{"id":96404,"date":"2022-07-27T18:48:17","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T18:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=96404"},"modified":"2022-07-27T18:48:17","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T18:48:17","slug":"a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/","title":{"rendered":"A childhood friend of Ranil – Attorney-At Law Deepthi Liyanage speaks to the Sunday Observer"},"content":{"rendered":"

A childhood friend of Ranil – Attorney-At Law Deepthi Liyanage speaks to the Sunday Observer<\/span><\/h1>\n

\"Ranil<\/p>\n

\n
\n
Ranil with the Royal College Rugby team of 1968<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Source:<\/span><\/strong>Sundayobserver<\/a><\/p>\n

Achildhood friend of Ranil Wickremesinghe and Dinesh Gunawardena- speaks to the Sunday Observer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0How did you become childhood friends with the current President Ranil Wickremesinghe?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0I became friends with Ranil even before we became classmates at Royal College. My father was appointed as the Editor of Silumina by D.R Wijewardene. His daughter Nalini, married Esmond Wickremesinghe. They were Ranil\u2019s parents. As children Ranil and I would play at his grandfather D.R Wijewardene\u2019s house in Hunupitiya. That was not a mere house but a palace.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Around when did you and Ranil begin your school lives?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0<\/strong>In 1954 the Royal College had two Sinhala medium classes along with a Tamil medium and English medium class each. Ranil and I started school on the same day.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Who were the others in class?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0<\/strong>Our classmates included Anura Bandaranaike, Dinesh Gunawardena, Thomas Amarasuriya and Charitha Ratwatte. Lakshman Kiriella and Hemantha Warnakulasuriya were a year ahead of us. Upali Wijewardene and Ranjith Wijewardene were much senior to us.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/span>
\nAttorney-At Law Deepthi Liyanage<\/em><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Chandrika Bandaranaike when she was the Chief Minister had said even with the requisite qualifications her son was not admitted to Royal College. How then did \u2018Deepthi\u2019 from Gangodawila enter Royal College?<\/span><\/p>\n

I guess that is what one calls power. My father Srilal Liyanage was the Editor in Chief of the Silumina newspaper. At the time an editor was powerful and could even directly approach the leader of the country. Even my brother who later became the Editor of Tharunee attended Royal. We travelled to school from Gangodawila in my father\u2019s Hillman car.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Did Ranil\u2019s mother have a tiff with your brother?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes. Because of this my brother left his Lake House job.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0<\/strong>Who was your\u2019s as well as Ranil, Anura and Dinesh\u2019s first teacher?<\/span><\/p>\n

