{"id":85587,"date":"2026-02-11T05:55:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T09:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=85587"},"modified":"2026-02-11T14:35:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T18:35:34","slug":"85587","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=85587","title":{"rendered":"Upali Wijewardene : Sri Lanka\u2019s Immensely Popular Indigenous Tycoon."},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/p>\n

D.B.S.Jeyaraj<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Article Reposted to Commemorate Upali Wijewardene’s’s 88th B’day(Feb 17)and Day of Disappearance(Feb 13)43 years ago) <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Sri Lanka known earlier as Ceylon has produced several businessmen and industrialists of great repute over the years. There were however only a few who captured the popular imagination of the people. One such person was the industrial tycoon and media magnate Upali Wijewardene known widely as Upali. One could even say that there was none quite like him in the realm of Sri Lankan commerce.. The dynamic Upali Wijewardene was truly an icon of his times. <\/p>\n

Upali interacted on a higher plane with transnational captains of industry and commerce on equal terms. Yet, he retained the loyalty and affection of his employees and workers who simply adored him. More importantly, the Sri Lankan masses despite being exposed to left wing rhetoric for decades, loved this high-profile capitalist. Upali was indeed a beloved homegrown businessman.<\/p>\n

It was my privilege to be associated with Upali slightly and briefly during the years 1978 – 1983. As a journalist on the Tamil Daily \u201cVirakesari\u201d, I covered the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC) or \u201cFree Trade Zone\u201d from 1978 -1981. Upali was the first Director General of the GCEC. Later in 1981, I began working as a staff reporter on the English Daily \u201cThe Island\u201d published by Upali Newspapers Ltd of which he was the proprietor. It was in 1983 that Upali went missing. I was then working at \u201cThe Island\u201d.<\/p>\n

If Upali Wijewardene was among the living now, he would have reached the age of 88 this year on February 17. Alas, this was not to be, as he disappeared 43 years ago on Feb 13, 1983, just four days before his 45th birthday. <\/p>\n

I intend focusing on this remarkable personality in these columns to honour and pay tribute to his memory in this eventful week of two significant anniversaries in the life of Upali Wijewardene. I have written about Upali on earlier occasions too and would be drawing from such writings in penning this article. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Philip Upali Wijewardene was born on February 17,1938 as the son of Don Walter and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijewardene. He studied initially at Ladies\u2019 College and then Royal College, where he captained the Cricket Second XI. He then went to England and graduated from Cambridge University. Upon his return, he began working at Lever Brothers as a management trainee. He quit in disgust when his expatriate boss accused him unfairly of lies and deception in preparing a report. <\/p>\n

Upali started out on his own with Rs.15,000 as capital and an old house as assets. That was the time of a State-controlled economy but incentives were provided in some areas, including confectioneries. Upali ventured into what was derisively referred to as the \u2018seeni bola\u2019 industry. He began manufacturing candy and sweets. Legendary General Manager of Bank of Ceylon Chelliah Loganathan was very helpful in financing Upali\u2019s ventures. <\/p>\n

One man who stood by Upali loyally in those pioneering days was R. Murugaiah, a hill country Tamilnfrom Nuwara-Eliya district.. It is said that the name \u2018Delta\u2019 was adopted for Upali\u2019s toffee because Murugaiah was born on Delta Estate, Pussellawa. Murugaiah was responsible for marketing the products then. Years later, Upali was to quip publicly, \u201cBehind every successful man there is a woman. But behind every successful Sinhala businessman there is a Tamil man,\u201d and point laughingly to Murugaiah walking behind him.<\/p>\n

Never Looked Back<\/strong><\/p>\n

Embarking on a career as industrialist, Upali Wijewardene never looked back. The confectioneries developed and soon he acquired \u2018Kandos\u2019 chocolates from his maternal uncle, Sarath Wijesinghe. Then came consumer products like \u2018Sikuru\u2019 and \u2018Crystal\u2019 soap. Upali also pioneered the assembling of radios, clocks and TVs under the \u2018UNIC\u2019 brand name. <\/p>\n

He also went into automobiles. The UMC Mazda and Upali Fiat were assembled locally. In those days, the import duty for cars was 300 % but 100% for motor spares. He brought in automobile parts as motor spares paying lesser duty and assembled them here. Later in an interview he was asked about this. Upali replied that he wandered to the edge of legal limits but never crossed them.<\/p>\n

Upali Wijewardene also went into aviation and began domestic helicopter and airline services. He also bought up estates in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. He also had many business concerns in Singapore and Malaysia. The \u2018Kandos Man\u2019 was hugely popular in Singapore. During his heyday, more than 33,000 people were employed in Upali\u2019s worldwide enterprises. <\/p>\n

