lanka's biggest conglomerate from being a colonial-era tea broking house.[10][5]<br /> <br /> He served as chairman of the Bank of Ceylon (2000–2002),[4] the Ceylon Tobacco Company (2003–2008),[11] the Securities and Exchange Commission (2000–2002),[12] the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka, and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (1998–2000).[2][3][13] In April 200, Balendra was appointed the first president of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors.[14] He was a director at Chevron Lubricants Lanka until his resignation in 2011, having served over 10 years.[15]<br /> <br /> In 2011 The Sunday Leader named Balendra as one of &quot;The 20 Billionaires of Sri Lanka's Stock Market&quot;. He was featured in 11th place, with holdings said to be worth nearly 2.5 billion Rupees.[16]<br /> <br /> ==Personal life and death==<br /> Balendra married Swyrie, a doctor, in 1969.[9] They had a daughter and a son named Natasha (Ex Chairperson of the National Child Protection Authority) and Krishan, who has served as the chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange since mid-2011.[17] Krishan was educated at INSEAD in France and the University of London.<br /> <br /> Kandiah Balendra died in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 3 February 2025, on his 85th birthday.[18][19]<br /> <br /> ==Honours and recognition==<br /> Awarded the Sri Lankan national honour Deshamanya by President Chandrika Kumaratunga (1998).[2][3]<br /> Appointed Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Sri Lanka.[20]<br /> Awarded The Cavaliers Cross of the Order of Merit of Poland (2007).[21]<br /> Named Sri Lankan of the Year (1998) &amp; voted the Most Effective Business Leader in Sri Lanka (2003) since independence in a poll conducted by the Lanka Monthly Digest magazine.[22][23]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Allirajah_Subaskaran&diff=175 2025-10-28T06:19:19Z

<p>Bhashi: /* Career */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Allirajah Subaskaran<br /> | image = Subaskaran_Allirajah.jpg<br /> | occupation = [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Businessperson Businessman].[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_producer Film producer]<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Allirajah Subaskaran''' (born 2 March 1972) is a British-Sri Lankan entrepreneur. He was born in Sri Lanka, he later migrated to England and became a British citizen. He is the founder and chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyca_Mobile Lyca Mobile], a telecommunications company and its entertainment subsidiary, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyca_Productions Lyca Productions], based in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai Chennai], India.<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> In 2010, he founded the Gnanam Foundation, named for his mother, Gnanambikai Allirajah. In 2014, the foundation donated £59,000 to Save the Children during the Ebola crisis in West Africa.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Lyca's Gnanam Foundation supports Ebola fight&quot;. Trumpet Media.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The company's first production was the film Kaththi in 2014. It produced the science fiction thriller 2.0 (2018), which was India's most expensive film and the 5th most expensive non-English-language film at the time of its release.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;At Rs 543 crore, Akshay Kumar and Rajinikanth's 2.0 is costlier than Deadpool and these Hollywood blockbusters - Bollywood News&quot;. timesnownews.com. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Since November 2018, Lycatel and its founder have been embroiled in disputes relating to alleged fraud. The company was due for a tribunal hearing in March 2020 to argue against the HM Revenue and Customs. The firm estimates that it would have to pay £60m if it loses – a potential liability that has almost doubled in recent years. Lycamobile declined to say how much is at stake in two other disputes.[3]<br /> <br /> In September 2021, he became the new owner of the Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Lyca Kovai Kings, a cricket team based in Coimbatore in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) tournament, is owned by Lyca Productions.[4][5]<br /> <br /> Allirajah formerly served on the Advisory Council for Sri Lanka within the British Asian Trust.[6]<br /> <br /> ==Filmography==<br /> Main article: Lyca Productions<br /> All films produced or distributed by Allirajah Subaskaran have been through Lyca Productions, the company he founded. For a complete list, see Lyca Productions.<br /> <br /> ==Awards==<br /> In October 2011 Lycatel was ranked 36th out of 250 leading mid-market private companies in The Sunday Times.[7] Allirajah received a gold award for Best Overall Enterprise in 2010 at the Asian Achievers Award ceremony for the impact he has made on the Asian community in the UK.[8] The Asian Voice Political and Public Life awarded Allirajah in 2011 its &quot;International Entrepreneur of the Year&quot; award.[9]<br /> <br /> In 2012 the English Asian Business Awards presented Allirajah with the &quot;2011 Power Business of the Year&quot; award, recognizing the growth of the Lycamobile business globally,[10] as well as the &quot;Social Entrepreneur of the Year&quot; award.[11]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Allirajah_Subaskaran&diff=174 2025-10-28T06:18:33Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Allirajah Subaskaran<br /> | image = Subaskaran_Allirajah.jpg<br /> | occupation = [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Businessperson Businessman].[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_producer Film producer]<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Allirajah Subaskaran''' (born 2 March 1972) is a British-Sri Lankan entrepreneur. He was born in Sri Lanka, he later migrated to England and became a British citizen. He is the founder and chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyca_Mobile Lyca Mobile], a telecommunications company and its entertainment subsidiary, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyca_Productions Lyca Productions], based in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai Chennai], India.<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> In 2010, he founded the Gnanam Foundation, named for his mother, Gnanambikai Allirajah. In 2014, the foundation donated £59,000 to Save the Children during the Ebola crisis in West Africa.[1]<br /> <br /> The company's first production was the film Kaththi in 2014. It produced the science fiction thriller 2.0 (2018), which was India's most expensive film and the 5th most expensive non-English-language film at the time of its release.[2]<br /> <br /> Since November 2018, Lycatel and its founder have been embroiled in disputes relating to alleged fraud. The company was due for a tribunal hearing in March 2020 to argue against the HM Revenue and Customs. The firm estimates that it would have to pay £60m if it loses – a potential liability that has almost doubled in recent years. Lycamobile declined to say how much is at stake in two other disputes.[3]<br /> <br /> In September 2021, he became the new owner of the Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Lyca Kovai Kings, a cricket team based in Coimbatore in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) tournament, is owned by Lyca Productions.[4][5]<br /> <br /> Allirajah formerly served on the Advisory Council for Sri Lanka within the British Asian Trust.[6]<br /> <br /> ==Filmography==<br /> Main article: Lyca Productions<br /> All films produced or distributed by Allirajah Subaskaran have been through Lyca Productions, the company he founded. For a complete list, see Lyca Productions.<br /> <br /> ==Awards==<br /> In October 2011 Lycatel was ranked 36th out of 250 leading mid-market private companies in The Sunday Times.[7] Allirajah received a gold award for Best Overall Enterprise in 2010 at the Asian Achievers Award ceremony for the impact he has made on the Asian community in the UK.[8] The Asian Voice Political and Public Life awarded Allirajah in 2011 its &quot;International Entrepreneur of the Year&quot; award.[9]<br /> <br /> In 2012 the English Asian Business Awards presented Allirajah with the &quot;2011 Power Business of the Year&quot; award, recognizing the growth of the Lycamobile business globally,[10] as well as the &quot;Social Entrepreneur of the Year&quot; award.[11]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Allirajah_Subaskaran&diff=173 2025-10-28T06:17:11Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Allirajah Subaskaran<br /> | image = Subaskaran_Allirajah.jpg<br /> | occupation = [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Businessperson Businessman].[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_producer Film producer]<br /> }}<br /> <br /> Allirajah Subaskaran (born 2 March 1972) is a British-Sri Lankan entrepreneur. He was born in Sri Lanka, he later migrated to England and became a British citizen. He is the founder and chairman of Lyca Mobile, a telecommunications company and its entertainment subsidiary, Lyca Productions, based in Chennai, India.<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> In 2010, he founded the Gnanam Foundation, named for his mother, Gnanambikai Allirajah. In 2014, the foundation donated £59,000 to Save the Children during the Ebola crisis in West Africa.[1]<br /> <br /> The company's first production was the film Kaththi in 2014. It produced the science fiction thriller 2.0 (2018), which was India's most expensive film and the 5th most expensive non-English-language film at the time of its release.[2]<br /> <br /> Since November 2018, Lycatel and its founder have been embroiled in disputes relating to alleged fraud. The company was due for a tribunal hearing in March 2020 to argue against the HM Revenue and Customs. The firm estimates that it would have to pay £60m if it loses – a potential liability that has almost doubled in recent years. Lycamobile declined to say how much is at stake in two other disputes.[3]<br /> <br /> In September 2021, he became the new owner of the Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Lyca Kovai Kings, a cricket team based in Coimbatore in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) tournament, is owned by Lyca Productions.[4][5]<br /> <br /> Allirajah formerly served on the Advisory Council for Sri Lanka within the British Asian Trust.[6]<br /> <br /> ==Filmography==<br /> Main article: Lyca Productions<br /> All films produced or distributed by Allirajah Subaskaran have been through Lyca Productions, the company he founded. For a complete list, see Lyca Productions.<br /> <br /> ==Awards==<br /> In October 2011 Lycatel was ranked 36th out of 250 leading mid-market private companies in The Sunday Times.[7] Allirajah received a gold award for Best Overall Enterprise in 2010 at the Asian Achievers Award ceremony for the impact he has made on the Asian community in the UK.[8] The Asian Voice Political and Public Life awarded Allirajah in 2011 its &quot;International Entrepreneur of the Year&quot; award.[9]<br /> <br /> In 2012 the English Asian Business Awards presented Allirajah with the &quot;2011 Power Business of the Year&quot; award, recognizing the growth of the Lycamobile business globally,[10] as well as the &quot;Social Entrepreneur of the Year&quot; award.[11]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Allirajah_Subaskaran&diff=172 2025-10-28T06:17:00Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Allirajah Subaskaran<br /> | image = Subaskaran_Allirajah.JPG<br /> | occupation = [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Businessperson Businessman].[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_producer Film producer]<br /> }}<br /> <br /> Allirajah Subaskaran (born 2 March 1972) is a British-Sri Lankan entrepreneur. He was born in Sri Lanka, he later migrated to England and became a British citizen. He is the founder and chairman of Lyca Mobile, a telecommunications company and its entertainment subsidiary, Lyca Productions, based in Chennai, India.<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> In 2010, he founded the Gnanam Foundation, named for his mother, Gnanambikai Allirajah. In 2014, the foundation donated £59,000 to Save the Children during the Ebola crisis in West Africa.[1]<br /> <br /> The company's first production was the film Kaththi in 2014. It produced the science fiction thriller 2.0 (2018), which was India's most expensive film and the 5th most expensive non-English-language film at the time of its release.[2]<br /> <br /> Since November 2018, Lycatel and its founder have been embroiled in disputes relating to alleged fraud. The company was due for a tribunal hearing in March 2020 to argue against the HM Revenue and Customs. The firm estimates that it would have to pay £60m if it loses – a potential liability that has almost doubled in recent years. Lycamobile declined to say how much is at stake in two other disputes.[3]<br /> <br /> In September 2021, he became the new owner of the Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Lyca Kovai Kings, a cricket team based in Coimbatore in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) tournament, is owned by Lyca Productions.[4][5]<br /> <br /> Allirajah formerly served on the Advisory Council for Sri Lanka within the British Asian Trust.[6]<br /> <br /> ==Filmography==<br /> Main article: Lyca Productions<br /> All films produced or distributed by Allirajah Subaskaran have been through Lyca Productions, the company he founded. For a complete list, see Lyca Productions.<br /> <br /> ==Awards==<br /> In October 2011 Lycatel was ranked 36th out of 250 leading mid-market private companies in The Sunday Times.[7] Allirajah received a gold award for Best Overall Enterprise in 2010 at the Asian Achievers Award ceremony for the impact he has made on the Asian community in the UK.[8] The Asian Voice Political and Public Life awarded Allirajah in 2011 its &quot;International Entrepreneur of the Year&quot; award.[9]<br /> <br /> In 2012 the English Asian Business Awards presented Allirajah with the &quot;2011 Power Business of the Year&quot; award, recognizing the growth of the Lycamobile business globally,[10] as well as the &quot;Social Entrepreneur of the Year&quot; award.[11]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=File:Subaskaran_Allirajah.jpg&diff=171 2025-10-28T06:16:33Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div></div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Allirajah_Subaskaran&diff=170 2025-10-28T06:16:19Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Allirajah Subaskaran<br /> | image = Subaskaran_Allirajah.jpg<br /> | occupation = [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Businessperson Businessman].[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_producer Film producer]<br /> }}<br /> <br /> Allirajah Subaskaran (born 2 March 1972) is a British-Sri Lankan entrepreneur. He was born in Sri Lanka, he later migrated to England and became a British citizen. He is the founder and chairman of Lyca Mobile, a telecommunications company and its entertainment subsidiary, Lyca Productions, based in Chennai, India.<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> In 2010, he founded the Gnanam Foundation, named for his mother, Gnanambikai Allirajah. In 2014, the foundation donated £59,000 to Save the Children during the Ebola crisis in West Africa.[1]<br /> <br /> The company's first production was the film Kaththi in 2014. It produced the science fiction thriller 2.0 (2018), which was India's most expensive film and the 5th most expensive non-English-language film at the time of its release.[2]<br /> <br /> Since November 2018, Lycatel and its founder have been embroiled in disputes relating to alleged fraud. The company was due for a tribunal hearing in March 2020 to argue against the HM Revenue and Customs. The firm estimates that it would have to pay £60m if it loses – a potential liability that has almost doubled in recent years. Lycamobile declined to say how much is at stake in two other disputes.[3]<br /> <br /> In September 2021, he became the new owner of the Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Lyca Kovai Kings, a cricket team based in Coimbatore in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) tournament, is owned by Lyca Productions.[4][5]<br /> <br /> Allirajah formerly served on the Advisory Council for Sri Lanka within the British Asian Trust.[6]<br /> <br /> ==Filmography==<br /> Main article: Lyca Productions<br /> All films produced or distributed by Allirajah Subaskaran have been through Lyca Productions, the company he founded. For a complete list, see Lyca Productions.<br /> <br /> ==Awards==<br /> In October 2011 Lycatel was ranked 36th out of 250 leading mid-market private companies in The Sunday Times.[7] Allirajah received a gold award for Best Overall Enterprise in 2010 at the Asian Achievers Award ceremony for the impact he has made on the Asian community in the UK.[8] The Asian Voice Political and Public Life awarded Allirajah in 2011 its &quot;International Entrepreneur of the Year&quot; award.[9]<br /> <br /> In 2012 the English Asian Business Awards presented Allirajah with the &quot;2011 Power Business of the Year&quot; award, recognizing the growth of the Lycamobile business globally,[10] as well as the &quot;Social Entrepreneur of the Year&quot; award.[11]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Allirajah_Subaskaran&diff=169 2025-10-28T06:14:05Z

