Ossie Abeygunasekera

Who was Ossie Abeygunasekera?

Ossie Abeyagunasekera was a former Member of Parliament and chairman and the leader of the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya. He was assassinated by a female suicide bomber of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam while attending an election rally in support of Gamini Dissanayake, for the Presidential election of 1994. He was an alumnus of Ananda College, Colombo.

He was arrested as a Naxalite Prisoner in 1982 along with Vijaya Kumaratunga for printing the "Rice ration book". In 1986 he negotiated with the LTTE for a peaceful solution for the conflict and for the release of the Sri Lankan soldiers who was captured. After the death of his close friend Vijaya Kumarathunga founder of the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party he became the leader in 1988 until his death in 1994. He contested the Presidential election in 1989 creating the United Socialist Alliance. During the 1989 revolution in Sri Lanka his party SLMP lost the most number of members totally 114 lives. In 1989 there were many assassination attempts taken by the revolutionary group which failed. He was an excellent orator and a visionary leader.

Ossie Abeyagunasekera's father A.W.A.Abeyagunasekera was also a politician and the Chairman of Port Authority. A.W.A. Abeyagunasekera defeated the Communist Party Leader Pieter Keuneman in the 60s. A.W.Abeyagunasekera died from a plane crash in Mumbai.

Ossie Abeyagunasekera was married with one child Asanga Abeyagoonasekera who is the Executive Director of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute