29 July 1987 – Opposition to the Indo-Lanka Accord

Mrs Bandaranaike expressed strong and vehement opposition to the Indo-Lanka Accord that was signed between President J. R. Jayewardene and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Spearheading the campaign, Mrs Bandaranaike and her son, the Leader…

01 January 1986 – Restoration of Civic Rights

A Presidential decree issued by President J. R. Jayewardene resulted in the restoration of Mrs Bandaranaike’s civic rights which had been removed in 1980. Former Minister Felix Dias Bandaranaike, who had since passed away, had…

05 November 1984 – Assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi

The assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 31st October 1984 shocked the whole world. Mrs Bandaranaike, with whom Mrs Gandhi had enjoyed a close relationship for nearly thirty years since their first meeting…

16 October 1980 – Imposition of civic disability

Pursuant to her electoral defeat in 1977, the Jayewardene Government appointed a Presidential Commission of Inquiry, which found her guilty of abuse of power during her tenure as Prime Minister. Her civic rights and parliamentary…

08 May 1980 – Funeral of Yugoslav President Marshal Josep Broz Tito

A fellow Non Aligned Movement leader, close ally and friend of Mrs Bandaranaike was the Yugoslav President Marshal Josep Broz Tito with whom she had shared many international platforms and worked together to achieve the…

21 July 1977 – General Election defeat

The General Election of 1977, which was the only one held under the Republican Constitution of 1972, saw the Sri Lanka Freedom Party facing an unprecedented defeat. The party went from enjoying a two-thirds majority…

18 May 1977 – Dissolution of First National State Assembly

With the dissolution of the First National State Assembly in May 1977, Mrs Bandaranaike began preparations for the upcoming General Election that would elect the eighth Parliament of Sri Lanka.

12 May 1977 – Awarded the FAO Ceres Medal

The Food and Agriculture Organisation, recognizing the contribution made by Mrs Bandaranaike in the field of food self-sufficiency in Sri Lanka, awarded her the Ceres Medal. The Director General Edouard Saouma presented her with the…

12-18 November 1976 – Visit to Japan

The final leg of the East Asian tour, was a stop in Tokyo, where Mrs Bandaranaike held talks with her Japanese counterpart Takeo Miki resulting in Japan pledging increased grant and project aid. In addition…

08-11 November 1976 – Visit to the Philippines

The second leg of the East Asian visit, took Mrs Bandaranaike and her delegation to Manila. President Ferdinand Marcos and Mrs Imelda Marcos extended Mrs Bandaranaike a warm welcome at the start of a three-day…

05-08 November 1976 – Visit to Malaysia

Embarking on a tour of East Asia, Mrs Bandaranaike first visited Malaysia at the invitation of Prime Minister Datuk Hussein Onn. During discussions with the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamed and Home…

08 October 1976 – Visit to Norway

Undertaking a visit to Oslo, Mrs Bandaranaike met with her counterpart Odvar Nordli who welcomed the effort made by her in international affairs, noting the Non-Aligned Movement and the role Sri Lanka had played in…

30 September 1976 – 31st session of the United Nations General Assembly

Mrs Bandaranaike, as head of the Sri Lankan delegation and chairperson of the Non Aligned Movement, addressed the UNGA highlighting the role of the Movement, its principles which embodied the Bandung Declaration and the relevance…

16-19 August 1976 – Chairing the Non Aligned Movement

The convening of the fifth Non Aligned Movement Summit in Colombo saw Sirimavo Bandaranaike assume leadership of the eighty six-nation strong movement. Receiving the baton of leadership of NAM from Algerian President Houari Boumediène, Mrs…

23 March 1976 – Demarcation of the maritime boundary in the Gulf of Mannar and the Bay of Bengal

Mrs Bandaranaike was instrumental in reaching agreements with her Indian counterpart, Mrs Indira Gandhi, on the demarcation of the Gulf of Mannar and the Bay of Bengal. Seen as vital in the context of the…

February 1976 – Mahaweli Project commences

Pursuant to the initial project implementation in her first term as Prime Minister, Mrs Bandaranaike’s government commenced stage one of the ambitious Mahaweli project with the diversion of the river, to irrigate the dry zone,…

28 January 1976 – Visit to Burma

Arriving in Rangoon on 28 January 1976, Mrs Bandaranaike was hosted by the Prime Minister, Brigadier General Sein Win with whom discussions took place in the capital. Thereafter Mrs Bandaranaike travelled to Mandalay and then…

20 January 1976 – Visit to Indonesia

Mrs Bandaranaike visited Jakarta in January 1976 at the beginning of an East Asian tour. Hosted by Indonesian President Suharto, the visit provided the opportunity to strengthen relations between the two countries in light of…

16 December 1975 – Visit of Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

At the invitation of Mrs Bandaranaike, Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto undertook a visit to Sri Lanka. During his stay President Bhutto addressed the National State Assembly, becoming the second Pakistani leader to do so…

September 1975 – Break up of the United Front Coalition

The United Front Coalition that had formed the Government in 1970 began to break up with the Lanka Sama Samaja Party walking out of the ruling coalition. Despite this rupture, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party,…

සිරිමාවෝ බණ්ඩාරනායක

சிறிமாவோ பண்டாரநாயக்க

SIRIMAVO BANDARANAIKE