<p>Bhashi: Created page with &quot;Allirajah Subaskaran (born 2 March 1972) is a British-Sri Lankan entrepreneur. He was born in Sri Lanka, he later migrated to England and became a British citizen. He is the founder and chairman of Lyca Mobile, a telecommunications company and its entertainment subsidiary, Lyca Productions, based in Chennai, India. ==Career== In 2010, he founded the Gnanam Foundation, named for his mother, Gnanambikai Allirajah. In 2014, the foundation donated £59,000 to Save the Child...&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>Allirajah Subaskaran (born 2 March 1972) is a British-Sri Lankan entrepreneur. He was born in Sri Lanka, he later migrated to England and became a British citizen. He is the founder and chairman of Lyca Mobile, a telecommunications company and its entertainment subsidiary, Lyca Productions, based in Chennai, India.<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> In 2010, he founded the Gnanam Foundation, named for his mother, Gnanambikai Allirajah. In 2014, the foundation donated £59,000 to Save the Children during the Ebola crisis in West Africa.[1]<br /> <br /> The company's first production was the film Kaththi in 2014. It produced the science fiction thriller 2.0 (2018), which was India's most expensive film and the 5th most expensive non-English-language film at the time of its release.[2]<br /> <br /> Since November 2018, Lycatel and its founder have been embroiled in disputes relating to alleged fraud. The company was due for a tribunal hearing in March 2020 to argue against the HM Revenue and Customs. The firm estimates that it would have to pay £60m if it loses – a potential liability that has almost doubled in recent years. Lycamobile declined to say how much is at stake in two other disputes.[3]<br /> <br /> In September 2021, he became the new owner of the Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Lyca Kovai Kings, a cricket team based in Coimbatore in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) tournament, is owned by Lyca Productions.[4][5]<br /> <br /> Allirajah formerly served on the Advisory Council for Sri Lanka within the British Asian Trust.[6]<br /> <br /> ==Filmography==<br /> Main article: Lyca Productions<br /> All films produced or distributed by Allirajah Subaskaran have been through Lyca Productions, the company he founded. For a complete list, see Lyca Productions.<br /> <br /> ==Awards==<br /> In October 2011 Lycatel was ranked 36th out of 250 leading mid-market private companies in The Sunday Times.[7] Allirajah received a gold award for Best Overall Enterprise in 2010 at the Asian Achievers Award ceremony for the impact he has made on the Asian community in the UK.[8] The Asian Voice Political and Public Life awarded Allirajah in 2011 its &quot;International Entrepreneur of the Year&quot; award.[9]<br /> <br /> In 2012 the English Asian Business Awards presented Allirajah with the &quot;2011 Power Business of the Year&quot; award, recognizing the growth of the Lycamobile business globally,[10] as well as the &quot;Social Entrepreneur of the Year&quot; award.[11]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Lalith_Kotalawela&diff=168 2025-10-28T06:10:51Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Lalith Kotalawela<br /> | image = Lalith_Kotalawela.png<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deshamanya Deshmanya] Jeewaka Lalith Bhupendra Kotelawala (29 October 1938 – 21 October 2023) was a Sri Lankan businessman, who was the chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylinco_Consolidated Ceylinco Consolidated] and also was the founding chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylinco_Consolidated Seylan Bank].&lt;ref&gt;admin (25 May 2015). &quot;Milestones&quot;. www.seylan.lk. Retrieved 9 September 2017.&lt;/ref&gt; He was listed in the 2007 Sri Lanka Richest List.&lt;ref&gt;News Image 32095 - Richest People in Sri Lanka - 2008&lt;/ref&gt; He was [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-trial_detention remanded] for the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misappropriation misappropriation] of 26 billion rupees of investments from the failed [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Key_Credit_Card_Company Golden Key Credit Card Company].&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Swindlers list&quot;. Archived from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2009.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Lalith Kotelawala was born to Senator Justin Kotelawala, a Ceylonese politician and businessman, and Millicent Kotelawala nee de Silva, daughter of Sir Arthur Marcelles de Silva, a leading surgeon. He was educated at Royal College, Colombo and studied chartered accountancy in the UK.[6] He was the nephew of Sir John Kotelawala, the third prime minister of Ceylon.[7]<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Taking over Ceylinco Consolidated from his father in the 1960s, Kotelawala expanded the group into new fields including banking, non-banking finance, investment banking, housing and property development, travel and leisure, communication and information technology, education and healthcare and microfinance.[8] He also founded a peace initiative in Sri Lanka, three years after being wounded in a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attack in 1996.[9][10]<br /> <br /> ==Personal life and death==<br /> Lalith was married to Sicille Kotelawala (née Fernando), the daughter of Sam Peter Christopher Fernando.[6]<br /> <br /> Lalith Kotelawala died in Colombo on 21 October 2023, at the age of 84.[11]<br /> <br /> ==Awards and honours==<br /> Kotelawala was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree by the University of Sri Jayewardenepura<br /> The title Deshmanya by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1994<br /> The title Deshabandu by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1991<br /> Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute<br /> Honorary fellow of the Institute of Bankers<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Lalith_Kotalawela&diff=167 2025-10-28T06:10:08Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Lalith Kotalawela<br /> | image = Lalith_Kotalawela.png<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deshamanya Deshmanya] Jeewaka Lalith Bhupendra Kotelawala (29 October 1938 – 21 October 2023) was a Sri Lankan businessman, who was the chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylinco_Consolidated Ceylinco Consolidated] and also was the founding chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylinco_Consolidated Seylan Bank].&lt;ref&gt;admin (25 May 2015). &quot;Milestones&quot;. www.seylan.lk. Retrieved 9 September 2017.&lt;/ref&gt; He was listed in the 2007 Sri Lanka Richest List.[2] He was [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-trial_detention remanded] for the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misappropriation misappropriation] of 26 billion rupees of investments from the failed [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Key_Credit_Card_Company Golden Key Credit Card Company].[3][4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Lalith Kotelawala was born to Senator Justin Kotelawala, a Ceylonese politician and businessman, and Millicent Kotelawala nee de Silva, daughter of Sir Arthur Marcelles de Silva, a leading surgeon. He was educated at Royal College, Colombo and studied chartered accountancy in the UK.[6] He was the nephew of Sir John Kotelawala, the third prime minister of Ceylon.[7]<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Taking over Ceylinco Consolidated from his father in the 1960s, Kotelawala expanded the group into new fields including banking, non-banking finance, investment banking, housing and property development, travel and leisure, communication and information technology, education and healthcare and microfinance.[8] He also founded a peace initiative in Sri Lanka, three years after being wounded in a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attack in 1996.[9][10]<br /> <br /> ==Personal life and death==<br /> Lalith was married to Sicille Kotelawala (née Fernando), the daughter of Sam Peter Christopher Fernando.[6]<br /> <br /> Lalith Kotelawala died in Colombo on 21 October 2023, at the age of 84.[11]<br /> <br /> ==Awards and honours==<br /> Kotelawala was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree by the University of Sri Jayewardenepura<br /> The title Deshmanya by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1994<br /> The title Deshabandu by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1991<br /> Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute<br /> Honorary fellow of the Institute of Bankers<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Lalith_Kotalawela&diff=166 2025-10-28T06:09:48Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Lalith Kotalawela<br /> | image = Lalith_Kotalawela.png<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deshamanya Deshmanya] Jeewaka Lalith Bhupendra Kotelawala (29 October 1938 – 21 October 2023) was a Sri Lankan businessman, who was the chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylinco_Consolidated Ceylinco Consolidated] and also was the founding chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylinco_Consolidated Seylan Bank].&lt;ref&gt;admin (25 May 2015). &quot;Milestones&quot;. www.seylan.lk. Retrieved 9 September 2017.&lt;ref/&gt; He was listed in the 2007 Sri Lanka Richest List.[2] He was [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-trial_detention remanded] for the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misappropriation misappropriation] of 26 billion rupees of investments from the failed [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Key_Credit_Card_Company Golden Key Credit Card Company].[3][4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Lalith Kotelawala was born to Senator Justin Kotelawala, a Ceylonese politician and businessman, and Millicent Kotelawala nee de Silva, daughter of Sir Arthur Marcelles de Silva, a leading surgeon. He was educated at Royal College, Colombo and studied chartered accountancy in the UK.[6] He was the nephew of Sir John Kotelawala, the third prime minister of Ceylon.[7]<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Taking over Ceylinco Consolidated from his father in the 1960s, Kotelawala expanded the group into new fields including banking, non-banking finance, investment banking, housing and property development, travel and leisure, communication and information technology, education and healthcare and microfinance.[8] He also founded a peace initiative in Sri Lanka, three years after being wounded in a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attack in 1996.[9][10]<br /> <br /> ==Personal life and death==<br /> Lalith was married to Sicille Kotelawala (née Fernando), the daughter of Sam Peter Christopher Fernando.[6]<br /> <br /> Lalith Kotelawala died in Colombo on 21 October 2023, at the age of 84.[11]<br /> <br /> ==Awards and honours==<br /> Kotelawala was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree by the University of Sri Jayewardenepura<br /> The title Deshmanya by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1994<br /> The title Deshabandu by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1991<br /> Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute<br /> Honorary fellow of the Institute of Bankers<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Lalith_Kotalawela&diff=165 2025-10-28T06:09:14Z

