Chamal Rajapaksa

Chamal Jayantha Rajapaksa (; ; born 30 October 1942) is a Sri Lankan politician who was Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka from 2010 to 2015. Previously he served as Minister of Ports and Aviation and the Minister for Irrigation and Water Management. He hails from a well-known political family in Sri Lanka. His father, D. A. Rajapaksa, was a prominent politician, independence agitator, member of parliament and Minister of Agriculture and Land in Wijeyananda Dahanayake's government. He is the elder brother of Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015 and Gotabaya Rajapaksa who was President from 2019 to 2022. Nine members of the Rajapaksa family have been members of parliament in Sri Lanka. Shashindra Rajapaksa (eldest son of Rajapaksa) is the former chief Minister of Uva Provincial Council and former Basnayaka Nilame (Lay Custodian) of the Ruhunu Maha Kataragama devalaya. Early life and education Rajapaksa was born on 30 October 1942 in Palatuwa in the Southern District of Matara and raised in Medamulana in the District of Hambantota. He was the eldest son, of nine siblings which included, an older sister, three younger brothers: Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa and two younger sisters, to D. A. Rajapaksa and Dona Dandina Samarasinghe Dissanayake. He received his primary and secondary education at Richmond College, Galle. As a student, he was an athlete and played soccer for the school, in addition to being an academic high achiever.