Ranasinghe Premadasa

President of Sri Lanka

23 June 1924 Colombo, British Ceylon

1 May 1993(1993-05-01) (68) Colombo, Sri Lanka

2 January 1989 – 1 May 1993

3rd President of Sri Lanka (1989–93) Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa (Sinhala: රණසිංහ ප්‍රේමදාස ,Tamil: ரணசிங்க பிரேமதாசா ; 23 June 1924 – 1 May 1993) was the third (Second Executive) President of Sri Lanka from 2 January 1989 to 1 May 1993. Before that, he served as the Prime Minister in the government headed by J. R. Jayewardene from 6 February 1978 to 1 January 1989. He was awarded Sri Lanka's highest award to a civilian Sri Lankabhimanya in 1986 by President Junius Richard Jayewardene, the first to receive in Sri Lankan history. He was assassinated in Colombo in a suicide bombing by the LTTE.