Bernard Tilakaratna
Encyclopedia
Bernard Tilakaratna, SLOS
(1927–2004) was a senior diplomat and bureaucrat of the Sri Lankan government. He was an ambassador to many countries and prior to retirement was the permanent secretary
to Ministry of Foreign Affairs
.
and schooled at St Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. He then enrolled into the University of Ceylon
, where he obtained his B.A. Degree.
in May 1951. In various capacities, he served in the Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry and missions abroad.
Tilakaratna was in India during the height of the terrorist conflict in Sri Lanka and had to negotiate with the Indian Government on many occasions. In Thimphu, Bhutan, he attended peace talks with the terrorist organisation, Liberation Tamil Tigers Eelam (LTTE)
He was appointed as Foreign Secretary to the Ministry of Sri Lanka, which he served under President Premadasa.. He was the first Foreign Secretary to be appointed from the ranks of career diplomats of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service.
.
Sri Lanka Overseas Service
The Sri Lanka Overseas Service which is most commonly referred to as the Sri Lanka Foreign Service is the foreign service of Sri Lanka. It is the body of career diplomats of Sri Lanka...
(1927–2004) was a senior diplomat and bureaucrat of the Sri Lankan government. He was an ambassador to many countries and prior to retirement was the permanent secretary
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
to Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Sri Lanka)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka that conducts and manages Sri Lanka's relations with other countries...
.
Early life
He was born on December 8, 1927 in Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and schooled at St Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. He then enrolled into the University of Ceylon
University of Ceylon
The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the University of Sri Lanka which existed from 1973 to 1978. In 1978 it was...
, where he obtained his B.A. Degree.
Diplomatic career
He joined the Ceylon Foreign ServiceSri Lanka Overseas Service
The Sri Lanka Overseas Service which is most commonly referred to as the Sri Lanka Foreign Service is the foreign service of Sri Lanka. It is the body of career diplomats of Sri Lanka...
in May 1951. In various capacities, he served in the Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry and missions abroad.
Tilakaratna was in India during the height of the terrorist conflict in Sri Lanka and had to negotiate with the Indian Government on many occasions. In Thimphu, Bhutan, he attended peace talks with the terrorist organisation, Liberation Tamil Tigers Eelam (LTTE)
He was appointed as Foreign Secretary to the Ministry of Sri Lanka, which he served under President Premadasa.. He was the first Foreign Secretary to be appointed from the ranks of career diplomats of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service.
Posts held
- March 1989 - August 1994: Foreign Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colombo
- August 1982- February 1989: High CommissionerHigh CommissionerHigh Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
, India (concurrently to Bhutan, Nepal) - June 1980 - July 1982: Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colombo
- September 1974 - May 1980: AmbassadorAmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
, Japan (concurrently to South Korea and Philippines) - March 1974 - August 1974: Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colombo
- January 1971 - February 1974: Director of Foreign Relations (Europe, then Asia & Africa), Colombo
- December 1968 - December 1970: Deputy High Commissioner, New Delhi
- August 1966 - November 1968: Deputy Permanent Representative, United Nations, New York
- January 1965 - July 1966: Charge d'affairs: Rio de Janeiro
- January 1963 - December 1964: Chief of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colombo
- March 1961 - December 1962: First Secretary, New Delhi
- April 1960 - February 1961: First Secretary, Moscow
- June 1958 - March 1960: Second Secretary, Paris
- October 1956- May 1958: Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colombo
- August 1953 - September 1956: Trade Commissioner, India
- September 1952 - July 1953: Official Secretary, Jakarta
- June 1952 - August 1952: AttacheAttachéAttaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
, Rangoon
Family
His daughter is married to the son of another well known Sri Lankan civil servant, Bradman WeerakoonBradman Weerakoon
Deshamanya Robin Bradman Weerakoon CCS is a retired senior bureaucrat of the Sri Lankan government. Bradman Weerakoon has the unique distinction of serving nine Sri Lankan heads of state in a career spanning across half a century....
.