It was Mrs. Peiris. Ranil and Anura were good looking children. Anura was fair and chubby.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0<\/strong>Who were the famous fathers\u2019 that visited your class at Royal College?<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Bandaranaike would at times drop off Anura in their Cadillac card. Despite Mr. Bandaranaike making impassioned political speeches in Sinhala often, I have never heard him speak the language to either Anura or the staff. Phillip Gunawardena would also visit often to drop off Dinesh. Esmond Wickremesinghe would rarely visit the school but when he did, he was often seen coming on foot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>Did the mothers of your political friends often send treats for his classmates?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ranil\u2019s nanny was called Jane and his mother would often send cake to her through Jane. One day Ranil brought a wrapped cake that was slightly burnt. But we devoured it though Ranil looked slightly apprehensive. The next day Jane told us it was Ranil who had baked that cake. Dinesh\u2019s mother would send Durian from Boralugoda and even students from other classes would walk in to get a piece of the fruit. Mr. Bandaranaike would send a sweet meat made out of coconut.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0<\/strong>Have you seen the piano belonging to Ranil that was supposedly set on fire by protesters?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0<\/strong>We would visit Ranil\u2019s home often. But among us only Anura knew to play that Piano.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0What was Ranil\u2019s favourite food?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0No matter what he had at home, Ranil would always buy Ambarella achcharu for two cents. He never ate it alone and always shared it with his friends. He used to love all types of achcharu and other snacks. He also had a weakness for chocolate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Did the Royal college have uniforms at the time?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0No. Ranil would wear Khaki pants and rubber slippers. He would only wear shoes for the prize-giving. He was a humble character.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0People often say Ranil is a lover of books. Is this true?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0As children we would be obsessed with play. Mr. Bandaranaike would at times send us detective books. Ranil and Anura would make rockets out of their pages.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Do you remember when Esmond Wickremesinghe won the Ranpana award?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0Ranil delivered the invitation for the ceremony to my father. My father doted on Ranil. He took the invitation from Ranil and on the back of it he wrote \u201cI would like to attend, I must attend, but I have no suitable clothes for it. In the evening Ranil once again visited our home from Esmond. It said \u201cYou like to attend and I would like you to attend. Clothes do not matter. Wear rags and attend.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Do you remember the death of D.R Wijewardena?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0<\/strong>We were small children then. The funeral was held at their house in Hunupitiya.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0How did Ranil address J.R Jayawardene?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0He addressed him as uncle. J.R loved ice cream. As soon as my father honked the horn of his Hillman car in front of J.R\u2019s house the gates would open. J.R absolutely adored Ranil.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Is this why those against Ranil in J.R\u2019s Government called him Pangira (a derogatory term)?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0After J.R as a part of his family J.R had his hopes on Ranil.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Is it true Srilal your father advised Ranil to marry if he wishes to contest for the Presidency?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0I have never asked my father about this. Ranil\u2019s mother Nalini was alive at the time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Did Ranil act in plays back then?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> Yes, he once acted as a clock in an English play. Another time he was an electricity pole. Ranil was the tallest boy in class. Ranil and Chandrika studied dancing under Chitrasena.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Do you remember Mr. Bandaranaike getting shot?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0In 1959 when he was shot Ranil\u2019s mother Nalini was the one who came to pick up Anura. Ranil also went along with them. All of us in class attended the funeral.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Was Ranil\u2019s mother a regular at Royal College?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0<\/strong>At the time there was a teacher called Sugathapala at Royal college. The new art gallery at the Royal College was built with her money with the help of Master Sugathapala.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>Did Ranil\u2019s family believe in horoscopes?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0My father was an advisor to Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Ranil\u2019s mother Nalini, Dinesh\u2019s mother Kusuma were friends of hers. Hettigoda who wrote astrology related articles to Silumina had once visited Sirimavo at her Rosmead place residence. She had given him three horoscopes for him to check. He picked one out of the three as the one that would be most successful. But on her insistence he chose another. The first was Ranil\u2019s and the second was Dinesh\u2019s. The one left unchosen was Anura\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0<\/strong>You entered university with Ranil?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0Ranil began his political career as the leader of the law students association. He kept to his humble clothing even at university and was often seen dressed in Khaki pants and slippers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Did Ranil have a girlfriend at university?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0Ranil was the tallest in university and most girls fawned on him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0What cases did Ranil appear as a lawyer for?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0Once he represented Rohana Wijeweera in a case against him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0<\/strong>Did Ranil have a connection to Wijeweera?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0When Wijeweera was arrested Ranil found out about it even prior to President Premadasa. Ranil had directly told Ranjan Wijeratne to not kill Wijeweera.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Were you invited for Ranil\u2019s wedding?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0<\/strong>I was invited by both parties as the bride was a languages lecturer at our university.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Is there anything that you have not revealed yet about his childhood?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0Royal at the time had a rifle club and Ranil always emerged as champion. He was a number one shot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0What about Anura?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0One day when Ranil took a brilliant shot, Yuri Gagarin landed on the moon. Anura told Ranil \u2018Yuri Gagarin has landed on the moon, shoot!\u2019. Ranil heard that and missed the mark. He almost shot both of us. I had never seen Ranil so angry before.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0<\/strong>Ranil who was your classmate is now President and Dinesh is the Prime Minister. Did you ever think this was a possibility?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0Dinesh loved Madam Sirimavo. Dinesh\u2019s Mawbima Surakimu Movement played the role of the Opposition for her when her civic rights were abolished. Dinesh first contested from Maharagama with Dr. Gamini Wijesekera. After winning Maharagama with the blessing of Sirimavo she had said that even though his father and uncle could not, Dinesh will have the good fortune to become the Prime Minister one day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0<\/strong>Wasn\u2019t she also close to Dinesh\u2019s wife?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0<\/strong>She came for the funeral when his wife passed away. His daughter was very young. The daughter had asked Dinesh if she could touch her mother\u2019s hand at least one. This brought tears to Madam Bandaranaike\u2019s eyes. Vijaya Kumaratunge took the lead in the funeral procession.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Out of Dinesh and Ranil, who was the most talented in school?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ranil was the quiet sort. We would only notice him once he has achieved something remarkable. Dinesh was a fighter even in school and a good orator. I believe that Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena along with President Ranil Wickremesinghe will herald in a golden era for this country. The President and the Prime Minister today are from the same batch in our school. This has to be a world record.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Did Ranil speak to you before becoming President?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0<\/strong>Yes he called me a few days before and I told him he would definitely win.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Does he speak in English or Sinhala?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0He speaks mostly in Sinhala.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0As a childhood friend of Ranil how do you see him as the President of this country?<\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0I think Ranil is the last leader of the UNP.<\/span><\/p>\n

He is educated, talented and has international connections. In the end, all I can say is that it is everyone\u2019s duty to take Ranil\u2019s knowledge and expertise to form a stable Government to ensure the country does not descend into further chaos.<\/span><\/p>\n

