Lifetime Achievement Journalism Award-winners

Binoy Kumar Wickrama Surendra

Binoy Kumar Wickrama Surendra, after his formal school education, entered the Indigenous Medical College in Rajagiriya. His father wanted him to be a doctor in western medicine or Ayurveda. He did not like becoming a doctor in western medicine and opted to study Ayurveda. While studying in the Ayurveda Collage his interest was in journalism. He joined the Davasa Group of newspapers as a freelance journalist. While working at the Davasa newspaper, during the editorship of D. B. Dhanapala, he became the subeditor of the evening newspaper.

In May 1966, he joined Lake House and until his retirement in September 2000 he has clocked 34 years on the Editorial staff of the Dinamina newspaper. While working at the Dinamina newspaper he held the positions of Subeditor, Deputy Editor and later he became co-Editor of the Dinamina. He has also acted as the Chief Editor.

During his career he had the honour of working under eminent personalities such as Dharmapala Wettasinghe, Edmond Ranasinghe, S. Subasinghe, T.B. Peramunathilaka, P.S. Perera, W.B. Methananda, Sarath Cooray, Deltota Chandrapala and others.

After retirement from Lake House he worked for eight years as Deputy Editor of the Irudina newspaper.

Latheef Farook

Latheef Farook began his journalistic career  with the now defunct Independent Newspapers in 1966 before joining Lake House where he worked with the Ceylon Daily News and the evening daily Ceylon Observer from 1971, covering local politics and foreign affairs besides the finance and economic sectors.

In 1976, Ceylon Daily News nominated him for the United Nations sponsored Dag Hammarskjöld scholarship for Third World journalists.

In 1979, he led a group of Sri Lankan journalists to Dubai, re-launching the Gulf News before joining the Kaleej Times a year later. In 1987, he rejoined the Gulf News where he worked as the Gulf News Bureau Chief in Bahrain.

On his return home in 2003, he launched the South Asia News Agency in Colombo supplying feature articles on almost every aspect of Sri Lanka aimed mainly at catering to Sri Lankan expatriates in the Gulf region, Europe, the Americas and the Far East.

He is the author of the book ‘War on Terrorism -The Untold Truths’ published by the Malaysia-based Strategic Information and Research Development. Former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed wrote the foreword and with comments by well-known late British playwright Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter it was later published in Colombo.

He has written several books. Among them are ‘Nobody’s People - The Forgotten Plight of Sri Lankan Muslims’, released in Colombo in 2009, ‘America’s New World Order – Exporting Wars’ released in Colombo in February 2013, ‘Muslims of Sri Lanka -Under Siege’ and ‘Mayhem During Curfew’ which is a collection of selected articles.

During a recent lecture in the UK, he was honoured by the Sri Lankan Muslim Cultural Centre (SLMCC) in the London Borough of Harrow for his journalistic services highlighting the need for communal harmony in the island.

Nihal Ratnaike

Nihal Ratnaike began his journalistic career at the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited, Lake House as a staff reporter on the editorial staff of the Ceylon Observer and Sunday Observer in 1952.

In the 1960s he moved to the Daily News as a feature writer. He wrote, among other things, a weekly column on the theatre and arts under the byline ‘Kala by Viranga’. He was appointed Features Editor and later rose to be the Deputy Editor of the Daily News. He left Lake House with the change of Government in 1977 and worked for Harris Hulugalle’s weekly newspaper, Focus, for about a year.

After 1978 he moved to The Island as a feature writer for a short time and later in 1996, he re-joined Lake House as Associate Editor and later became the Editor-in-Chief of the Daily News. 

In 1998 he was appointed Chief Administrative Officer (Editorial) in Lake House and remained in that position until 2001.

He joined the Sunday Standard, a new English language newspaper, as a Consultant Editor and worked there from 2001 to 2005.

In 2007, Ratnaike was appointed Director Editorial of Lake House and resigned in 2010.

Saranapala Pamunuwa

Saranapala Pamunuwa was born in Pamunuwa in Maharagama and after completing his education had the opportunity to work as a journalist.

Since his interest was in drama he used to organise short plays during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year and Vesak. He also participated in radio programs at the then-Radio Ceylon for Sompala Gunadeera. One of them was ‘Muni Siripa Kara Pinipa’. He lent his voice to a number of programs for the radio such as ‘Vishwa Sahithyaya’. He later produced his own dramas such as Yakage Wade, Deyyo Dani Man Nodani, Amma Budu Wewa from Susasoma Jathakaya and Vessanthara Jathakaya with the support from the youth in his area and at the Dharma Sri Vardhanaramaya in Devala Road, Pamunuwa.

With his experience in photography he held an exhibition at the Kala Bawana in Colombo entitled ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’. He has also participated in several photographic exhibitions in India, Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok.

He was one the original members of the staff of Aththa newspaper in 1964. In 1972, he joined the Divaina newspaper as a photographer.

Pamunuwa has also won several awards during his illustrious career. In 1993, the Tevis Guruge Award for the Best Newspaper Photographer in Sri Lanka, in 1996 Best Newspaper Photographer in Sri Lanka, in 1998 the Newspaper Artist and Photographer of the Year Award presented by The Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka, in 2000, the Best Newspaper Photographer Award presented by The Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka and in 2008 the Senior Citizen Award for Responsible Journalism.

S.Thillainathan

Kalabushana S. Thillainathan joined Virakesari in 1962 as a reporter and became chief reporter before joining the Davasa Group. He then joined the SLBC’s news division and left as Senior News Editor in 1989.

In 1994, he was appointed as the Founder Program Manager for the first private Tamil language Radio Station FM99 inaugurated by veteran broadcaster Livy R. Wijeymanna. He later went on to head all three language segments of the news division.

Thillai, as he is better known, then joined the ITN’s English and Tamil language program divisions before being recruited as MTV’s Shakthi FM/TV News Manager.

He also had a short stint in advertising, working as a Senior Copywriter at Phoenix-Ogilvy and later worked as Consultant at Young Asia Television and is also a freelance writer for newspapers. He also handles political programs for ITN’s Vasantham TV.

Thillai was the Chief Editor of Thinakaran Newspaper of the Associated Newspapers Ceylon Limited. 

Thillainathan was honored by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs in 2006 with the Kalabushana Award. He also functioned as a member of the Public Performance Board. He is also an All Island Justice of Peace.

He was trained in news and current affairs in London by the BBC before receiving further training in news reporting in Malaysia through a program conducted by the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union. He then underwent additional training in advance journalism in West Berlin through a program conducted by the Institute of Advanced Journalism and received more training in trade union journalism at New Delhi’s Trade Union College.   

He also has the rare distinction of being the first journalist who was acquitted by the District Court of Sri Lanka in a case filed against him by the Attorney General for refusing to divulge his source of information in 1977.

Thillainthan has written three books. His most recent publication was about his fifty years’ experience as a Lobby Correspondent. He wrote this book in Tamil and Sinhala.