Champika Ranawaka

Achchige Patali Champika Ranawaka (Sinhala: පාඨලී චම්පික රණවක; born 4 August 1965) is a Sri Lankan electrical engineer and a politician. He was a member of parliament from the Colombo District of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. He is currently the leader of a civil society named "43rd Brigade", after declaring himself as an independent Member of Parliament on 8 June 2022. He was the Cabinet Minister of Megapolis and Western Development, as well as Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Power and Energy and Technology, Research and Atomic Energy.

Early life Champika Ranawaka born in Bulathsinghala in the Kalutara district and entered Taxila Central College after being qualified from the Scholarship Examination. Been an all-rounder at different extra curricular activities, Ranawaka completed the GCE Advanced Level examination ranking first from the Kalutara District to the engineering faculty of the University of Moratuwa where he spent four years as an undergraduate. His family name Achchige is of Malayalam origin, achchi being the feminine form (mother) of the Malayalam word meaning father, and is a name associated with the Kerala origin Kuruppu clan indicating matrilineal inheritance.

Political career Ranawaka was active in politics while in university in the late 1980s as a member of a pro-Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna student union, having spent over eight years as an undergraduate in the university engaged in politics. He was arrested as part of the crackdown student activists during the second JVP insurrection in 1988 and again in 1991. In the 1994 general and presidential elections the organization backed the People's Alliance led by Chandrika Kumaratunga.

Ranawaka later joined the Sihala Urumaya, a Sinhalese nationalist party. In 1998 he took part in forming the National Movement Against Terrorism (NMAT). The Sihala Urumaya evolved into the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), fielding Buddhist priests in the 2004 parliamentary elections and supporting UPFA candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa in the 2005 presidential elections.

Member of Parliament Thereafter it becomes a partner in the Rajapaksa government in 2007. With it one of its Buddhist members of parliament/priest, Omalpe Thero, resigned and his place was taken by Ranawaka as a national list MP (appointed by the party and not elected) who was thereafter appointed Cabinet Minister of Environment and Natural Resources by Rajapaksa.

In 2012, Ranawaka warned the Tamil people that they would receive a hundred Mullivaikkals if they continued to support the TNA self determination policies. He stated:

Criticism of international interventions Ranawaka has also been critical of international intervention in Sri Lanka stating that anyone who takes action against Sri Lanka will be supporting terrorism. In April 2011 Ranawaka called the United Nations' report on alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka 'diplomatic terrorism'. Ranwaka has also opposed airstrikes against Libya.

Arrest On 18 December 2019, he was arrested regarding his alleged involvement in a hit and run case injuring two people in 2016. He is alleged to have been connected to the abduction of family members of a major witness. He was summoned in the Magistrate court the same day he was arrested and was initially remanded until 19 December 2019. He was further ordered by the court to be remanded until 24 December 2019.

Books

1991– End of Modern Development Paradigm (club of Rome) limit to growth elaboration in sustainable development. 1993– Relational Relativity. Sihala Abhiyogaya (The Challenge of the Sinhalese) Koti Viniwideema (An insight of the LTTE ) Book Pre-view Book Download Nagenahira Sinhala Urumaya (Sinhala Heritage in the East) Book Pre-view Book Download Thrastha Virodi Jathika Salasma (The way to defeat the Tiger) Pre-view Book Download Al Jihad- Al Queida (The past, present & the future of Islamic fundamentalism) Pre-view Sangwardanaye Thunveni Yamaya (The Sunset of Development) Pre-view Book Download Patisothagamiwa Tis Wasak (A self written Autobiography) Pre-view Book Download

Electoral history + Electoral history of Patali Champika RanawakaElectionConstituencyPartyAllianceVotesResult 2010 parliamentary Colombo District Jathika Hela Urumaya United People's Freedom Alliance Elected 2015 parliamentary Colombo District Jathika Hela Urumaya United National Front for Good Governance Elected 2020 parliamentary Colombo District Jathika Hela Urumaya Samagi Jana Balawegaya Elected