President Chandrika, the strongest smile through silent pain!

Former President chairs 250 million LKR donation as historic correspondence with the LTTE is published for a new generation of peace-builders

Chairing the Bandaranaike National Memorial Foundation, Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga recently donated 250 million LKR to bolster national resilience. Simultaneously, the publication of her 1994–95 letters to the LTTE, titled Courage for Peace, offers a stark reminder of the missed opportunities that could have saved thousands of lives.  

Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga (CBK) attracted spot lights when the S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike National Memorial Foundation (BNMF) which she chairs donated 250 million LKR to make resilient Sri Lankans in the ‘Ditwah’ aftermath.

The BNMF established under Law No. 02 of 1975 (with subsequent amendments) manages the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) which was donated by the Peoples Republic of China in 1973 symbolizing the everlasting bond China has with her parents.   

Those who knew the resilient personality from her ‘Land Reform Commission’ days in the early 1970s would know that her will power has always been more or equal of a cyclone.  

Courage for PEACE

CBK is one the few leaders in post colonial Sri Lanka who was fortunate to rise through the ranks within a short period. She was the first female to be elected a Chief Minister under the Provincial Councils system in 1993. In 1994 she became the 2nd female to be elected Prime Minister after her mother who was elected as the world’s first female Prime Minister. Later in 1994 she was elected the first female Executive President winning more than 62% of the total votes.   

The trust she gained from the majority of all ethnic groups indicated the peoples wish to end the ongoing brutal war in the North and East. CBK not once but on multiple occasions proved her wish for peace after becoming the head of state. Such an approach by a female who lost her father as a child and her husband as a young mother due to political violence was appreciated by the peace loving communities across the globe.   

Under such circumstances she made an unprecedented move by writing directly to the LTTE leader extending a hand for peace. Her letters which was published on her 80th birthday in 2025 titled ‘Courage for PEACE’ is therefore, worth reading by those interested in conflict prevention and resolution.   

Letters for peace

The book contains one letter written as Prime Minister and eight written as President during 1994 – 95. Then Deputy Minister of Defense late General Ratwatte had also written three letters to the LTTE leader during 1994. The LTTE leader had replied to some and some have been replied by LTTE’s Tamilselvam.   

Then Secretary to the Prime Minister and later President, K. Balapatabendi had replied to some on behalf of President CBK (Ref. Courage for PEACE published by BNMF).   
In essence CBK, her secretary and her deputy minister have stressed the need to end violence with peaceful alternatives.  

If the LTTE realized the value of peace and respected the view of the 62% of the voters who elected CBK, it would have saved thousands of precious lives and national wealth worth billions.   

An impartial analysis of how LTTE treated CBK & the 30 year conflict would indicate that if Sri Lankans acted to prevent manmade conflicts, they would have been financially much stronger to face natural conflicts beyond human control.   

Launched on November 10, 2024, at Colombo’s BMICH, Courage for Peace: Words of Hope and Healing is a collaborative work by former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Professor Gamini Keerawella, and Dr. Ram Manikkalingam. This vital historical record documents the mid-1990s peace efforts, featuring the first complete publication of correspondence between Kumaratunga and LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. Providing a necessary counter-perspective to partisan accounts, the book offers deep insight into a transformative era of Sri Lankan diplomacy. 

Views expressed are personal  

Courage for Peace; Kumaratunga, Chandrika Bandaranaike; Keerawella, Gamini; Manikkalingam, Ram. Colombo: Bandaranaike National Memorial Fund,
 ISBN 978-624-96074-3-9.