Tissa Vitharana

Honourable
Tissa Vitharana
MP
Minister of Science and Technology
In office
April 2004 – April 2010
Minister of Technology and Research
In office
May 2010 – November 2010
Succeeded by Pavithra Devi Wanniarachchi
Senior Minister of Scientific Affairs
In office
November 2010 – 12 January 2015
Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament
for National List
In office
2004–2015
Personal details
Born (1934-08-30) 30 August 1934
Nuwara Eliya, Ceylon
Political party Lanka Sama Samaja Party
Other political
affiliations		 United People's Freedom Alliance
Alma mater University of Ceylon
University of London
Occupation Physician
Religion Buddhist
Ethnicity Sinhalese

Upali Tissa Vitharana (born 30 August 1934) is a Sri Lankan physician, politician, former Member of Parliament and former cabinet minister. He is the current leader of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), a member of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA).

Early life and family

Vitharana was born 30 August 1934 in Nuwara Eliya in central Ceylon.[1][2] He was the son of Pieris Vitharana, a Public Works Department engineer, and N. P. Maggie Perera, sister of N. M. Perera.[2][3] He was educated at Trinity College, Kandy and Ananda College, Colombo.[2][4] He played cricket for both schools.[2][3] After school he joined the University of Ceylon's medical faculty in Colombo, graduating in 1959 with a MBBS degree.[2][3][5] Vitharana captained the university's cricket team in 1957/58 and took part in the Sara Trophy Tournament.[2][3]

Vitharana is married to Kamini Meedeniya.[2][3] They have a son, Ranil.[2][3]

Career

After university Vitharana worked as a medical officer (1959-67) and was registrar at Colombo General Hospital in 1963/64.[2][5] His post graduate work earned him a MD degree in clinical medicine from the University of Ceylon in 1965.[5] He then went to study in the UK, obtaining a Diploma in Bacteriology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in 1968 and a Ph.D. in virology from the University of London in 1971.[3][5][6] Specialising in bacteriology and virology, Vitharana joined the Medical Research Institute (MRI) in Colombo in 1972, serving as its director from 1983 to 1994.[2][3][5] He was head of the virology department at the MRI from 1972 to 1994.[3][5] Vitharana was a consultant virologist at the Edinburgh City Hospital's Regional Virus Laboratory in the 1980s.[5] He was deputy director of the Victoria Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory in Melbourne from 1991 to 1993.[5]

Following retirement in 1994 Vitharana was a professor of microbiology at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura from 1995 to 2000 and an advisor to the Minister of Science and Technology from 1994 to 2001.[3][5]

Vitharana joined the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) in 1974.[1] On 20 January 2004 the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) formed the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA).[7] The Communist Party of Sri Lanka CPSL and LSSP joined the UPFA in February 2004.[8][9] Vitharana was appointed as a UPFA National List MP in the Sri Lankan Parliament following the 2004 parliamentary election.[10] He was appointed Minister of Science and Technology after the election.[11][12]

Vitharana was re-appointed as a UPFA National List MP following the 2010 parliamentary election.[13][14] He lost his cabinet position after the election but shortly afterwards, in May 2010, he was appointed Minister of Technology and Research.[15][16] He was promoted to Senior Minister of Scientific Affairs in November 2010.[17][18][19] He lost his cabinet position following the 2015 presidential election.

At the 2015 parliamentary election Vitharana was placed on the UPFA's list of National List candidates.[20][21] However, after the election he was not appointed to the National List.[22][23]

References

  1. 1 2 "Directory of Past Members: Tissa Vitarana". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Epasinghe, Premasara (16 September 2010). "Prof. (Dr.) Tissa Vitharana MP — An outstanding sportsman". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ""Gamata Thakshanaya"". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 16 July 2006.
  4. ↑ Gunewardene, Prasad (18 September 2007). "'Colvin, Unitary State and APRC Baby'". Daily News (Sri Lanka).
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Upali Tissa Vitarana" (PDF). Japan Science and Technology Agency.
  6. ↑ "Alumni Newsletter of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine" (PDF). London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. 1999. p. 4.
  7. ↑ "SLFP-JVP alliance signed in Colombo". TamilNet. 20 January 2004.
  8. ↑ "LSSP, CP agree to join SLFP-JVP alliance". TamilNet. 15 February 2004.
  9. ↑ "UPFA expands : CP, LSSP join Alliance". Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka). 15 February 2004.
  10. ↑ "UPFA list". The Island (Sri Lanka). 9 April 2004.
  11. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1335/24. 10 April 2004.
  12. ↑ "The new UPFA Cabinet". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 11 April 2004.
  13. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ACT, No. 1 OF 1981" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1650/19. 21 April 2010.
  14. ↑ "UPFA names National list". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 21 April 2010.
  15. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1652/36. 2 May 2010.
  16. ↑ "4 Sri Lankan ministers, 6 deputy ministers take oaths". TamilNet. 5 May 2010.
  17. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1681/2. 22 November 2010.
  18. ↑ "NEW FACES BOOST CABINET AS HOPES RISE". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 28 November 2010.
  19. ↑ Bhattacharjya, Satarupa (5 December 2010). "Not kicked upstairs due to doubtful loyalty: Vitharana". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
  20. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ACT, No. 1 OF 1981 List of Persons submitted under Article 99A of the Constitution" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1923/02. 13 July 2015.
  21. ↑ "UPFA, UNP national lists announced". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 13 July 2015.
  22. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION — 2015 Declaration under Article 99A of the Constitution" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1928/25. 21 August 2015.
  23. ↑ "UPFA finalises National list". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 21 August 2015.
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