<p>Bhashi: /* References */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Lalith Kotalawela<br /> | image = Lalith_Kotalawela.png<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deshamanya Deshmanya] Jeewaka Lalith Bhupendra Kotelawala (29 October 1938 – 21 October 2023) was a Sri Lankan businessman, who was the chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylinco_Consolidated Ceylinco Consolidated] and also was the founding chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylinco_Consolidated Seylan Bank].[1] He was listed in the 2007 Sri Lanka Richest List.[2] He was [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-trial_detention remanded] for the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misappropriation misappropriation] of 26 billion rupees of investments from the failed [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Key_Credit_Card_Company Golden Key Credit Card Company].[3][4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Lalith Kotelawala was born to Senator Justin Kotelawala, a Ceylonese politician and businessman, and Millicent Kotelawala nee de Silva, daughter of Sir Arthur Marcelles de Silva, a leading surgeon. He was educated at Royal College, Colombo and studied chartered accountancy in the UK.[6] He was the nephew of Sir John Kotelawala, the third prime minister of Ceylon.[7]<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Taking over Ceylinco Consolidated from his father in the 1960s, Kotelawala expanded the group into new fields including banking, non-banking finance, investment banking, housing and property development, travel and leisure, communication and information technology, education and healthcare and microfinance.[8] He also founded a peace initiative in Sri Lanka, three years after being wounded in a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attack in 1996.[9][10]<br /> <br /> ==Personal life and death==<br /> Lalith was married to Sicille Kotelawala (née Fernando), the daughter of Sam Peter Christopher Fernando.[6]<br /> <br /> Lalith Kotelawala died in Colombo on 21 October 2023, at the age of 84.[11]<br /> <br /> ==Awards and honours==<br /> Kotelawala was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree by the University of Sri Jayewardenepura<br /> The title Deshmanya by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1994<br /> The title Deshabandu by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1991<br /> Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute<br /> Honorary fellow of the Institute of Bankers<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Lalith_Kotalawela&diff=164 2025-10-28T06:08:55Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Lalith Kotalawela<br /> | image = Lalith_Kotalawela.png<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deshamanya Deshmanya] Jeewaka Lalith Bhupendra Kotelawala (29 October 1938 – 21 October 2023) was a Sri Lankan businessman, who was the chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylinco_Consolidated Ceylinco Consolidated] and also was the founding chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylinco_Consolidated Seylan Bank].[1] He was listed in the 2007 Sri Lanka Richest List.[2] He was [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-trial_detention remanded] for the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misappropriation misappropriation] of 26 billion rupees of investments from the failed [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Key_Credit_Card_Company Golden Key Credit Card Company].[3][4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Lalith Kotelawala was born to Senator Justin Kotelawala, a Ceylonese politician and businessman, and Millicent Kotelawala nee de Silva, daughter of Sir Arthur Marcelles de Silva, a leading surgeon. He was educated at Royal College, Colombo and studied chartered accountancy in the UK.[6] He was the nephew of Sir John Kotelawala, the third prime minister of Ceylon.[7]<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Taking over Ceylinco Consolidated from his father in the 1960s, Kotelawala expanded the group into new fields including banking, non-banking finance, investment banking, housing and property development, travel and leisure, communication and information technology, education and healthcare and microfinance.[8] He also founded a peace initiative in Sri Lanka, three years after being wounded in a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attack in 1996.[9][10]<br /> <br /> ==Personal life and death==<br /> Lalith was married to Sicille Kotelawala (née Fernando), the daughter of Sam Peter Christopher Fernando.[6]<br /> <br /> Lalith Kotelawala died in Colombo on 21 October 2023, at the age of 84.[11]<br /> <br /> ==Awards and honours==<br /> Kotelawala was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree by the University of Sri Jayewardenepura<br /> The title Deshmanya by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1994<br /> The title Deshabandu by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1991<br /> Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute<br /> Honorary fellow of the Institute of Bankers<br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Lalith_Kotalawela&diff=163 2025-10-28T06:06:43Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Lalith Kotalawela<br /> | image = Lalith_Kotalawela.png<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> Deshmanya Jeewaka Lalith Bhupendra Kotelawala (29 October 1938 – 21 October 2023) was a Sri Lankan businessman, who was the chairman of Ceylinco Consolidated and also was the founding chairman of Seylan Bank.[1] He was listed in the 2007 Sri Lanka Richest List.[2] He was remanded for the misappropriation of 26 billion rupees of investments from the failed Golden Key Credit Card Company .[3][4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Lalith Kotelawala was born to Senator Justin Kotelawala, a Ceylonese politician and businessman, and Millicent Kotelawala nee de Silva, daughter of Sir Arthur Marcelles de Silva, a leading surgeon. He was educated at Royal College, Colombo and studied chartered accountancy in the UK.[6] He was the nephew of Sir John Kotelawala, the third prime minister of Ceylon.[7]<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Taking over Ceylinco Consolidated from his father in the 1960s, Kotelawala expanded the group into new fields including banking, non-banking finance, investment banking, housing and property development, travel and leisure, communication and information technology, education and healthcare and microfinance.[8] He also founded a peace initiative in Sri Lanka, three years after being wounded in a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attack in 1996.[9][10]<br /> <br /> ==Personal life and death==<br /> Lalith was married to Sicille Kotelawala (née Fernando), the daughter of Sam Peter Christopher Fernando.[6]<br /> <br /> Lalith Kotelawala died in Colombo on 21 October 2023, at the age of 84.[11]<br /> <br /> ==Awards and honours==<br /> Kotelawala was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree by the University of Sri Jayewardenepura<br /> The title Deshmanya by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1994<br /> The title Deshabandu by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1991<br /> Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute<br /> Honorary fellow of the Institute of Bankers<br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Lalith_Kotalawela&diff=162 2025-10-28T06:06:00Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person2<br /> | name = Lalith Kotalawela<br /> | image = Lalith_Kotalawela.PNG<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> Deshmanya Jeewaka Lalith Bhupendra Kotelawala (29 October 1938 – 21 October 2023) was a Sri Lankan businessman, who was the chairman of Ceylinco Consolidated and also was the founding chairman of Seylan Bank.[1] He was listed in the 2007 Sri Lanka Richest List.[2] He was remanded for the misappropriation of 26 billion rupees of investments from the failed Golden Key Credit Card Company .[3][4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Lalith Kotelawala was born to Senator Justin Kotelawala, a Ceylonese politician and businessman, and Millicent Kotelawala nee de Silva, daughter of Sir Arthur Marcelles de Silva, a leading surgeon. He was educated at Royal College, Colombo and studied chartered accountancy in the UK.[6] He was the nephew of Sir John Kotelawala, the third prime minister of Ceylon.[7]<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Taking over Ceylinco Consolidated from his father in the 1960s, Kotelawala expanded the group into new fields including banking, non-banking finance, investment banking, housing and property development, travel and leisure, communication and information technology, education and healthcare and microfinance.[8] He also founded a peace initiative in Sri Lanka, three years after being wounded in a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attack in 1996.[9][10]<br /> <br /> ==Personal life and death==<br /> Lalith was married to Sicille Kotelawala (née Fernando), the daughter of Sam Peter Christopher Fernando.[6]<br /> <br /> Lalith Kotelawala died in Colombo on 21 October 2023, at the age of 84.[11]<br /> <br /> ==Awards and honours==<br /> Kotelawala was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree by the University of Sri Jayewardenepura<br /> The title Deshmanya by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1994<br /> The title Deshabandu by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1991<br /> Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute<br /> Honorary fellow of the Institute of Bankers<br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Lalith_Kotalawela&diff=161 2025-10-28T06:04:52Z

