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Hon. Tilak Marapana PC, MP
තිලක් මාරපන திலக் மரபனா
Marapana in 2019
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 15 August 2017 – 22 November 2019
President	Maithripala Sirisena
Preceded by	Ravi Karunanayake
Succeeded by	Dinesh Gunawardena
Minister of Development Assignments
In office 23 May 2017 – 22 November 2019
President	Maithripala Sirisena
Minister of Law and Order and Prison Reforms
In office 4 September 2015 – 9 November 2015
President	Maithripala Sirisena
Preceded by	John Amaratunga
Succeeded by	Sagala Ratnayaka
Minister of Transport, Highways and Aviation
In office 2002 – April 2004
President	Chandrika Kumaratunga
Preceded by	Gamini Atukorale
Succeeded by	Felix Perera
Minister of Defence
In office 12 December 2001 – November 2003
President	Chandrika Kumaratunga
Preceded by	Chandrika Kumaratunga
Succeeded by	Chandrika Kumaratunga
36th Attorney General of Sri Lanka
In office July 1992 – 1995
President	Ranasinghe Premadasa Dingiri Banda Wijetunga Chandrika Kumaratunga
Preceded by	Pandikoralalage Sunil Chandra De Silva
Succeeded by	Shibly Aziz
34th Solicitor General of Sri Lanka
In office 1991–1992
President	Ranasinghe Premadasa
Preceded by	S. W. B Wadugodapitiya
Succeeded by	Shibly Aziz
Member of Parliament for National List
In office 2000–2004
In office 2015–2020
Personal details
Born	Tilak Janaka Marapana August 1942 (age 81)
Political party	United National Party
Spouse	Stella Marapana
Children	2
Residence(s)	13, Pelawatta Road, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka.
Alma mater	St Thomas' College

Tilak Janaka Marapana PC (born August 1942) is a Sri Lankan lawyer. He was the Minister of Foreign Affairs ^[1] and Development Assignments. He is a Member of Parliament appointed from the national list and had served as Minister of Law and Order, Prison Reforms from September 2015 to November 2015 and Minister of Defence (2001–2003) and Minister of Transport, Highways and Aviation (2002–2004). As Minister of Defence, he was the only non Presidential or Prime Ministerial holder of the portfolio. A lawyer by profession and a President's Counsel, he had served as a government prosecutor in the Attorney General's Department for twenty six years, serving as Solicitor General and Attorney General. ^[2]

Early life and education

Marapana hails from Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa, he is the second son of former District Judge P. Marapana and has one brother Gamini Marapana, PC. He is an alumnus of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. He has a degree in chemistry and maths as well as a law degree. ^[3]

Legal career

Marapana joined the Attorney General's Department as a Crown Counsel in 1968. ^[3] In 1988 he was made a President's Counsel. ^[3] In 1990 he was appointed Solicitor General and thereafter was promoted to Attorney General in 1992. He retired as Attorney General in 1995, following the change of the United National Party Government, reverting to the Unofficial Bar. ^[4]

Political career

In 2000 he was appointed a Member of Parliament from the national list by the UNP. In 2001 he was made Minister of Defence. In 2002 he was made Minister of Transport, Highways, and Aviation in addition to the portfolio of Minister of Defence. In 2015, he was reappointed Member of Parliament from the national list and was appointed Cabinet Minister of Law and Order, Prison Reforms in September 2015. ^[2] He resigned from the post in November 2015 after a speech he made in Parliament regarding the legal position of the Avant Garde controversy. In May 2017, following a cabinet reshuffle he was appointed Minister of Development Assignments. He was also appointed for the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs on August 15, 2017 after resignation of Ravi Karunanayake. ^[1]

Family

Marapana is married to Stella, they have two sons, Janaka and Chamith both practicing lawyers. ^[2]

See also

• Ministry of Defence

References

External links

• Sri Lanka Parliament profile