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Hon.
Rohitha Bogollagama
Hon. Rohitha Bogollagama
	Rohitha Bogollagama at the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2007
Governor of Eastern Province
	In office; 4 July 2017 – 31 December 2018
President	Maithripala Sirisena
Preceded by	Austin Fernando
Succeeded by	M. L. A. M. Hizbullah
Minister of Foreign Affairs
	In office; 28 January 2007 – 23 April 2010
President	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Prime Minister	Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Preceded by	Mangala Samaraweera
Succeeded by	G. L. Peiris
Minister of Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion
	In office; 23 November 2005 – 28 January 2007
President	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Prime Minister	Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Succeeded by	Sarath Amunugama
Minister of Advanced Technology and National Enterprise
	In office; 18 November 2004 – 23 November 2005
President	Chandrika Kumaratunga
Prime Minister	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Minister of Industries of Sri Lanka
	In office; 12 December 2001 – 12 February 2004
President	Chandrika Kumaratunga
Prime Minister	Ranil Wickremesinghe
Succeeded by	Anura Bandaranaike
Personal details
Born	6 August 1954 (age 70); Nikaweratiya, North Western Province, Sri Lanka
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Political party	Sri Lanka Freedom Party ; (2004 – Present); United National Party ; (2000 – 2004)
Spouse(s)	Deepthi Bogollagama; (née Samarakone)
Children	Dhakshitha, Dilshani
Residence(s)	40 / 13, Longdon Place,; Colombo 07, Sri Lanka
Alma mater	Ananda College, Colombo; Sri Lanka Law College
Profession	Lawyer

Chandrasekera Rohitha Bandara Bogollagama (born 6 August 1954) (known as Rohitha Bogollagama) (Sinhala: රෝහිත බෝගොල්ලාගම, Tamil: ரோகித போகோல்லாகம) is a Sri Lankan lawyer and politician. He is a former Governor of Eastern Province, having earlier served as the Cabinet Minister of Foreign Affairs from 28 January 2007 until he was defeated in the General Elections held on 8 April 2010, losing his seat in parliament.^[1]^[2]

He had a long career in law, from 1976 to 1999, before being elected to the Sri Lankan parliament in 2000 from the United National Party, and then crossed over to Sri Lanka Freedom Party, serving as the chief organiser for the Kotte Electorate.^[3]

Early life

Born in Nikaweratiya, North Western Province, to Chandrasekera Malala Banda Bogollagama (former Chairman, National Lotteries Board from 1966 to 1970) and Vinitha Bogollagama (née Senerath),^[4] he is one of their five children.^[5] Bogollagama attended Ananda College in Colombo and later the Sri Lanka Law College, passing out in 1976. He was called to the Bar and enrolled as Attorney-at-Law by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in October 1976.

Legal career

Bogollagama's career in law ran for nearly thirty years, and included serving as legal consultant to the Ceylon Fertiliser Corporation from 1985 to 1993, and legal advisor to the United States government-run Voice of America from 1991 to 1999. He was also Chairman of the Sri Lanka Cement Corporation and Chairman and Director General of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka.

Political career

As a member of the United National Party, Bogollagama was elected to parliament in 2000 for Kurunegala District, and served the Parliamentary Consultative Committees on Finance, Foreign Affairs, Defence, Industrial Development & Investment Promotion, and Power & Energy. On 12 December 2001, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed him Minister of Industries.^[6] As minister he initiated the "Yuga Dekma", a large industrial fair, in 2002. In 2004 president Chandrika Kumaratunga dissolved parliament and removed non-cabinet ministers on 12 February.

While in opposition in 2004, he was appointed by a unanimous decision to serve as the Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), an oversight committee of parliament responsible for accountability of public enterprises.^[7]

Bogollagama switched political allegiance on 18 November 2004, siding with the United People's Freedom Alliance; the President swore him in as the Cabinet Minister of Advanced Technology and National Enterprise Development on the same day.^[8]

He became the Minister of Enterprise and Development on 23 November 2005.^[9] As Minister, he argued in favour of returning Sri Lanka to GMT +05:30 time, which was the official time before 1996.^[10] He represented the government of Sri Lanka at two rounds of peace talks with the LTTE at Geneva in 2006.^[2]

He was defeated in the General Elections held on 8 April 2010, losing his seat in parliament and was not reappointed to cabinet.

He was appointed Governor of Eastern Province by President Maithripala Sirisena in July 2017 and served till 2018.

Later life

He was appointed as the Sri Lankan High Commissioner-designate to the UK by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in October 2023.^[11] Bogollagama attended the 2023 UN peacekeeping ministerial meeting in Accra, Ghana in December 2023 as the special representative of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. His entourage which included his wife, a military aid, his use of the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Ethiopia and other spending has drawn criticism in the Sri Lankan press given that he is spending taxpayer money during a time when Sri Lanka is in its worst economic crisis.^[12]

Family

He is married to Deepthi Samarakone, youngest daughter of Donald Samarakone of the Ceylon Civil Service and Srima Samarakone daughter of Mudliyar A. V. Rathnayake. He has three sisters Kusum, Sucharitha and Jayathri. He has a son and a daughter.^[13] (ex Chairman of the National Enterprise Development Authority)^[14]

References

^ "Sri Lankan president reshuffles cabinet". People's Daily Online. 29 January 2007. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
^ ^a ^b "Rohitha Bogollagama, MP, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sri Lanka". The International Institute For Strategic Studies. 8 March 2007. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
^ President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited Sri Jayewardenepura, Kotte Daily News, Retrieved on 27 February 2014.
^ C.M.B. BOGALLAGAMA, Maintained Bar and Bench relationship. Daily News, Retrieved on 17 October 2014.
^ "Obituaries". Daily News – Lakehouse Newspapers. 20 September 2005. Archived from the original on 21 November 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
^ "Sri Lanka cabinet list". BBC News. 12 December 2001. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
^ "Bogollagama elected COPE Chairman". Daily News. 13 October 2004. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
^ "Bogollagama joins Government". Daily News. 19 November 2004. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
^ Nakkawita, Wijitha (24 November 2005). "New chiselled down Cabinet sworn in". The Island. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
^ Sudworth, John (3 April 2006). "Time to end Sri Lanka time split?". BBC News. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
^ "Orientation program held for 10 new SL foreign envoys". newswire.lk. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
^ "Extravagant spending: Bogollagama does it again". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
^ Lankalia buys 80% stake in Peacock Beach Hotel. Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka), Retrieved on 26 February 2023.
^ Dashitha appoined (sic) National Enterprise Development Authority Chairman. Daily FT (Sri Lanka), Retrieved on 26 June 2018.

Political offices
Preceded by ?	Minister of Industries of Sri Lanka 12 December 2001–12 February 2004	Succeeded by Anura Bandaranaike
Preceded by ?	Minister of Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion of Sri Lanka 23 November 2005–28 January 2007	Succeeded by Sarath Amunugama
Preceded by Mangala Samaraweera	Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka 28 January 2007–8 April 2010	Succeeded by Prof. G. L. Peiris
Preceded by Austin Fernando	Governor of Eastern Province 2017–2018	Succeeded by M. L. A. M. Hizbullah