<p>Bhashi: Created page with &quot;Deshmanya Jeewaka Lalith Bhupendra Kotelawala (29 October 1938 – 21 October 2023) was a Sri Lankan businessman, who was the chairman of Ceylinco Consolidated and also was the founding chairman of Seylan Bank.[1] He was listed in the 2007 Sri Lanka Richest List.[2] He was remanded for the misappropriation of 26 billion rupees of investments from the failed Golden Key Credit Card Company .[3][4][5] ==Early life and education== Lalith Kotelawala was born to Senator Justi...&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>Deshmanya Jeewaka Lalith Bhupendra Kotelawala (29 October 1938 – 21 October 2023) was a Sri Lankan businessman, who was the chairman of Ceylinco Consolidated and also was the founding chairman of Seylan Bank.[1] He was listed in the 2007 Sri Lanka Richest List.[2] He was remanded for the misappropriation of 26 billion rupees of investments from the failed Golden Key Credit Card Company .[3][4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Lalith Kotelawala was born to Senator Justin Kotelawala, a Ceylonese politician and businessman, and Millicent Kotelawala nee de Silva, daughter of Sir Arthur Marcelles de Silva, a leading surgeon. He was educated at Royal College, Colombo and studied chartered accountancy in the UK.[6] He was the nephew of Sir John Kotelawala, the third prime minister of Ceylon.[7]<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Taking over Ceylinco Consolidated from his father in the 1960s, Kotelawala expanded the group into new fields including banking, non-banking finance, investment banking, housing and property development, travel and leisure, communication and information technology, education and healthcare and microfinance.[8] He also founded a peace initiative in Sri Lanka, three years after being wounded in a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attack in 1996.[9][10]<br /> <br /> ==Personal life and death==<br /> Lalith was married to Sicille Kotelawala (née Fernando), the daughter of Sam Peter Christopher Fernando.[6]<br /> <br /> Lalith Kotelawala died in Colombo on 21 October 2023, at the age of 84.[11]<br /> <br /> ==Awards and honours==<br /> Kotelawala was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree by the University of Sri Jayewardenepura<br /> The title Deshmanya by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1994<br /> The title Deshabandu by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1991<br /> Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute<br /> Honorary fellow of the Institute of Bankers<br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=File:Lalith_Kotalawela.png&diff=160 2025-10-28T06:03:58Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div></div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Upali_Wijewardene&diff=159 2025-10-23T12:22:25Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Upali Wijewardene<br /> | image = Upali_Wijewardene.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Philip Upali Wijewardene''' (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_magnate business magnate] and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;A6 : Population by ethnicity and district according to Divisional Secretary's Division, 2012&quot;. Census of Population &amp; Housing, 2011. Department of Census &amp; Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2014.&lt;/ref&gt; The Upali Group diversified from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confectionery confectionery] to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upali_Air Upali Air], Upali Mazda and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upali_Newspapers Upali Newspapers], which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved &quot;largely through bravado and wit.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Colombo&quot;. Collins English Dictionary (13th ed.). HarperCollins. 2018. ISBN 978-0-008-28437-4.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Malacca Malacca] soon after leaving Malaysia en route to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombo Colombo].&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Colombo&quot;. Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2020.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early life and family==<br /> Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.[4][5]<br /> <br /> The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete.[6] His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.<br /> <br /> On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.[7][8] Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.[9] He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family.[4] An amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two older sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled at Royal College, Colombo and later attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Queens College, Cambridge from 1956 to 1959, earning a BA degree. At Cambridge, he held the position of secretary of the Marshall Society.[4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early ventures==<br /> On his return to Ceylon in 1959, Wijewardene joined the British manufacturing company Lever Brothers as a management trainee and was assigned the responsibility of overseeing soap processing. However, he left Lever Brothers in 1961 due to a disagreement with the chairman.[5]<br /> <br /> ====Delta toffee====<br /> Wijewardene ventured into business by setting up a confectionary company and establishing a candy ball machine on his property on Bloemendaal Road. He later expanded the business and branded it 'Delta Toffee'.[3][5]<br /> <br /> ====Kandos chocolates====<br /> In 1970, after the passing of his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed control of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic to an international market, and with the help of a friend, Ratnam, he cultivated 14,000 acres of cocoa in Malaysia. During the transition of the business, he acquired cocoa plantations, processing plants, and factories in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[4][5][3]<br /> <br /> ==Upali Group==<br /> Wijewardene founded the Upali Group of Companies in the mid-1960s, consolidating his holdings and forming a conglomerate of companies.[10][11]<br /> <br /> ====Manufacturing====<br /> Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.<br /> <br /> ====Aviation====<br /> In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.[3]<br /> <br /> ====Electronics====<br /> He started the Upali Electronic Company in the 1970s, introducing radios, calculators, wall clocks, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under the import restrictions of the time.<br /> <br /> ====Automotive====<br /> In 1970, Wijewardene founded the Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were known locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over 500 units were assembled. In 1978, UMC began the assembly of the Fiat 128, known locally as Upali Fiat.[12]<br /> <br /> ====Print media====<br /> In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.<br /> <br /> In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as &quot;romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women,&quot; crammed into 16 pages.[2] It expanded into 32 pages, with a different story on every page. Editor Janaka Ratnayake noted that the publication had &quot;many topics—romance, detective, sci-fi, heroes, two pages built around movie stars, and almost a page of pen pals&quot; (1993). All the stories were serialised and in black and white with a &quot;spot&quot; of one additional colour.[13] The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines.[13]<br /> <br /> In 1980, Wijewardene travelled to Silicon Valley and signed five agreements, including one with Motorola.[2] The construction of chip plants started in 1983. However, with the start Sri Lankan civil war and bombing across the country, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction of the plants were killed, and the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.[14]<br /> <br /> ==Horse racing==<br /> Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse racing at the Nuwara Eliya Race Course. He was the chairman of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Turf Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where his horse &quot;Rasa Penang&quot; won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous jockey Lester Piggott.<br /> <br /> In 1980, he won the Singapore Derby at the Bukit Timah Race Course and the Perak Derby at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia with his horse &quot;Vaaron.&quot;. He raced &quot;General Atty&quot; too, who won many races in England. He would fly to the races in his private aircraft, and made it a point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses and ponies racing.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> In 1978, Wijewardene was appointed by President J. R. Jayewardene as the first director general of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political establishment did not favour his arrival in politics.[14] Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.[2] He set up an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas to learn English and computer technology.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Disappearance==<br /> <br /> Learjet 35A<br /> Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private jet, a Learjet 35A, which he had modified with another controller for the rear body.[3] His plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 8:41 p.m. on 13 February 1983, bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney De Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Fifteen minutes later, the aircraft disappeared while flying over the Straits of Malacca. Extensive search operations by air and naval units of Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia failed to locate any evidence of a crash.[15][16][17]<br /> <br /> A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel.[18] According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further.[14] Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.[citation needed]<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Upali_Wijewardene&diff=158 2025-10-23T12:22:08Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Upali Wijewardene<br /> | image = Upali_Wijewardene.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Philip Upali Wijewardene''' (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_magnate business magnate] and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;A6 : Population by ethnicity and district according to Divisional Secretary's Division, 2012&quot;. Census of Population &amp; Housing, 2011. Department of Census &amp; Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2014.&lt;/ref&gt; The Upali Group diversified from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confectionery confectionery] to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upali_Air Upali Air], Upali Mazda and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upali_Newspapers Upali Newspapers], which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved &quot;largely through bravado and wit.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Colombo&quot;. Collins English Dictionary (13th ed.). HarperCollins. 2018. ISBN 978-0-008-28437-4.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Malacca Malacca] soon after leaving Malaysia en route to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombo Colombo].&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Colombo&quot;. Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2020.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early life and family==<br /> Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.[4][5]<br /> <br /> The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete.[6] His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.<br /> <br /> On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.[7][8] Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.[9] He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family.[4] An amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two older sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled at Royal College, Colombo and later attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Queens College, Cambridge from 1956 to 1959, earning a BA degree. At Cambridge, he held the position of secretary of the Marshall Society.[4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early ventures==<br /> On his return to Ceylon in 1959, Wijewardene joined the British manufacturing company Lever Brothers as a management trainee and was assigned the responsibility of overseeing soap processing. However, he left Lever Brothers in 1961 due to a disagreement with the chairman.[5]<br /> <br /> ====Delta toffee====<br /> Wijewardene ventured into business by setting up a confectionary company and establishing a candy ball machine on his property on Bloemendaal Road. He later expanded the business and branded it 'Delta Toffee'.[3][5]<br /> <br /> ====Kandos chocolates====<br /> In 1970, after the passing of his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed control of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic to an international market, and with the help of a friend, Ratnam, he cultivated 14,000 acres of cocoa in Malaysia. During the transition of the business, he acquired cocoa plantations, processing plants, and factories in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[4][5][3]<br /> <br /> ==Upali Group==<br /> Wijewardene founded the Upali Group of Companies in the mid-1960s, consolidating his holdings and forming a conglomerate of companies.[10][11]<br /> <br /> ====Manufacturing====<br /> Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.<br /> <br /> ====Aviation====<br /> In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.[3]<br /> <br /> ====Electronics====<br /> He started the Upali Electronic Company in the 1970s, introducing radios, calculators, wall clocks, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under the import restrictions of the time.<br /> <br /> ====Automotive====<br /> In 1970, Wijewardene founded the Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were known locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over 500 units were assembled. In 1978, UMC began the assembly of the Fiat 128, known locally as Upali Fiat.[12]<br /> <br /> ====Print media====<br /> In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.<br /> <br /> In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as &quot;romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women,&quot; crammed into 16 pages.[2] It expanded into 32 pages, with a different story on every page. Editor Janaka Ratnayake noted that the publication had &quot;many topics—romance, detective, sci-fi, heroes, two pages built around movie stars, and almost a page of pen pals&quot; (1993). All the stories were serialised and in black and white with a &quot;spot&quot; of one additional colour.[13] The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines.[13]<br /> <br /> In 1980, Wijewardene travelled to Silicon Valley and signed five agreements, including one with Motorola.[2] The construction of chip plants started in 1983. However, with the start Sri Lankan civil war and bombing across the country, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction of the plants were killed, and the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.[14]<br /> <br /> ==Horse racing==<br /> Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse racing at the Nuwara Eliya Race Course. He was the chairman of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Turf Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where his horse &quot;Rasa Penang&quot; won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous jockey Lester Piggott.<br /> <br /> In 1980, he won the Singapore Derby at the Bukit Timah Race Course and the Perak Derby at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia with his horse &quot;Vaaron.&quot;. He raced &quot;General Atty&quot; too, who won many races in England. He would fly to the races in his private aircraft, and made it a point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses and ponies racing.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> In 1978, Wijewardene was appointed by President J. R. Jayewardene as the first director general of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political establishment did not favour his arrival in politics.[14] Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.[2] He set up an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas to learn English and computer technology.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Disappearance==<br /> <br /> Learjet 35A<br /> Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private jet, a Learjet 35A, which he had modified with another controller for the rear body.[3] His plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 8:41 p.m. on 13 February 1983, bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney De Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Fifteen minutes later, the aircraft disappeared while flying over the Straits of Malacca. Extensive search operations by air and naval units of Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia failed to locate any evidence of a crash.[15][16][17]<br /> <br /> A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel.[18] According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further.[14] Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.[citation needed]<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Upali_Wijewardene&diff=157 2025-10-23T12:20:55Z

<p>Bhashi: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Upali Wijewardene<br /> | image = Upali_Wijewardene.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Philip Upali Wijewardene''' (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_magnate business magnate] and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.[1] The Upali Group diversified from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confectionery confectionery] to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upali_Air Upali Air], Upali Mazda and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upali_Newspapers Upali Newspapers], which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved &quot;largely through bravado and wit.&quot;[2]<br /> <br /> Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Malacca Malacca] soon after leaving Malaysia en route to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombo Colombo].[3]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and family==<br /> Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.[4][5]<br /> <br /> The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete.[6] His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.<br /> <br /> On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.[7][8] Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.[9] He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family.[4] An amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two older sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled at Royal College, Colombo and later attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Queens College, Cambridge from 1956 to 1959, earning a BA degree. At Cambridge, he held the position of secretary of the Marshall Society.[4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early ventures==<br /> On his return to Ceylon in 1959, Wijewardene joined the British manufacturing company Lever Brothers as a management trainee and was assigned the responsibility of overseeing soap processing. However, he left Lever Brothers in 1961 due to a disagreement with the chairman.[5]<br /> <br /> ====Delta toffee====<br /> Wijewardene ventured into business by setting up a confectionary company and establishing a candy ball machine on his property on Bloemendaal Road. He later expanded the business and branded it 'Delta Toffee'.[3][5]<br /> <br /> ====Kandos chocolates====<br /> In 1970, after the passing of his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed control of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic to an international market, and with the help of a friend, Ratnam, he cultivated 14,000 acres of cocoa in Malaysia. During the transition of the business, he acquired cocoa plantations, processing plants, and factories in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[4][5][3]<br /> <br /> ==Upali Group==<br /> Wijewardene founded the Upali Group of Companies in the mid-1960s, consolidating his holdings and forming a conglomerate of companies.[10][11]<br /> <br /> ====Manufacturing====<br /> Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.<br /> <br /> ====Aviation====<br /> In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.[3]<br /> <br /> ====Electronics====<br /> He started the Upali Electronic Company in the 1970s, introducing radios, calculators, wall clocks, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under the import restrictions of the time.<br /> <br /> ====Automotive====<br /> In 1970, Wijewardene founded the Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were known locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over 500 units were assembled. In 1978, UMC began the assembly of the Fiat 128, known locally as Upali Fiat.[12]<br /> <br /> ====Print media====<br /> In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.<br /> <br /> In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as &quot;romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women,&quot; crammed into 16 pages.[2] It expanded into 32 pages, with a different story on every page. Editor Janaka Ratnayake noted that the publication had &quot;many topics—romance, detective, sci-fi, heroes, two pages built around movie stars, and almost a page of pen pals&quot; (1993). All the stories were serialised and in black and white with a &quot;spot&quot; of one additional colour.[13] The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines.[13]<br /> <br /> In 1980, Wijewardene travelled to Silicon Valley and signed five agreements, including one with Motorola.[2] The construction of chip plants started in 1983. However, with the start Sri Lankan civil war and bombing across the country, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction of the plants were killed, and the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.[14]<br /> <br /> ==Horse racing==<br /> Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse racing at the Nuwara Eliya Race Course. He was the chairman of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Turf Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where his horse &quot;Rasa Penang&quot; won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous jockey Lester Piggott.<br /> <br /> In 1980, he won the Singapore Derby at the Bukit Timah Race Course and the Perak Derby at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia with his horse &quot;Vaaron.&quot;. He raced &quot;General Atty&quot; too, who won many races in England. He would fly to the races in his private aircraft, and made it a point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses and ponies racing.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> In 1978, Wijewardene was appointed by President J. R. Jayewardene as the first director general of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political establishment did not favour his arrival in politics.[14] Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.[2] He set up an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas to learn English and computer technology.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Disappearance==<br /> <br /> Learjet 35A<br /> Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private jet, a Learjet 35A, which he had modified with another controller for the rear body.[3] His plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 8:41 p.m. on 13 February 1983, bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney De Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Fifteen minutes later, the aircraft disappeared while flying over the Straits of Malacca. Extensive search operations by air and naval units of Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia failed to locate any evidence of a crash.[15][16][17]<br /> <br /> A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel.[18] According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further.[14] Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.[citation needed]<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Upali_Wijewardene&diff=156 2025-10-23T10:28:32Z

