| Tudor Gunasekara | |
|---|---|
| Ex Sri Lanka Ambassador to Poland, Bulgaria, Rumania and Hungary | |
| Former District Minister to Gampaha District |
|
| Former Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament for Mahara | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23rd January, 1935 Colombo, Ceylon |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | United National Party |
| Spouse(s) | Chandra Gunasekara (nee Perera) |
| Children | Dayanganie and Hiran |
| Residence | Heiyantuduwa,Sri Lanka. |
| Alma mater | Ananda College, Colombo |
| Occupation | Politician and Diplomat |
| Religion | Buddhist |
Tudor Gunasekara (Sinhala:ටියුඩර් ගුණසේකර) (born 23 January 1935) is a former Sri Lankan politician and diplomat. He was former Member of Parliament, District Minister for Gampaha in President JR Jayawardene's government. Later, he served as the first Sri Lanka Ambassador to Poland, Bulgaria, Rumania and Hungary.
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Tudor Gunasekara was born on 23 January 1935 to a well known family in Heiyantuduwa, Biyagama. He had his early education at Ananda College, Colombo. Tudor Gunasekara was the second son of William Gunasekara (also known as 'Heiyantuduwa Ralahami') and Eugine Seneviratne. William Gunasekara was a wealthy landed proprietor and owned fourteen elephants. One of his elephants was 'Heiyantuduwa Raja', which carried the Relic of the tooth of the Buddha casket in the Dalada Perahera for several years after the demise of 'Maligawa Raja'. Tudor Gunasekara has two brothers, Donald and Henry, as well as three elder sisters, Adeline, Chandra and Chithra.
Tudor Gunasekara entered active politics in the late 1960s as the United National Party Chief Organizer for the Mahara Electorate. In the 1970 General Elections, he contested from the United National Party but was defeated.[1] He contested again in the 1977 General Elections and was elected as Member of Parliament for Mahara Electorate.[2] In 1978, he was appointed as District Minister to Gampaha in President JR Jayawardene's government. Later, he was appointed as United National Party Chief Organizer for the Gampaha and Attanagalla Electorates too. Consequently, Tudor Gunasekara held the position of chief organizer for the United National Party in three electorates at the same time.[3]
Tudor Gunasekara married Chandra Perera, daughter of Albert and Karuna Perera. Albert Perera was the Chairman and Managing Director of City Cabs, one of the leading taxi companies in Sri Lanka in the early 1950 to 1970s. Tudor and Chandra Gunasekara have two children, Dayanganie and Hiran.
In President Chandrika Kumaratunga's government, Tudor Gunasekara was appointed as the first Sri Lanka Ambassador to Poland, Bulgaria, Rumania and Hungary. During this time, he played an important role in promoting Ceylon tea, tourism and strengthening diplomatic relations with Eastern European countries. Tudor Gunasekara has been a member of several Sri Lanka Parliamentary Delegations to India, Indonesia, Japan and UK.[3]