Veteran Diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala passes away

Jayantha Dhanapala

Sri Lankan diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala passed away today (May 27) at the age of 85 while receiving treatment at the Kandy National Hospital.

The Director of the Kandy National Hospital confirmed that the former diplomat had passed away after suffering a heart attack.

Jayantha Dhanapala was the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for the Office for Disarmament Affairs from 1998 to 2003.

He was Former Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States from 1995  to 1997.

He has received many international awards and honorary doctorates, and has published five books and several articles in international journals and lectured widely.

Dhanapala also engaged pro-actively and innovatively in political, disarmament, economic, trade, human rights and cultural matters in both bilateral and multilateral contexts.