<p>Bhashi: /* Disappearance */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Upali Wijewardene<br /> | image = Upali_Wijewardene.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Philip Upali Wijewardene''' (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan business magnate and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.[1] The Upali Group diversified from confectionery to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, Upali Air, Upali Mazda and Upali Newspapers, which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved &quot;largely through bravado and wit.&quot;[2]<br /> <br /> Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of Malacca soon after leaving Malaysia en route to Colombo.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and family==<br /> Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.[4][5]<br /> <br /> The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete.[6] His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.<br /> <br /> On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.[7][8] Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.[9] He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family.[4] An amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two older sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled at Royal College, Colombo and later attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Queens College, Cambridge from 1956 to 1959, earning a BA degree. At Cambridge, he held the position of secretary of the Marshall Society.[4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early ventures==<br /> On his return to Ceylon in 1959, Wijewardene joined the British manufacturing company Lever Brothers as a management trainee and was assigned the responsibility of overseeing soap processing. However, he left Lever Brothers in 1961 due to a disagreement with the chairman.[5]<br /> <br /> ====Delta toffee====<br /> Wijewardene ventured into business by setting up a confectionary company and establishing a candy ball machine on his property on Bloemendaal Road. He later expanded the business and branded it 'Delta Toffee'.[3][5]<br /> <br /> ====Kandos chocolates====<br /> In 1970, after the passing of his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed control of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic to an international market, and with the help of a friend, Ratnam, he cultivated 14,000 acres of cocoa in Malaysia. During the transition of the business, he acquired cocoa plantations, processing plants, and factories in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[4][5][3]<br /> <br /> ==Upali Group==<br /> Wijewardene founded the Upali Group of Companies in the mid-1960s, consolidating his holdings and forming a conglomerate of companies.[10][11]<br /> <br /> ====Manufacturing====<br /> Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.<br /> <br /> ====Aviation====<br /> In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.[3]<br /> <br /> ====Electronics====<br /> He started the Upali Electronic Company in the 1970s, introducing radios, calculators, wall clocks, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under the import restrictions of the time.<br /> <br /> ====Automotive====<br /> In 1970, Wijewardene founded the Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were known locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over 500 units were assembled. In 1978, UMC began the assembly of the Fiat 128, known locally as Upali Fiat.[12]<br /> <br /> ====Print media====<br /> In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.<br /> <br /> In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as &quot;romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women,&quot; crammed into 16 pages.[2] It expanded into 32 pages, with a different story on every page. Editor Janaka Ratnayake noted that the publication had &quot;many topics—romance, detective, sci-fi, heroes, two pages built around movie stars, and almost a page of pen pals&quot; (1993). All the stories were serialised and in black and white with a &quot;spot&quot; of one additional colour.[13] The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines.[13]<br /> <br /> In 1980, Wijewardene travelled to Silicon Valley and signed five agreements, including one with Motorola.[2] The construction of chip plants started in 1983. However, with the start Sri Lankan civil war and bombing across the country, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction of the plants were killed, and the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.[14]<br /> <br /> ==Horse racing==<br /> Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse racing at the Nuwara Eliya Race Course. He was the chairman of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Turf Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where his horse &quot;Rasa Penang&quot; won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous jockey Lester Piggott.<br /> <br /> In 1980, he won the Singapore Derby at the Bukit Timah Race Course and the Perak Derby at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia with his horse &quot;Vaaron.&quot;. He raced &quot;General Atty&quot; too, who won many races in England. He would fly to the races in his private aircraft, and made it a point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses and ponies racing.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> In 1978, Wijewardene was appointed by President J. R. Jayewardene as the first director general of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political establishment did not favour his arrival in politics.[14] Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.[2] He set up an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas to learn English and computer technology.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Disappearance==<br /> <br /> Learjet 35A<br /> Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private jet, a Learjet 35A, which he had modified with another controller for the rear body.[3] His plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 8:41 p.m. on 13 February 1983, bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney De Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Fifteen minutes later, the aircraft disappeared while flying over the Straits of Malacca. Extensive search operations by air and naval units of Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia failed to locate any evidence of a crash.[15][16][17]<br /> <br /> A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel.[18] According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further.[14] Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.[citation needed]<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Upali_Wijewardene&diff=155 2025-10-23T10:27:47Z

<p>Bhashi: /* Print media */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Upali Wijewardene<br /> | image = Upali_Wijewardene.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Philip Upali Wijewardene''' (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan business magnate and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.[1] The Upali Group diversified from confectionery to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, Upali Air, Upali Mazda and Upali Newspapers, which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved &quot;largely through bravado and wit.&quot;[2]<br /> <br /> Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of Malacca soon after leaving Malaysia en route to Colombo.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and family==<br /> Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.[4][5]<br /> <br /> The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete.[6] His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.<br /> <br /> On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.[7][8] Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.[9] He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family.[4] An amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two older sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled at Royal College, Colombo and later attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Queens College, Cambridge from 1956 to 1959, earning a BA degree. At Cambridge, he held the position of secretary of the Marshall Society.[4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early ventures==<br /> On his return to Ceylon in 1959, Wijewardene joined the British manufacturing company Lever Brothers as a management trainee and was assigned the responsibility of overseeing soap processing. However, he left Lever Brothers in 1961 due to a disagreement with the chairman.[5]<br /> <br /> ====Delta toffee====<br /> Wijewardene ventured into business by setting up a confectionary company and establishing a candy ball machine on his property on Bloemendaal Road. He later expanded the business and branded it 'Delta Toffee'.[3][5]<br /> <br /> ====Kandos chocolates====<br /> In 1970, after the passing of his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed control of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic to an international market, and with the help of a friend, Ratnam, he cultivated 14,000 acres of cocoa in Malaysia. During the transition of the business, he acquired cocoa plantations, processing plants, and factories in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[4][5][3]<br /> <br /> ==Upali Group==<br /> Wijewardene founded the Upali Group of Companies in the mid-1960s, consolidating his holdings and forming a conglomerate of companies.[10][11]<br /> <br /> ====Manufacturing====<br /> Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.<br /> <br /> ====Aviation====<br /> In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.[3]<br /> <br /> ====Electronics====<br /> He started the Upali Electronic Company in the 1970s, introducing radios, calculators, wall clocks, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under the import restrictions of the time.<br /> <br /> ====Automotive====<br /> In 1970, Wijewardene founded the Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were known locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over 500 units were assembled. In 1978, UMC began the assembly of the Fiat 128, known locally as Upali Fiat.[12]<br /> <br /> ====Print media====<br /> In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.<br /> <br /> In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as &quot;romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women,&quot; crammed into 16 pages.[2] It expanded into 32 pages, with a different story on every page. Editor Janaka Ratnayake noted that the publication had &quot;many topics—romance, detective, sci-fi, heroes, two pages built around movie stars, and almost a page of pen pals&quot; (1993). All the stories were serialised and in black and white with a &quot;spot&quot; of one additional colour.[13] The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines.[13]<br /> <br /> In 1980, Wijewardene travelled to Silicon Valley and signed five agreements, including one with Motorola.[2] The construction of chip plants started in 1983. However, with the start Sri Lankan civil war and bombing across the country, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction of the plants were killed, and the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.[14]<br /> <br /> ==Horse racing==<br /> Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse racing at the Nuwara Eliya Race Course. He was the chairman of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Turf Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where his horse &quot;Rasa Penang&quot; won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous jockey Lester Piggott.<br /> <br /> In 1980, he won the Singapore Derby at the Bukit Timah Race Course and the Perak Derby at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia with his horse &quot;Vaaron.&quot;. He raced &quot;General Atty&quot; too, who won many races in England. He would fly to the races in his private aircraft, and made it a point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses and ponies racing.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> In 1978, Wijewardene was appointed by President J. R. Jayewardene as the first director general of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political establishment did not favour his arrival in politics.[14] Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.[2] He set up an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas to learn English and computer technology.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Disappearance==<br /> <br /> Learjet 35A<br /> Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private jet, a Learjet 35A, which he had modified with another controller for the rear body.[3] His plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 8:41 p.m. on 13 February 1983, bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney De Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Fifteen minutes later, the aircraft disappeared while flying over the Straits of Malacca. Extensive search operations by air and naval units of Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia failed to locate any evidence of a crash.[15][16][17]<br /> <br /> A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel.[18] According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further.[14] Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.[citation needed]<br /> <br /> See also<br /> List of people who disappeared<br /> Upali Air<br /> Upali Newspapers<br /> References</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Upali_Wijewardene&diff=154 2025-10-23T10:27:39Z

<p>Bhashi: /* Automotive */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Upali Wijewardene<br /> | image = Upali_Wijewardene.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Philip Upali Wijewardene''' (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan business magnate and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.[1] The Upali Group diversified from confectionery to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, Upali Air, Upali Mazda and Upali Newspapers, which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved &quot;largely through bravado and wit.&quot;[2]<br /> <br /> Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of Malacca soon after leaving Malaysia en route to Colombo.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and family==<br /> Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.[4][5]<br /> <br /> The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete.[6] His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.<br /> <br /> On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.[7][8] Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.[9] He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family.[4] An amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two older sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled at Royal College, Colombo and later attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Queens College, Cambridge from 1956 to 1959, earning a BA degree. At Cambridge, he held the position of secretary of the Marshall Society.[4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early ventures==<br /> On his return to Ceylon in 1959, Wijewardene joined the British manufacturing company Lever Brothers as a management trainee and was assigned the responsibility of overseeing soap processing. However, he left Lever Brothers in 1961 due to a disagreement with the chairman.[5]<br /> <br /> ====Delta toffee====<br /> Wijewardene ventured into business by setting up a confectionary company and establishing a candy ball machine on his property on Bloemendaal Road. He later expanded the business and branded it 'Delta Toffee'.[3][5]<br /> <br /> ====Kandos chocolates====<br /> In 1970, after the passing of his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed control of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic to an international market, and with the help of a friend, Ratnam, he cultivated 14,000 acres of cocoa in Malaysia. During the transition of the business, he acquired cocoa plantations, processing plants, and factories in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[4][5][3]<br /> <br /> ==Upali Group==<br /> Wijewardene founded the Upali Group of Companies in the mid-1960s, consolidating his holdings and forming a conglomerate of companies.[10][11]<br /> <br /> ====Manufacturing====<br /> Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.<br /> <br /> ====Aviation====<br /> In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.[3]<br /> <br /> ====Electronics====<br /> He started the Upali Electronic Company in the 1970s, introducing radios, calculators, wall clocks, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under the import restrictions of the time.<br /> <br /> ====Automotive====<br /> In 1970, Wijewardene founded the Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were known locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over 500 units were assembled. In 1978, UMC began the assembly of the Fiat 128, known locally as Upali Fiat.[12]<br /> <br /> ==Print media==<br /> In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.<br /> <br /> In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as &quot;romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women,&quot; crammed into 16 pages.[2] It expanded into 32 pages, with a different story on every page. Editor Janaka Ratnayake noted that the publication had &quot;many topics—romance, detective, sci-fi, heroes, two pages built around movie stars, and almost a page of pen pals&quot; (1993). All the stories were serialised and in black and white with a &quot;spot&quot; of one additional colour.[13] The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines.[13]<br /> <br /> In 1980, Wijewardene travelled to Silicon Valley and signed five agreements, including one with Motorola.[2] The construction of chip plants started in 1983. However, with the start Sri Lankan civil war and bombing across the country, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction of the plants were killed, and the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.[14]<br /> <br /> ==Horse racing==<br /> Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse racing at the Nuwara Eliya Race Course. He was the chairman of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Turf Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where his horse &quot;Rasa Penang&quot; won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous jockey Lester Piggott.<br /> <br /> In 1980, he won the Singapore Derby at the Bukit Timah Race Course and the Perak Derby at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia with his horse &quot;Vaaron.&quot;. He raced &quot;General Atty&quot; too, who won many races in England. He would fly to the races in his private aircraft, and made it a point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses and ponies racing.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> In 1978, Wijewardene was appointed by President J. R. Jayewardene as the first director general of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political establishment did not favour his arrival in politics.[14] Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.[2] He set up an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas to learn English and computer technology.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Disappearance==<br /> <br /> Learjet 35A<br /> Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private jet, a Learjet 35A, which he had modified with another controller for the rear body.[3] His plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 8:41 p.m. on 13 February 1983, bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney De Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Fifteen minutes later, the aircraft disappeared while flying over the Straits of Malacca. Extensive search operations by air and naval units of Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia failed to locate any evidence of a crash.[15][16][17]<br /> <br /> A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel.[18] According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further.[14] Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.[citation needed]<br /> <br /> See also<br /> List of people who disappeared<br /> Upali Air<br /> Upali Newspapers<br /> References</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Upali_Wijewardene&diff=153 2025-10-23T10:27:28Z

