- Mahinda Rajapaksa
Percy Mahendra 'Mahinda' Rajapaksa (born November 18, 1945) is the current President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. A lawyer by profession, Rajapakse previously served as the country's Prime Minister from April 06, 2004 until his swearing in as President for a six-year term on November 19, 2005. He is married to Shiranthi Rajapaksa, and is the father of three sons.
- Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan (born April 17, 1972 in Kandy, Sri Lanka), often referred to simply as Murali, is a Sri Lankan cricketer who is generally regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history. His unique bowling action coupled with his ability to amass wickets has made him one of the most famous cricketers of modern times. He currently lies second in the list of all time wicket takers in both Test cricket and One-Day International cricket.
- Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara (born 27 October, 1977 at Matale) is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a left hand batsman, batting in the No. 3 position, who learnt to become a wicket-keeper and has subsequently become a specialist wicketkeeper also. He will be playing English county cricket for Warwickshire CCC in 2007 and plays for Nondescripts in Sri Lankan domestic cricket. His wicket keeping has improved to such an extent that he is now considered, …
- Mahela Jayawardene
Denagamage Proboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene, known as Mahela Jayawardene, born 27 May, 1977, is the captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team. He is a specialist batsman who has a Test average in the hish 40's, and an ODI average in the 30s. In 2006, he was named by the International Cricket Council as the best international captain of the year. He is also known for his fielding skills in the inner ring, …
- Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (born 29 June 1945) was the fifth President (and fourth to hold the office as Executive president) of Sri Lanka (12 November 1994 - 19 November 2005). She was the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until end of 2005. She was Sri Lanka's first female president. Her father, Solomon Bandaranaike, was a government minister at the time of her birth and later became Prime Minister. He was assassinated in 1959, when Chandrika was fourteen.
- Sanath Jayasuriya
Sanath Teran Jayasuriya (born 30 June, 1969 in Matara) is a Sri Lankan cricketer. The all-rounder has been a member of the Sri Lankan cricket team since 1989. He is undoubtedly the most successful Sri Lankan cricketer in history and one of the most feared batsmen in the world.
- Chaminda Vaas
Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas, (born 27 January, 1974 in Mattumagala), usually known as Chaminda Vaas, is a Sri Lankan cricketer who is regarded as being the best fast bowler to come out of the country. According to Bill Frindall, scorer and statistician for BBC Radio's Test Match Special, Chaminda is actually his penultimate given name, therefore his initials should read WPUCJ.
- Velupillai Prabhakaran
Velupillai Prabhakaran (Tamil: வேலுப்பிள்ளை பிரபாகரன்; born November 26, 1954), sometimes referred to as Pirabaharan or Thambi, was born in the northern coastal town of Velvettithurai, Sri Lanka to "Thiruvenkadam Velupillai" and "Vallipuram Parvathy". At the age of 21, he founded the organisation now known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and is currently its leader.
- Lasith Malinga
Separamadu Lasith Malinga (born august 28, 1983 in Galle, Sri Lanka) is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a specialist fast bowler with a rare roundarm action, sometimes referred to as a "slinging" acton, leading to his nickname "Slinga Malinga".
- Sarath Fonseka
Lieutenant-General Sarath Fonseka RWP, RSP, rcds, psc, SLSR has been the Commander of the Sri Lankan Army since December 6, 2005. General Fonseka has served the Sri Lankan Army throughout the Sri Lankan civil war.
- Arjuna Ranatunga
Arjuna Ranatunga (born 1 December 1963) is a Sri Lankan cricketer-turned politician. Ranatunga comes from Gampaha, a town twenty miles north of Colombo. He, along with his brothers, studied at Ananda College Colombo where his mother was a teacher. Arjuna's cricketing career started and was carefully nurtured at school. He played cricket for both the junior and senior teams and captained the Ananda College senior team for two years.
- Lakshman Kadirgamar
Sri Lankabhimanya Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar PC (April 12, 1932 - August 12, 2005) was a Sri Lankan politician. After a distinguished career as a lawyer and international humanitarian, he was appointed as foreign minister of Sri Lanka in 1994 by President Chandrika Kumaratunga. He achieved international prominence in this position due his wide ranging condemnation of the LTTE and his efforts to have then banned internationally.
- Marvan Atapattu
Marvan Samson Atapattu (born 22 November 1970 in Kalutara) is a Sri Lankan cricketer and was captain until a back injury forced him to miss the series against England in May 2006, where Mahela Jayawardene took over as Test and ODI captain.