This article is an English translation of Vajira Liyanage<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A childhood friend of Ranil – Attorney-At Law Deepthi Liyanage speaks to the Sunday Observer Ranil with the Royal College Rugby team of 1968 Source:Sundayobserver Achildhood friend of Ranil Wickremesinghe and Dinesh Gunawardena- speaks to the Sunday Observer. Q:\u00a0How did you become childhood friends with the current President Ranil Wickremesinghe? A:\u00a0I became friends with Ranil […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":96405,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[46029,4743],"class_list":{"0":"post-96404","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-aside","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"tag-charitha-ratwatte-lakshman-kiriella","9":"tag-ranil-wickremesinghe","10":"post_format-post-format-aside"},"yoast_head":"\nA childhood friend of Ranil - Attorney-At Law Deepthi Liyanage speaks to the Sunday Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Achildhood friend of Ranil Wickremesinghe and Dinesh Gunawardena- speaks to the Sunday Observer.Q:\u00a0How did you\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A childhood friend of Ranil - Attorney-At Law Deepthi Liyanage speaks to the Sunday Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Achildhood friend of Ranil Wickremesinghe and Dinesh Gunawardena- speaks to the Sunday Observer.Q:\u00a0How did you\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"eLanka\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-07-27T18:48:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Ranil-with-the-Royal-College-Rugby-team-of-1968-e1658946434201.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"338\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\"},\"headline\":\"A childhood friend of Ranil – Attorney-At Law Deepthi Liyanage speaks to the Sunday Observer\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-07-27T18:48:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/\"},\"wordCount\":1733,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Ranil-with-the-Royal-College-Rugby-team-of-1968-e1658946434201.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Charitha Ratwatte. Lakshman Kiriella\",\"Ranil Wickremesinghe\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/\",\"name\":\"A childhood friend of Ranil - Attorney-At Law Deepthi Liyanage speaks to the Sunday Observer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Ranil-with-the-Royal-College-Rugby-team-of-1968-e1658946434201.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-07-27T18:48:17+00:00\",\"description\":\"Achildhood friend of Ranil Wickremesinghe and Dinesh Gunawardena- speaks to the Sunday Observer.Q:\u00a0How did you\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Ranil-with-the-Royal-College-Rugby-team-of-1968-e1658946434201.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Ranil-with-the-Royal-College-Rugby-team-of-1968-e1658946434201.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":338,\"caption\":\"Ranil with the Royal College Rugby team of 1968\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Articles\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/category\/articles\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"A childhood friend of Ranil – Attorney-At Law Deepthi Liyanage speaks to the Sunday Observer\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\",\"name\":\"eLanka\",\"description\":\"eLanka - Sri lanka events in Australia\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\",\"name\":\"eLanka\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg\",\"width\":192,\"height\":82,\"caption\":\"eLanka\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elanka\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SriLankanDownUnder\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\",\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"eLanka admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/author\/elanka\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A childhood friend of Ranil - Attorney-At Law Deepthi Liyanage speaks to the Sunday Observer","description":"Achildhood friend of Ranil Wickremesinghe and Dinesh Gunawardena- speaks to the Sunday Observer.Q:\u00a0How did you","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A childhood friend of Ranil - Attorney-At Law Deepthi Liyanage speaks to the Sunday Observer","og_description":"Achildhood friend of Ranil Wickremesinghe and Dinesh Gunawardena- speaks to the Sunday Observer.Q:\u00a0How did you","og_url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/","og_site_name":"eLanka","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/","article_published_time":"2022-07-27T18:48:17+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":338,"url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Ranil-with-the-Royal-College-Rugby-team-of-1968-e1658946434201.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"eLanka admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"eLanka admin","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/"},"author":{"name":"eLanka admin","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd"},"headline":"A childhood friend of Ranil – Attorney-At Law Deepthi Liyanage speaks to the Sunday Observer","datePublished":"2022-07-27T18:48:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/"},"wordCount":1733,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Ranil-with-the-Royal-College-Rugby-team-of-1968-e1658946434201.jpg","keywords":["Charitha Ratwatte. Lakshman Kiriella","Ranil Wickremesinghe"],"articleSection":["Articles"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/","name":"A childhood friend of Ranil - Attorney-At Law Deepthi Liyanage speaks to the Sunday Observer","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Ranil-with-the-Royal-College-Rugby-team-of-1968-e1658946434201.jpg","datePublished":"2022-07-27T18:48:17+00:00","description":"Achildhood friend of Ranil Wickremesinghe and Dinesh Gunawardena- speaks to the Sunday Observer.Q:\u00a0How did you","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Ranil-with-the-Royal-College-Rugby-team-of-1968-e1658946434201.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Ranil-with-the-Royal-College-Rugby-team-of-1968-e1658946434201.jpg","width":600,"height":338,"caption":"Ranil with the Royal College Rugby team of 1968"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-childhood-friend-of-ranil-attorney-at-law-deepthi-liyanage-speaks-to-the-sunday-observer\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Articles","item":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/category\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"A childhood friend of Ranil – Attorney-At Law Deepthi Liyanage speaks to the Sunday Observer"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/","name":"eLanka","description":"eLanka - Sri lanka events in Australia","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization","name":"eLanka","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg","width":192,"height":82,"caption":"eLanka"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elanka\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SriLankanDownUnder"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd","name":"eLanka admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"eLanka admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew"],"url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/author\/elanka\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96404"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96406,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96404\/revisions\/96406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}