<p>Bhashi: /* Electronics */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Upali Wijewardene<br /> | image = Upali_Wijewardene.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Philip Upali Wijewardene''' (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan business magnate and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.[1] The Upali Group diversified from confectionery to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, Upali Air, Upali Mazda and Upali Newspapers, which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved &quot;largely through bravado and wit.&quot;[2]<br /> <br /> Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of Malacca soon after leaving Malaysia en route to Colombo.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and family==<br /> Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.[4][5]<br /> <br /> The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete.[6] His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.<br /> <br /> On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.[7][8] Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.[9] He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family.[4] An amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two older sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled at Royal College, Colombo and later attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Queens College, Cambridge from 1956 to 1959, earning a BA degree. At Cambridge, he held the position of secretary of the Marshall Society.[4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early ventures==<br /> On his return to Ceylon in 1959, Wijewardene joined the British manufacturing company Lever Brothers as a management trainee and was assigned the responsibility of overseeing soap processing. However, he left Lever Brothers in 1961 due to a disagreement with the chairman.[5]<br /> <br /> ====Delta toffee====<br /> Wijewardene ventured into business by setting up a confectionary company and establishing a candy ball machine on his property on Bloemendaal Road. He later expanded the business and branded it 'Delta Toffee'.[3][5]<br /> <br /> ====Kandos chocolates====<br /> In 1970, after the passing of his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed control of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic to an international market, and with the help of a friend, Ratnam, he cultivated 14,000 acres of cocoa in Malaysia. During the transition of the business, he acquired cocoa plantations, processing plants, and factories in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[4][5][3]<br /> <br /> ==Upali Group==<br /> Wijewardene founded the Upali Group of Companies in the mid-1960s, consolidating his holdings and forming a conglomerate of companies.[10][11]<br /> <br /> ====Manufacturing====<br /> Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.<br /> <br /> ====Aviation====<br /> In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.[3]<br /> <br /> ====Electronics====<br /> He started the Upali Electronic Company in the 1970s, introducing radios, calculators, wall clocks, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under the import restrictions of the time.<br /> <br /> ==Automotive==<br /> In 1970, Wijewardene founded the Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were known locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over 500 units were assembled. In 1978, UMC began the assembly of the Fiat 128, known locally as Upali Fiat.[12]<br /> <br /> ==Print media==<br /> In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.<br /> <br /> In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as &quot;romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women,&quot; crammed into 16 pages.[2] It expanded into 32 pages, with a different story on every page. Editor Janaka Ratnayake noted that the publication had &quot;many topics—romance, detective, sci-fi, heroes, two pages built around movie stars, and almost a page of pen pals&quot; (1993). All the stories were serialised and in black and white with a &quot;spot&quot; of one additional colour.[13] The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines.[13]<br /> <br /> In 1980, Wijewardene travelled to Silicon Valley and signed five agreements, including one with Motorola.[2] The construction of chip plants started in 1983. However, with the start Sri Lankan civil war and bombing across the country, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction of the plants were killed, and the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.[14]<br /> <br /> ==Horse racing==<br /> Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse racing at the Nuwara Eliya Race Course. He was the chairman of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Turf Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where his horse &quot;Rasa Penang&quot; won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous jockey Lester Piggott.<br /> <br /> In 1980, he won the Singapore Derby at the Bukit Timah Race Course and the Perak Derby at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia with his horse &quot;Vaaron.&quot;. He raced &quot;General Atty&quot; too, who won many races in England. He would fly to the races in his private aircraft, and made it a point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses and ponies racing.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> In 1978, Wijewardene was appointed by President J. R. Jayewardene as the first director general of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political establishment did not favour his arrival in politics.[14] Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.[2] He set up an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas to learn English and computer technology.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Disappearance==<br /> <br /> Learjet 35A<br /> Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private jet, a Learjet 35A, which he had modified with another controller for the rear body.[3] His plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 8:41 p.m. on 13 February 1983, bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney De Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Fifteen minutes later, the aircraft disappeared while flying over the Straits of Malacca. Extensive search operations by air and naval units of Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia failed to locate any evidence of a crash.[15][16][17]<br /> <br /> A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel.[18] According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further.[14] Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.[citation needed]<br /> <br /> See also<br /> List of people who disappeared<br /> Upali Air<br /> Upali Newspapers<br /> References</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Upali_Wijewardene&diff=152 2025-10-23T10:27:20Z

<p>Bhashi: /* Aviation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Upali Wijewardene<br /> | image = Upali_Wijewardene.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Philip Upali Wijewardene''' (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan business magnate and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.[1] The Upali Group diversified from confectionery to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, Upali Air, Upali Mazda and Upali Newspapers, which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved &quot;largely through bravado and wit.&quot;[2]<br /> <br /> Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of Malacca soon after leaving Malaysia en route to Colombo.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and family==<br /> Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.[4][5]<br /> <br /> The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete.[6] His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.<br /> <br /> On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.[7][8] Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.[9] He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family.[4] An amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two older sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled at Royal College, Colombo and later attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Queens College, Cambridge from 1956 to 1959, earning a BA degree. At Cambridge, he held the position of secretary of the Marshall Society.[4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early ventures==<br /> On his return to Ceylon in 1959, Wijewardene joined the British manufacturing company Lever Brothers as a management trainee and was assigned the responsibility of overseeing soap processing. However, he left Lever Brothers in 1961 due to a disagreement with the chairman.[5]<br /> <br /> ====Delta toffee====<br /> Wijewardene ventured into business by setting up a confectionary company and establishing a candy ball machine on his property on Bloemendaal Road. He later expanded the business and branded it 'Delta Toffee'.[3][5]<br /> <br /> ====Kandos chocolates====<br /> In 1970, after the passing of his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed control of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic to an international market, and with the help of a friend, Ratnam, he cultivated 14,000 acres of cocoa in Malaysia. During the transition of the business, he acquired cocoa plantations, processing plants, and factories in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[4][5][3]<br /> <br /> ==Upali Group==<br /> Wijewardene founded the Upali Group of Companies in the mid-1960s, consolidating his holdings and forming a conglomerate of companies.[10][11]<br /> <br /> ====Manufacturing====<br /> Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.<br /> <br /> ====Aviation====<br /> In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Electronics==<br /> He started the Upali Electronic Company in the 1970s, introducing radios, calculators, wall clocks, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under the import restrictions of the time.<br /> <br /> ==Automotive==<br /> In 1970, Wijewardene founded the Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were known locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over 500 units were assembled. In 1978, UMC began the assembly of the Fiat 128, known locally as Upali Fiat.[12]<br /> <br /> ==Print media==<br /> In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.<br /> <br /> In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as &quot;romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women,&quot; crammed into 16 pages.[2] It expanded into 32 pages, with a different story on every page. Editor Janaka Ratnayake noted that the publication had &quot;many topics—romance, detective, sci-fi, heroes, two pages built around movie stars, and almost a page of pen pals&quot; (1993). All the stories were serialised and in black and white with a &quot;spot&quot; of one additional colour.[13] The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines.[13]<br /> <br /> In 1980, Wijewardene travelled to Silicon Valley and signed five agreements, including one with Motorola.[2] The construction of chip plants started in 1983. However, with the start Sri Lankan civil war and bombing across the country, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction of the plants were killed, and the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.[14]<br /> <br /> ==Horse racing==<br /> Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse racing at the Nuwara Eliya Race Course. He was the chairman of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Turf Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where his horse &quot;Rasa Penang&quot; won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous jockey Lester Piggott.<br /> <br /> In 1980, he won the Singapore Derby at the Bukit Timah Race Course and the Perak Derby at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia with his horse &quot;Vaaron.&quot;. He raced &quot;General Atty&quot; too, who won many races in England. He would fly to the races in his private aircraft, and made it a point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses and ponies racing.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> In 1978, Wijewardene was appointed by President J. R. Jayewardene as the first director general of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political establishment did not favour his arrival in politics.[14] Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.[2] He set up an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas to learn English and computer technology.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Disappearance==<br /> <br /> Learjet 35A<br /> Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private jet, a Learjet 35A, which he had modified with another controller for the rear body.[3] His plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 8:41 p.m. on 13 February 1983, bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney De Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Fifteen minutes later, the aircraft disappeared while flying over the Straits of Malacca. Extensive search operations by air and naval units of Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia failed to locate any evidence of a crash.[15][16][17]<br /> <br /> A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel.[18] According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further.[14] Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.[citation needed]<br /> <br /> See also<br /> List of people who disappeared<br /> Upali Air<br /> Upali Newspapers<br /> References</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Upali_Wijewardene&diff=151 2025-10-23T10:27:10Z

<p>Bhashi: /* Manufacturing */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Upali Wijewardene<br /> | image = Upali_Wijewardene.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Philip Upali Wijewardene''' (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan business magnate and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.[1] The Upali Group diversified from confectionery to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, Upali Air, Upali Mazda and Upali Newspapers, which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved &quot;largely through bravado and wit.&quot;[2]<br /> <br /> Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of Malacca soon after leaving Malaysia en route to Colombo.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and family==<br /> Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.[4][5]<br /> <br /> The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete.[6] His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.<br /> <br /> On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.[7][8] Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.[9] He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family.[4] An amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two older sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled at Royal College, Colombo and later attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Queens College, Cambridge from 1956 to 1959, earning a BA degree. At Cambridge, he held the position of secretary of the Marshall Society.[4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early ventures==<br /> On his return to Ceylon in 1959, Wijewardene joined the British manufacturing company Lever Brothers as a management trainee and was assigned the responsibility of overseeing soap processing. However, he left Lever Brothers in 1961 due to a disagreement with the chairman.[5]<br /> <br /> ====Delta toffee====<br /> Wijewardene ventured into business by setting up a confectionary company and establishing a candy ball machine on his property on Bloemendaal Road. He later expanded the business and branded it 'Delta Toffee'.[3][5]<br /> <br /> ====Kandos chocolates====<br /> In 1970, after the passing of his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed control of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic to an international market, and with the help of a friend, Ratnam, he cultivated 14,000 acres of cocoa in Malaysia. During the transition of the business, he acquired cocoa plantations, processing plants, and factories in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[4][5][3]<br /> <br /> ==Upali Group==<br /> Wijewardene founded the Upali Group of Companies in the mid-1960s, consolidating his holdings and forming a conglomerate of companies.[10][11]<br /> <br /> ====Manufacturing====<br /> Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.<br /> <br /> ==Aviation==<br /> In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Electronics==<br /> He started the Upali Electronic Company in the 1970s, introducing radios, calculators, wall clocks, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under the import restrictions of the time.<br /> <br /> ==Automotive==<br /> In 1970, Wijewardene founded the Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were known locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over 500 units were assembled. In 1978, UMC began the assembly of the Fiat 128, known locally as Upali Fiat.[12]<br /> <br /> ==Print media==<br /> In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.<br /> <br /> In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as &quot;romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women,&quot; crammed into 16 pages.[2] It expanded into 32 pages, with a different story on every page. Editor Janaka Ratnayake noted that the publication had &quot;many topics—romance, detective, sci-fi, heroes, two pages built around movie stars, and almost a page of pen pals&quot; (1993). All the stories were serialised and in black and white with a &quot;spot&quot; of one additional colour.[13] The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines.[13]<br /> <br /> In 1980, Wijewardene travelled to Silicon Valley and signed five agreements, including one with Motorola.[2] The construction of chip plants started in 1983. However, with the start Sri Lankan civil war and bombing across the country, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction of the plants were killed, and the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.[14]<br /> <br /> ==Horse racing==<br /> Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse racing at the Nuwara Eliya Race Course. He was the chairman of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Turf Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where his horse &quot;Rasa Penang&quot; won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous jockey Lester Piggott.<br /> <br /> In 1980, he won the Singapore Derby at the Bukit Timah Race Course and the Perak Derby at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia with his horse &quot;Vaaron.&quot;. He raced &quot;General Atty&quot; too, who won many races in England. He would fly to the races in his private aircraft, and made it a point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses and ponies racing.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> In 1978, Wijewardene was appointed by President J. R. Jayewardene as the first director general of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political establishment did not favour his arrival in politics.[14] Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.[2] He set up an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas to learn English and computer technology.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Disappearance==<br /> <br /> Learjet 35A<br /> Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private jet, a Learjet 35A, which he had modified with another controller for the rear body.[3] His plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 8:41 p.m. on 13 February 1983, bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney De Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Fifteen minutes later, the aircraft disappeared while flying over the Straits of Malacca. Extensive search operations by air and naval units of Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia failed to locate any evidence of a crash.[15][16][17]<br /> <br /> A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel.[18] According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further.[14] Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.[citation needed]<br /> <br /> See also<br /> List of people who disappeared<br /> Upali Air<br /> Upali Newspapers<br /> References</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Upali_Wijewardene&diff=150 2025-10-23T10:26:40Z