- Chamara Silva
Lindamlilage Prageeth Chamara Silva (born December 14, 1979 in Panadura, commonly known as Chamara Silva) is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a leg-break bowler. Having set a steady record for his club Panadura, he captained the team and secured a good record including a 54 on his One-day international debut against Australia. Since 1998 he has played List A cricket, and since 2004 Twenty20 cricket, …
- Dilhara Fernando
Congenige Randhi Dilhara Fernando (born 19 July, 1979, Colombo) is a cricketer who plays for Sri Lanka. He is a right handed pace bowler. Fernando uses a rare technique, splitting the fingers on the ball as it is released from the hand. Fernando first debuted for Sri Lanka in a Test Match against Pakistan at Colombo in June of 2000. Six months later in a game at Durban he clocked 91.9 mph. His international career however has been limited due to injury.
- Anton Balasingham
Anton Stanislaus Balasingham was the chief political strategist and chief negotiator of the separatist militant group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam which is banned by EU, the USA and several other countries as a terrorist organization. He was a British citizen of minority Tamil origin from Sri Lanka.
- Tillakaratne Dilshan
Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan (born 14 October, 1976 in Kalutara) is a Sri Lankan cricketer. Known as Tuwan Mohammad Dilshan prior to his conversion from Islam to Buddhism, an aggressive right-hand batsman, he is also a capable spin bowler and his off breaks are mostly used in the one-day arena. Dilshan made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in 1999. He scored his maiden Test hundred in the series with a 163.
- Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (born 16 December 1917) is a British science-fiction author and inventor, most famous for his novel "2001: A Space Odyssey", and for collaborating with director Stanley Kubrick on the film of the same name. Clarke is the last surviving member of what was sometimes known as the "Big Three" of science fiction, which included Robert A. Heinlein and Isaac Asimov.
- Malinda Warnapura
Basnayake Shalith Malinda Warnapura (born 26 May 1979 in Colombo, Sri Lanka) is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and right-arm off-break bowler. Making his first class debut in 1998/99, Warnapura didn't play international cricket for Sri Lanka until 2007. He had however previously represented them in the cricket tournament at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. He made his highest first class score of 242 playing for Sri Lanka A against Bangladesh A in 2007.
- Farveez Maharoof
Mohamed Farveez Maharoof (born 7 September, 1984 in Colombo) is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a promising new all-rounder in the Sri Lanka team. He first made his impression in the U19 World Cup in Bangladesh in which he captained the Sri lankan team.He enjoyed a prolific school career for Wesley College, with a highest score of 243 and best bowling figures of 8 for 20. Maharoof has a sound batting technique and is able to adapt to many different scenarios.
- Upul Tharanga
Warushavithana Upul Tharanga (born 2 February, 1985 in Balapitiya, commonly known as Upul Tharanga) is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and wicketkeeper. Tharanga's Sri Lankan call-up in July 2005 made for a mixed 2005, after his family home was washed away by the Asian tsunami. His equipment, which was also washed away, was replaced by Kumar Sangakkara. Having played for Nondescripts since the age of 15, …
- Douglas Devananda
Kathiravelu Nithyananda Devananda (born 1957 in Jaffna, Sri Lanka), popularly known as Douglas Devananda, is a Sri Lankan Tamil politician and Cabinet Minister. Originally a Tamil militant, he gave up violence and is currently the leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party. Due to his strong opposition to and vocal criticism of the rebel LTTE organization, …
- Palitha Kohona
Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona is the Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Sri Lanka and former Secretary-General of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP). He was also a member of the Government delegation at the first round of talks held in Geneva, Switzerland with the LTTE in February 2006.
- Mangala Samaraweera
Mangala Pinsiri Samawareera MP (born April 21, 1956) is a Sri Lankan politician and current member of parliament who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2007. He created a stir in Sri Lankan politics when he was sacked as a minister by President Mahinda Rajapakse in 2007, after which he formed a new political party called the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (Mahajana) Wing.
- Aravinda de Silva
Pinnaduwage Aravinda de Silva (born 17 October 1965 in Colombo) was a Sri Lankan cricketer, and is considered one of the finest batsmen ever produced by the country. He made his Test match debut in 1984 at Lord's against England. During the early part of his career de Silva was known as a dashing, if inconsistent, stroke-maker, but a successful season playing first-class cricket for the English county Kent in 1995 marked a turning point in his career.
- Ranil Wickremasinghe
Ranil Shriyan Wickremesinghe MP LLB (born March 24, 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician and current Leader of the Opposition. He was Prime Minister twice, from May 07, 1993 to August 19, 1994 and from December 09, 2001 to April 06, 2004. He has also been the leader of the United National Party since November, 1994 and a member of the party since the early 1970s.
- Mahinda
Mahinda was a Buddhist monk who brought Buddhism to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He was the son of Emperor Ashoka and Devi of the Mauryan empire, who after conquering the subcontintent, had embraced Buddha's teachings. Mahinda grew up at Vidisha, the residance of his mother and became a monk at the age of 20 with Moggaliputta-Tissa, his father's spiritual teacher, guiding him and was well-versed with the Tripitaka.
