Gamini Lakshman Peiris (born 13 August 1946) (known as G. L. Peiris) is a Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

n politician and academic. Current Cabinet Minister of External Affairs

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka

The Minister of Foreign Affairs is an appointment in the Cabinet of Sri Lanka. The post was created in 1978 when the former Ministry of External Affairs and Defence was separated into two ministries...

 and member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka

Parliament of Sri Lanka

The Parliament of Sri Lanka is the 225-member unicameral legislature of Sri Lanka. The members of Parliament are elected by proportional representation for six-year terms, with universal suffrage. Parliament reserves the power to make all laws...

.

Early life and education

Born to Glanville Peiris

Glanville Peiris

Glanville Peiris, SLOS was a Sri Lankan diplomat, who was the former Director-General External Affairs, former Ceylon's Ambassador to West Germany and Myanmar....

, diplomat who was the former Director-General External Affairs, Ceylon's Ambassador to West Germany

West Germany

West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

 and Myanmar and Lakshmi Chandrika Peiris. His uncle was Bernard Peiris

Bernard Peiris

Bernard Percival Peiris, OBE, JP was a Sri Lankan lawyer. He was the former Cabinet Secretary and the Legal Draftsmen who drafted the Ceylon Order in Council, the first constitution of independent Ceylon.-Family:...

, the former Cabinet Secretary

Cabinet Secretary

A Cabinet Secretary is almost always a senior official who provides services and advice to a Cabinet of Ministers. In many countries, the position can have considerably wider functions and powers, including general responsibility for the entire civil service...

. Educated at S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia, he entered the law faculty of the University of Ceylon, Colombo

University of Colombo

The University of Colombo is a public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka...

 and won the Mudliyar Edmond Peiris award. winning the Rhodes Scholar read for his PhD

PHD

PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...

 at New College, Oxford

New College, Oxford

New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...

 graduating in 1971 and gained a second PhD from University of Colombo

University of Colombo

The University of Colombo is a public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka...

 in 1974.

Academic career

Joining the academic staff of the University of Ceylon

University of Ceylon

The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the University of Sri Lanka which existed from 1973 to 1978. In 1978 it was...

, he went on to become a Professor

Professor

A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

 of Law

Law

Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

 and the Dean of the Faculty of Law

Faculty of Law, University of Colombo

The Faculty of Law is one of seven faculties of the University of Colombo. The premier law school in the country, it conducts both undergraduate and post-graduate degree programs in the field law....

 before taking office as the second Vice-Chancellor of the University of Colombo

University of Colombo

The University of Colombo is a public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka...

 following the assassination of Prof. Stanley Wijesundera

Stanley Wijesundera

Stanley Wijesundera was a Sri Lankan academic. A Professor of Chemistry, he was the first Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo from 1979 to 1989 and was the Chairman of the Association of Commonwealth Universities from 1983 to 1984....

 during the hight of the 1987–89 JVP Insurrection. He served as Vice-Chancellor from 1988 to 1994 until leaving to take up politics.

People's Alliance Government (1994-2001)

Professor Peiris was a close confidante of the former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, who appointed him as a national list member of the parliament following the 1994 election. Thereafter, Mrs. Kumaratunga, then Prime Minister, appointed him as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and Deputy Minister of Finance. He was also given the portfolio of External Trade at the start. In a subsequent Cabinet reshuffle, he was given two additional portfolios- Ethnic Affairs and National Integration - which were hitherto held by the President. During his tenure as Justice Minister, he brought in over 30 pieces of new legislation which were considered innovative and in accordance with the needs of modern times.

In 2001, Professor Peiris had a fallout with the President Kumaratunga, and defected to the opposition, effectively bringing down the government.

United National Front Government (2001-2004)

After leaving the PA, Professor Peiris joined the opposition United National Party led United National Front (UNF), which captured power in the subsequent general election.

When the UNF government headed by the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe engagede in peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...

, Professor Peiris was appointed as the chief negotiator.

Current government (2004–present)

He was a credible intellectual when entered politics in early 1990s. He has conducted the election as UNF candidate and crossed over to the UPFA (current government) to obtain a ministerial position in 2005. He has crossed over the party and got ministerial position twice and which made him as a usual Sri Lankan politician. He is a knowledgeable negotiator and seen as a soft politician Sri Lanka has ever seen. Still, he does not hold enough power and facts to prove his words, during negotiation. Current Sri Lankan government promoted him as Foreign Minister to handle the west world, which has a deadlock during postwar, which brought many war crime allegation.

Government thinks Professor Peiris could save them, because of his softness and strong negotiation skills. After government won the war Professor Pieris was appointed as Minister of External Affairs during government's second term started in 2010 April. He took office as External Affairs Minister, one year after the 30-year-old civil war ended in May 2009.