<p>Bhashi: /* Kandos chocolates */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Upali Wijewardene<br /> | image = Upali_Wijewardene.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Philip Upali Wijewardene''' (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan business magnate and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.[1] The Upali Group diversified from confectionery to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, Upali Air, Upali Mazda and Upali Newspapers, which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved &quot;largely through bravado and wit.&quot;[2]<br /> <br /> Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of Malacca soon after leaving Malaysia en route to Colombo.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and family==<br /> Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.[4][5]<br /> <br /> The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete.[6] His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.<br /> <br /> On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.[7][8] Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.[9] He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family.[4] An amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two older sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled at Royal College, Colombo and later attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Queens College, Cambridge from 1956 to 1959, earning a BA degree. At Cambridge, he held the position of secretary of the Marshall Society.[4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early ventures==<br /> On his return to Ceylon in 1959, Wijewardene joined the British manufacturing company Lever Brothers as a management trainee and was assigned the responsibility of overseeing soap processing. However, he left Lever Brothers in 1961 due to a disagreement with the chairman.[5]<br /> <br /> ====Delta toffee====<br /> Wijewardene ventured into business by setting up a confectionary company and establishing a candy ball machine on his property on Bloemendaal Road. He later expanded the business and branded it 'Delta Toffee'.[3][5]<br /> <br /> ====Kandos chocolates====<br /> In 1970, after the passing of his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed control of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic to an international market, and with the help of a friend, Ratnam, he cultivated 14,000 acres of cocoa in Malaysia. During the transition of the business, he acquired cocoa plantations, processing plants, and factories in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[4][5][3]<br /> <br /> ==Upali Group==<br /> Wijewardene founded the Upali Group of Companies in the mid-1960s, consolidating his holdings and forming a conglomerate of companies.[10][11]<br /> <br /> ==Manufacturing==<br /> Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.<br /> <br /> ==Aviation==<br /> In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Electronics==<br /> He started the Upali Electronic Company in the 1970s, introducing radios, calculators, wall clocks, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under the import restrictions of the time.<br /> <br /> ==Automotive==<br /> In 1970, Wijewardene founded the Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were known locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over 500 units were assembled. In 1978, UMC began the assembly of the Fiat 128, known locally as Upali Fiat.[12]<br /> <br /> ==Print media==<br /> In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.<br /> <br /> In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as &quot;romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women,&quot; crammed into 16 pages.[2] It expanded into 32 pages, with a different story on every page. Editor Janaka Ratnayake noted that the publication had &quot;many topics—romance, detective, sci-fi, heroes, two pages built around movie stars, and almost a page of pen pals&quot; (1993). All the stories were serialised and in black and white with a &quot;spot&quot; of one additional colour.[13] The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines.[13]<br /> <br /> In 1980, Wijewardene travelled to Silicon Valley and signed five agreements, including one with Motorola.[2] The construction of chip plants started in 1983. However, with the start Sri Lankan civil war and bombing across the country, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction of the plants were killed, and the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.[14]<br /> <br /> ==Horse racing==<br /> Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse racing at the Nuwara Eliya Race Course. He was the chairman of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Turf Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where his horse &quot;Rasa Penang&quot; won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous jockey Lester Piggott.<br /> <br /> In 1980, he won the Singapore Derby at the Bukit Timah Race Course and the Perak Derby at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia with his horse &quot;Vaaron.&quot;. He raced &quot;General Atty&quot; too, who won many races in England. He would fly to the races in his private aircraft, and made it a point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses and ponies racing.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> In 1978, Wijewardene was appointed by President J. R. Jayewardene as the first director general of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political establishment did not favour his arrival in politics.[14] Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.[2] He set up an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas to learn English and computer technology.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Disappearance==<br /> <br /> Learjet 35A<br /> Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private jet, a Learjet 35A, which he had modified with another controller for the rear body.[3] His plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 8:41 p.m. on 13 February 1983, bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney De Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Fifteen minutes later, the aircraft disappeared while flying over the Straits of Malacca. Extensive search operations by air and naval units of Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia failed to locate any evidence of a crash.[15][16][17]<br /> <br /> A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel.[18] According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further.[14] Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.[citation needed]<br /> <br /> See also<br /> List of people who disappeared<br /> Upali Air<br /> Upali Newspapers<br /> References</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Upali_Wijewardene&diff=149 2025-10-23T10:26:22Z

<p>Bhashi: /* Delta toffee */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Upali Wijewardene<br /> | image = Upali_Wijewardene.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Philip Upali Wijewardene''' (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan business magnate and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.[1] The Upali Group diversified from confectionery to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, Upali Air, Upali Mazda and Upali Newspapers, which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved &quot;largely through bravado and wit.&quot;[2]<br /> <br /> Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of Malacca soon after leaving Malaysia en route to Colombo.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and family==<br /> Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.[4][5]<br /> <br /> The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete.[6] His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.<br /> <br /> On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.[7][8] Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.[9] He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family.[4] An amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two older sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled at Royal College, Colombo and later attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Queens College, Cambridge from 1956 to 1959, earning a BA degree. At Cambridge, he held the position of secretary of the Marshall Society.[4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early ventures==<br /> On his return to Ceylon in 1959, Wijewardene joined the British manufacturing company Lever Brothers as a management trainee and was assigned the responsibility of overseeing soap processing. However, he left Lever Brothers in 1961 due to a disagreement with the chairman.[5]<br /> <br /> ====Delta toffee====<br /> Wijewardene ventured into business by setting up a confectionary company and establishing a candy ball machine on his property on Bloemendaal Road. He later expanded the business and branded it 'Delta Toffee'.[3][5]<br /> <br /> =Kandos chocolates=<br /> In 1970, after the passing of his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed control of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic to an international market, and with the help of a friend, Ratnam, he cultivated 14,000 acres of cocoa in Malaysia. During the transition of the business, he acquired cocoa plantations, processing plants, and factories in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[4][5][3]<br /> <br /> ==Upali Group==<br /> Wijewardene founded the Upali Group of Companies in the mid-1960s, consolidating his holdings and forming a conglomerate of companies.[10][11]<br /> <br /> ==Manufacturing==<br /> Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.<br /> <br /> ==Aviation==<br /> In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Electronics==<br /> He started the Upali Electronic Company in the 1970s, introducing radios, calculators, wall clocks, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under the import restrictions of the time.<br /> <br /> ==Automotive==<br /> In 1970, Wijewardene founded the Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were known locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over 500 units were assembled. In 1978, UMC began the assembly of the Fiat 128, known locally as Upali Fiat.[12]<br /> <br /> ==Print media==<br /> In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.<br /> <br /> In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as &quot;romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women,&quot; crammed into 16 pages.[2] It expanded into 32 pages, with a different story on every page. Editor Janaka Ratnayake noted that the publication had &quot;many topics—romance, detective, sci-fi, heroes, two pages built around movie stars, and almost a page of pen pals&quot; (1993). All the stories were serialised and in black and white with a &quot;spot&quot; of one additional colour.[13] The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines.[13]<br /> <br /> In 1980, Wijewardene travelled to Silicon Valley and signed five agreements, including one with Motorola.[2] The construction of chip plants started in 1983. However, with the start Sri Lankan civil war and bombing across the country, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction of the plants were killed, and the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.[14]<br /> <br /> ==Horse racing==<br /> Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse racing at the Nuwara Eliya Race Course. He was the chairman of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Turf Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where his horse &quot;Rasa Penang&quot; won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous jockey Lester Piggott.<br /> <br /> In 1980, he won the Singapore Derby at the Bukit Timah Race Course and the Perak Derby at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia with his horse &quot;Vaaron.&quot;. He raced &quot;General Atty&quot; too, who won many races in England. He would fly to the races in his private aircraft, and made it a point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses and ponies racing.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> In 1978, Wijewardene was appointed by President J. R. Jayewardene as the first director general of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political establishment did not favour his arrival in politics.[14] Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.[2] He set up an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas to learn English and computer technology.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Disappearance==<br /> <br /> Learjet 35A<br /> Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private jet, a Learjet 35A, which he had modified with another controller for the rear body.[3] His plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 8:41 p.m. on 13 February 1983, bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney De Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Fifteen minutes later, the aircraft disappeared while flying over the Straits of Malacca. Extensive search operations by air and naval units of Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia failed to locate any evidence of a crash.[15][16][17]<br /> <br /> A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel.[18] According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further.[14] Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.[citation needed]<br /> <br /> See also<br /> List of people who disappeared<br /> Upali Air<br /> Upali Newspapers<br /> References</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Upali_Wijewardene&diff=148 2025-10-23T10:25:37Z

<p>Bhashi: /* Early ventures */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Upali Wijewardene<br /> | image = Upali_Wijewardene.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Philip Upali Wijewardene''' (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan business magnate and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.[1] The Upali Group diversified from confectionery to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, Upali Air, Upali Mazda and Upali Newspapers, which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved &quot;largely through bravado and wit.&quot;[2]<br /> <br /> Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of Malacca soon after leaving Malaysia en route to Colombo.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and family==<br /> Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.[4][5]<br /> <br /> The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete.[6] His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.<br /> <br /> On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.[7][8] Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.[9] He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family.[4] An amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two older sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled at Royal College, Colombo and later attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Queens College, Cambridge from 1956 to 1959, earning a BA degree. At Cambridge, he held the position of secretary of the Marshall Society.[4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early ventures==<br /> On his return to Ceylon in 1959, Wijewardene joined the British manufacturing company Lever Brothers as a management trainee and was assigned the responsibility of overseeing soap processing. However, he left Lever Brothers in 1961 due to a disagreement with the chairman.[5]<br /> <br /> =Delta toffee=<br /> Wijewardene ventured into business by setting up a confectionary company and establishing a candy ball machine on his property on Bloemendaal Road. He later expanded the business and branded it 'Delta Toffee'.[3][5]<br /> <br /> =Kandos chocolates=<br /> In 1970, after the passing of his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed control of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic to an international market, and with the help of a friend, Ratnam, he cultivated 14,000 acres of cocoa in Malaysia. During the transition of the business, he acquired cocoa plantations, processing plants, and factories in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[4][5][3]<br /> <br /> ==Upali Group==<br /> Wijewardene founded the Upali Group of Companies in the mid-1960s, consolidating his holdings and forming a conglomerate of companies.[10][11]<br /> <br /> ==Manufacturing==<br /> Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.<br /> <br /> ==Aviation==<br /> In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Electronics==<br /> He started the Upali Electronic Company in the 1970s, introducing radios, calculators, wall clocks, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under the import restrictions of the time.<br /> <br /> ==Automotive==<br /> In 1970, Wijewardene founded the Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were known locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over 500 units were assembled. In 1978, UMC began the assembly of the Fiat 128, known locally as Upali Fiat.[12]<br /> <br /> ==Print media==<br /> In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.<br /> <br /> In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as &quot;romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women,&quot; crammed into 16 pages.[2] It expanded into 32 pages, with a different story on every page. Editor Janaka Ratnayake noted that the publication had &quot;many topics—romance, detective, sci-fi, heroes, two pages built around movie stars, and almost a page of pen pals&quot; (1993). All the stories were serialised and in black and white with a &quot;spot&quot; of one additional colour.[13] The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines.[13]<br /> <br /> In 1980, Wijewardene travelled to Silicon Valley and signed five agreements, including one with Motorola.[2] The construction of chip plants started in 1983. However, with the start Sri Lankan civil war and bombing across the country, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction of the plants were killed, and the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.[14]<br /> <br /> ==Horse racing==<br /> Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse racing at the Nuwara Eliya Race Course. He was the chairman of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Turf Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where his horse &quot;Rasa Penang&quot; won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous jockey Lester Piggott.<br /> <br /> In 1980, he won the Singapore Derby at the Bukit Timah Race Course and the Perak Derby at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia with his horse &quot;Vaaron.&quot;. He raced &quot;General Atty&quot; too, who won many races in England. He would fly to the races in his private aircraft, and made it a point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses and ponies racing.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> In 1978, Wijewardene was appointed by President J. R. Jayewardene as the first director general of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political establishment did not favour his arrival in politics.[14] Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.[2] He set up an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas to learn English and computer technology.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Disappearance==<br /> <br /> Learjet 35A<br /> Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private jet, a Learjet 35A, which he had modified with another controller for the rear body.[3] His plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 8:41 p.m. on 13 February 1983, bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney De Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Fifteen minutes later, the aircraft disappeared while flying over the Straits of Malacca. Extensive search operations by air and naval units of Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia failed to locate any evidence of a crash.[15][16][17]<br /> <br /> A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel.[18] According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further.[14] Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.[citation needed]<br /> <br /> See also<br /> List of people who disappeared<br /> Upali Air<br /> Upali Newspapers<br /> References</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Upali_Wijewardene&diff=147 2025-10-23T10:25:04Z