- Jeyaraj Fernandopulle
Jeyaraj Fernandopulle commenced his political career in the year 1970 as an election agent for a SLFP candidate. In 1984 he was appointed as the chief organizer by the SLFP in the Katana electorate, Western Province in Sri Lanka. From there onwards he has been elected to the parliament five consecutive times in the years 1989, 1994, 2000, 2001 and 2004.
- Russel Arnold
Russel Premakumaran Arnold (born October 25, 1973, Colombo) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer of Tamil descent. Arnold made his Test debut against Pakistan in 1997 and his One day international debut against South Africa later in the year. Originally an opening batsmen, Arnold has since moved down the batting order. He is most famous in the pearl island as a utility and very versatile- making him ideally suitable for the limited over version of the game.
- Ranasinghe Premadasa
Ranasinghe Premadasa (June 23, 1924 - May 1, 1993) was the 3rd President of Sri Lanka from January 2, 1989 to May 1, 1993. Before that, he served as the Prime Minister in the government headed by J. R. Jayewardene from February 6, 1978 to January 1, 1989. He was assassinated in Colombo in a suicide bombing, by the LTTE. Ranasinghe Premadasa came from a family of modest means and belonged to the Hinna caste of the Sinhalese.
- S.P. Thamilselvan
SP Thamilselvan is the leader of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. He recently led a delegation in peace talks in Geneva. By profession, he was barber.
- Colonel Karuna
Colonel Karuna Amman is the "nom de guerre" of Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan (born 1966), the President of the TMVP (TamilEela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal), a breakaway faction of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The split form the LTTE was organized by Karuna in March 2004.
- Thilan Samaraweera
Thilan Thusara Samaraweera is a Sri Lankan cricketer, born September 22, 1976 in Colombo. Samaraweera plays international cricket for Sri Lanka and is in the side primarily for his solid right handed batting but is also a capable Off spinner. Samaraweera started his career as an offspinner who could bat a bit and couldn't find a way into the side due to the emergence of Muttiah Muralitharan.
- Chamara Kapugedera
Chamara Kantha Kapugedera (born 24 February 1987) is a Sri Lankan cricketer. Kapugedara was born in Kandy. In domestic cricket, he plays for Colombo Cricket Club, and made his One-day International debut against Australia in Perth in 2006. He made his Test cricket debut in the first Test against England at Lord's Cricket Ground in London, in May 2006, in which he made a first ball duck in the first innings.
- Michael Vandort
Michael Graydon Vandort (born January 19, 1980 in Colombo) is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler. He stands at 6 feet 5 inches. Having emerged in 2001 after impressive club performances, he was picked against Bangladesh in September 2001 after an impressive century. He has a current Test average of 79. Having been out of action since July 2002, he has introduced himself to Twenty20 cricket, …
- Jehan Mubarak
Jehan Mubarak (born January 10, 1981 in Washington, DC, United States) is an American-born Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm offbreak bowler. Initially spotted at a cricket training camp in Dambullah, Sri Lanka by former veterans Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva, Mubarack was rushed into the 2003 Sri Lankan World Cup squad though only playing a couple of first class games. He was dropped after the 2006 tour of England.
- Pottu Amman
Shanmugalingam Sivashankar, also known as Pottu Amman is a Sri Lankan Tamil Militant. He is currently in the wanted list of Interpol for terrorism. He has been indicted by the Indian government's Jain Commission for involvement in the assassination of the former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.He was accused by Colonel Karuna of being a terrorist and having undue influence over Prabhakaran.
- Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Hon. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake MP(born on May 5, 1933) is the 14th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and a veteran politician. He was sworn in as Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka by the President Mahinda Rajapakse on November 21, 2005. Speaking to journalists after being sworn in, Prime Minister Wickremanayake acknowledged the contribution made by the people to elect Rajapakse as the President. "But, they should not stop there.
- Prasanna Jayawardene
Hewasandatchige Asiri Prasanna Wishvanath Jayawardene (born 9 October, 1979 in Colombo, commonly known as Prasanna Jayawardene) is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a wicketkeeper. Having toured England in 1998 as a 19-year-old, Jayawardene was touted for a long career as a Sri Lankan cricketer, but soon found himself out of play thanks to the emerging talent of Kumar Sangakkara in 2000.
- Upul Chandana
Umagiliya Durage Upul Chandana (born May 7, 1972 in Galle) is a Sri Lankan cricketer, more specifically a leg spin bowler. Only Chaminda Vaas, Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan have taken more ODI wickets for Sri Lanka. Chandana is considered to be one of the best legspinners in Sri Lanka and is also a competent lower-order batsman, having scored a total of seven half-centuries at international level.