<p>Bhashi: /* Kandos chocolates */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Upali Wijewardene<br /> | image = Upali_Wijewardene.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Philip Upali Wijewardene''' (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan business magnate and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.[1] The Upali Group diversified from confectionery to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, Upali Air, Upali Mazda and Upali Newspapers, which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved &quot;largely through bravado and wit.&quot;[2]<br /> <br /> Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of Malacca soon after leaving Malaysia en route to Colombo.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and family==<br /> Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.[4][5]<br /> <br /> The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete.[6] His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.<br /> <br /> On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.[7][8] Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.[9] He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family.[4] An amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two older sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled at Royal College, Colombo and later attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Queens College, Cambridge from 1956 to 1959, earning a BA degree. At Cambridge, he held the position of secretary of the Marshall Society.[4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early ventures==<br /> On his return to Ceylon in 1959, Wijewardene joined the British manufacturing company Lever Brothers as a management trainee and was assigned the responsibility of overseeing soap processing. However, he left Lever Brothers in 1961 due to a disagreement with the chairman.[5]<br /> <br /> '''Delta toffee'''<br /> Wijewardene ventured into business by setting up a confectionary company and establishing a candy ball machine on his property on Bloemendaal Road. He later expanded the business and branded it 'Delta Toffee'.[3][5]<br /> <br /> *'''Kandos chocolates'''<br /> In 1970, after the passing of his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed control of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic to an international market, and with the help of a friend, Ratnam, he cultivated 14,000 acres of cocoa in Malaysia. During the transition of the business, he acquired cocoa plantations, processing plants, and factories in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[4][5][3]<br /> <br /> ==Upali Group==<br /> Wijewardene founded the Upali Group of Companies in the mid-1960s, consolidating his holdings and forming a conglomerate of companies.[10][11]<br /> <br /> ==Manufacturing==<br /> Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.<br /> <br /> ==Aviation==<br /> In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Electronics==<br /> He started the Upali Electronic Company in the 1970s, introducing radios, calculators, wall clocks, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under the import restrictions of the time.<br /> <br /> ==Automotive==<br /> In 1970, Wijewardene founded the Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were known locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over 500 units were assembled. In 1978, UMC began the assembly of the Fiat 128, known locally as Upali Fiat.[12]<br /> <br /> ==Print media==<br /> In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.<br /> <br /> In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as &quot;romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women,&quot; crammed into 16 pages.[2] It expanded into 32 pages, with a different story on every page. Editor Janaka Ratnayake noted that the publication had &quot;many topics—romance, detective, sci-fi, heroes, two pages built around movie stars, and almost a page of pen pals&quot; (1993). All the stories were serialised and in black and white with a &quot;spot&quot; of one additional colour.[13] The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines.[13]<br /> <br /> In 1980, Wijewardene travelled to Silicon Valley and signed five agreements, including one with Motorola.[2] The construction of chip plants started in 1983. However, with the start Sri Lankan civil war and bombing across the country, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction of the plants were killed, and the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.[14]<br /> <br /> ==Horse racing==<br /> Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse racing at the Nuwara Eliya Race Course. He was the chairman of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Turf Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where his horse &quot;Rasa Penang&quot; won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous jockey Lester Piggott.<br /> <br /> In 1980, he won the Singapore Derby at the Bukit Timah Race Course and the Perak Derby at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia with his horse &quot;Vaaron.&quot;. He raced &quot;General Atty&quot; too, who won many races in England. He would fly to the races in his private aircraft, and made it a point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses and ponies racing.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> In 1978, Wijewardene was appointed by President J. R. Jayewardene as the first director general of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political establishment did not favour his arrival in politics.[14] Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.[2] He set up an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas to learn English and computer technology.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Disappearance==<br /> <br /> Learjet 35A<br /> Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private jet, a Learjet 35A, which he had modified with another controller for the rear body.[3] His plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 8:41 p.m. on 13 February 1983, bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney De Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Fifteen minutes later, the aircraft disappeared while flying over the Straits of Malacca. Extensive search operations by air and naval units of Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia failed to locate any evidence of a crash.[15][16][17]<br /> <br /> A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel.[18] According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further.[14] Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.[citation needed]<br /> <br /> See also<br /> List of people who disappeared<br /> Upali Air<br /> Upali Newspapers<br /> References</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Upali_Wijewardene&diff=146 2025-10-23T10:24:43Z

<p>Bhashi: /* Delta toffee */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Upali Wijewardene<br /> | image = Upali_Wijewardene.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Philip Upali Wijewardene''' (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan business magnate and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.[1] The Upali Group diversified from confectionery to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, Upali Air, Upali Mazda and Upali Newspapers, which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved &quot;largely through bravado and wit.&quot;[2]<br /> <br /> Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of Malacca soon after leaving Malaysia en route to Colombo.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and family==<br /> Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.[4][5]<br /> <br /> The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete.[6] His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.<br /> <br /> On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.[7][8] Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.[9] He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family.[4] An amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two older sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled at Royal College, Colombo and later attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Queens College, Cambridge from 1956 to 1959, earning a BA degree. At Cambridge, he held the position of secretary of the Marshall Society.[4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early ventures==<br /> On his return to Ceylon in 1959, Wijewardene joined the British manufacturing company Lever Brothers as a management trainee and was assigned the responsibility of overseeing soap processing. However, he left Lever Brothers in 1961 due to a disagreement with the chairman.[5]<br /> <br /> '''Delta toffee'''<br /> Wijewardene ventured into business by setting up a confectionary company and establishing a candy ball machine on his property on Bloemendaal Road. He later expanded the business and branded it 'Delta Toffee'.[3][5]<br /> <br /> ==Kandos chocolates==<br /> In 1970, after the passing of his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed control of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic to an international market, and with the help of a friend, Ratnam, he cultivated 14,000 acres of cocoa in Malaysia. During the transition of the business, he acquired cocoa plantations, processing plants, and factories in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[4][5][3]<br /> <br /> ==Upali Group==<br /> Wijewardene founded the Upali Group of Companies in the mid-1960s, consolidating his holdings and forming a conglomerate of companies.[10][11]<br /> <br /> ==Manufacturing==<br /> Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.<br /> <br /> ==Aviation==<br /> In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Electronics==<br /> He started the Upali Electronic Company in the 1970s, introducing radios, calculators, wall clocks, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under the import restrictions of the time.<br /> <br /> ==Automotive==<br /> In 1970, Wijewardene founded the Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were known locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over 500 units were assembled. In 1978, UMC began the assembly of the Fiat 128, known locally as Upali Fiat.[12]<br /> <br /> ==Print media==<br /> In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.<br /> <br /> In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as &quot;romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women,&quot; crammed into 16 pages.[2] It expanded into 32 pages, with a different story on every page. Editor Janaka Ratnayake noted that the publication had &quot;many topics—romance, detective, sci-fi, heroes, two pages built around movie stars, and almost a page of pen pals&quot; (1993). All the stories were serialised and in black and white with a &quot;spot&quot; of one additional colour.[13] The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines.[13]<br /> <br /> In 1980, Wijewardene travelled to Silicon Valley and signed five agreements, including one with Motorola.[2] The construction of chip plants started in 1983. However, with the start Sri Lankan civil war and bombing across the country, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction of the plants were killed, and the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.[14]<br /> <br /> ==Horse racing==<br /> Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse racing at the Nuwara Eliya Race Course. He was the chairman of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Turf Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where his horse &quot;Rasa Penang&quot; won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous jockey Lester Piggott.<br /> <br /> In 1980, he won the Singapore Derby at the Bukit Timah Race Course and the Perak Derby at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia with his horse &quot;Vaaron.&quot;. He raced &quot;General Atty&quot; too, who won many races in England. He would fly to the races in his private aircraft, and made it a point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses and ponies racing.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> In 1978, Wijewardene was appointed by President J. R. Jayewardene as the first director general of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political establishment did not favour his arrival in politics.[14] Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.[2] He set up an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas to learn English and computer technology.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Disappearance==<br /> <br /> Learjet 35A<br /> Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private jet, a Learjet 35A, which he had modified with another controller for the rear body.[3] His plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 8:41 p.m. on 13 February 1983, bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney De Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Fifteen minutes later, the aircraft disappeared while flying over the Straits of Malacca. Extensive search operations by air and naval units of Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia failed to locate any evidence of a crash.[15][16][17]<br /> <br /> A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel.[18] According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further.[14] Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.[citation needed]<br /> <br /> See also<br /> List of people who disappeared<br /> Upali Air<br /> Upali Newspapers<br /> References</div>

Bhashi https://www.profile.lk/index.php?title=Upali_Wijewardene&diff=145 2025-10-23T10:24:10Z

<p>Bhashi: /* Early life and family */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Infobox person<br /> | name = Upali Wijewardene<br /> | image = Upali_Wijewardene.jpg<br /> | occupation = Businessman<br /> }}<br /> <br /> '''Philip Upali Wijewardene''' (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan business magnate and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.[1] The Upali Group diversified from confectionery to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, Upali Air, Upali Mazda and Upali Newspapers, which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved &quot;largely through bravado and wit.&quot;[2]<br /> <br /> Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of Malacca soon after leaving Malaysia en route to Colombo.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Early life and family==<br /> Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.[4][5]<br /> <br /> The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete.[6] His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.<br /> <br /> On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.[7][8] Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.[9] He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family.[4] An amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early 1960s.<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two older sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled at Royal College, Colombo and later attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Queens College, Cambridge from 1956 to 1959, earning a BA degree. At Cambridge, he held the position of secretary of the Marshall Society.[4][5]<br /> <br /> ==Early ventures==<br /> On his return to Ceylon in 1959, Wijewardene joined the British manufacturing company Lever Brothers as a management trainee and was assigned the responsibility of overseeing soap processing. However, he left Lever Brothers in 1961 due to a disagreement with the chairman.[5]<br /> <br /> ==Delta toffee==<br /> Wijewardene ventured into business by setting up a confectionary company and establishing a candy ball machine on his property on Bloemendaal Road. He later expanded the business and branded it 'Delta Toffee'.[3][5]<br /> <br /> ==Kandos chocolates==<br /> In 1970, after the passing of his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed control of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic to an international market, and with the help of a friend, Ratnam, he cultivated 14,000 acres of cocoa in Malaysia. During the transition of the business, he acquired cocoa plantations, processing plants, and factories in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[4][5][3]<br /> <br /> ==Upali Group==<br /> Wijewardene founded the Upali Group of Companies in the mid-1960s, consolidating his holdings and forming a conglomerate of companies.[10][11]<br /> <br /> ==Manufacturing==<br /> Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.<br /> <br /> ==Aviation==<br /> In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Electronics==<br /> He started the Upali Electronic Company in the 1970s, introducing radios, calculators, wall clocks, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under the import restrictions of the time.<br /> <br /> ==Automotive==<br /> In 1970, Wijewardene founded the Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were known locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over 500 units were assembled. In 1978, UMC began the assembly of the Fiat 128, known locally as Upali Fiat.[12]<br /> <br /> ==Print media==<br /> In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.<br /> <br /> In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as &quot;romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women,&quot; crammed into 16 pages.[2] It expanded into 32 pages, with a different story on every page. Editor Janaka Ratnayake noted that the publication had &quot;many topics—romance, detective, sci-fi, heroes, two pages built around movie stars, and almost a page of pen pals&quot; (1993). All the stories were serialised and in black and white with a &quot;spot&quot; of one additional colour.[13] The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines.[13]<br /> <br /> In 1980, Wijewardene travelled to Silicon Valley and signed five agreements, including one with Motorola.[2] The construction of chip plants started in 1983. However, with the start Sri Lankan civil war and bombing across the country, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction of the plants were killed, and the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.[14]<br /> <br /> ==Horse racing==<br /> Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse racing at the Nuwara Eliya Race Course. He was the chairman of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Turf Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where his horse &quot;Rasa Penang&quot; won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous jockey Lester Piggott.<br /> <br /> In 1980, he won the Singapore Derby at the Bukit Timah Race Course and the Perak Derby at the Perak Turf Club in Malaysia with his horse &quot;Vaaron.&quot;. He raced &quot;General Atty&quot; too, who won many races in England. He would fly to the races in his private aircraft, and made it a point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses and ponies racing.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> In 1978, Wijewardene was appointed by President J. R. Jayewardene as the first director general of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political establishment did not favour his arrival in politics.[14] Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.[2] He set up an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas to learn English and computer technology.[3]<br /> <br /> ==Disappearance==<br /> <br /> Learjet 35A<br /> Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private jet, a Learjet 35A, which he had modified with another controller for the rear body.[3] His plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 8:41 p.m. on 13 February 1983, bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney De Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Fifteen minutes later, the aircraft disappeared while flying over the Straits of Malacca. Extensive search operations by air and naval units of Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia failed to locate any evidence of a crash.[15][16][17]<br /> <br /> A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel.[18] According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further.[14] Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.[citation needed]<br /> <br /> See also<br /> List of people who disappeared<br /> Upali Air<br /> Upali Newspapers<br /> References</div>

Bhashi