Upali had a wide range of interests including race horses, pedigreed dogs and motor racing. His horses ran at Aston and Derby winning laurels. Ace jockey Lester Piggot rode some of his winners. His ribbon winning canines were Labradors and retrievers. As a young man, Upali raced his mother\u2019s Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunda Races in early 60s. Later he imported an MGA Sports Twin Cam, which he raced at the Mahagastota Hill Climb. <\/p>\n

He also bought a Mitsubishi Lancer to be raced at the Nuwara Eliya Road Races and Mahagastota Hill Climb in 1980. He had a luxury S-Class Mercedes Benz 126 from Malaysia. This was the first car of this type in Sri Lanka.There were also his private Lear Jet and Helicopter. He would conduct a business meeting in the afternoon in Colombo, helicopter to Nuwara Eliya in the evening for golf and return to Colombo again for dinner. <\/p>\n

Horse Racing <\/strong><\/p>\n

Horse racing was once regarded as the sport of kings and the king of sports. Upali was avidly fond of racing.Some of the earliest horses he had raced in Singapore. Upali would fly by Singapore arlines to the Lion city and watch his equines run.. Once the Singapore Airlines flight got delayed and Upali reached Singapore to find the races were over. He was disappointed.<\/p>\n

Upali then bought a Citation Cessna plane to fly to Singapore and back to watch his horses raceon time. Later he bought racehorses in Australia. When flying to Australia and back , the Cessna had to re-fuel in Singapore or Malaysia. This irritated him. So Upali bought his Learjet and flew non -stop to Australia and back. That Learjet was to play a fateful role in his life.<\/p>\n

Upali had a permanent suite in a prestigious London Hotel. He maintained a flamboyant lifestyle that his countrymen relished. The people were proud that one of their countrymen had really made it and was on par with the best of \u2018Suddhas.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Upali was married on November 7, 1975, to Lakmini, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Seevali Ratwatte. Dr. Seevali, being Mrs. Sirima Bandaranaike\u2019s brother and Wijewardena being JR\u2019s nephew, the marriage was seen then as a dynastic union. They had no children, but Upali had two nieces and six nephews through his two sisters, Anoka Wijeysundara and Kalyani Attygalle. <\/p>\n

The GCEC<\/strong><\/p>\n

The name Upali Wijewardene became familiar to the country in the early \u201870s of the previous century. Yet, it was in the late \u201870s that he became really well-known when he assumed duties as Director General of Sri Lanka\u2019s first \u2018Free Trade Zone,\u2019 the popular name for the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC). The GCEC has transformed into Board of Investment (BOI) nowadays. <\/p>\n

The GCEC was something new and controversial. The \u2018Shannon\u2019 experiment of Ireland was catching on in many parts of the world. The leftists were firmly opposed to the concept. The idea of providing massive tax concessions and financial incentives to foreign \u2018capitalists\u2019 to come and invest in Sri Lanka was a novel project at that time. <\/p>\n

One of the key attractions was our skilled yet cheap labour. \u201cExploitation,\u201d thundered the left. JR\u2019s famous comment, \u201cLet the robber barons come,\u201d did not help either. The fact that a well known \u2018dhanapathi\u2019 (capitalist) was heading the GCEC aided the \u2018vahamanse sahodharayo\u2019 (leftist comrades) to attack the project. <\/p>\n

The much-travelled Upali undertook many foreign trips to promote the FTZ. On one such occasion, he was in Singapore. At a press conference he was asked about the Tamil minority being discriminated against in Sri Lanka. He responded to the query in his inimitable style.\u201cLadies and Gentlemen,\u201d he said, \u201cSeated on my right is my Deputy Director General Raju Coomaraswamy. On my left is Treasury Secretary Chandi Chanmugam. Further down is our High Commissioner to Singapore, C. Gunasingham. Gentlemen, I am the minority here.\u201d Everyone present laughed. The question was deflected neatly. That was Upali Wijewardene! <\/p>\n

It was a difficult time for the pioneering venture. Looking back, I think Wijewardena was the ideal man for the job at that time. The GCEC went about its task methodically and diligently. It was my duty then to record its progress regularly in the columns of the \u201cVirakesari.\u201d<\/p>\n

I interacted a lot with Upali while covering the GCEC. When working for a Tamil newspaper, I have come across many Sinhala persons who simply did not care a hoot about the Tamil media. I have also come across many Sinhalese who were extremely concerned about what appeared in the Tamil newspapers. Upali belonged to the latter category.Though he could not read Tamil he got one of his Tamil employees (S.Ponnambalam from Karaveddy known as \u201cUpali\u201dPonnambalam)) at Upali Group to inform him about what was appearing in Virakesari. Thus he was happy with my work and perhaps due to that made himself easily accessible. <\/p>\n

Political Ambition <\/strong> <\/p>\n

For some reason, Upali Wijewardene used to talk freely on many matters with me when I was working at the \u201cVirakesari\u201d. Perhaps he was at ease with me, a young journalist on a Tamil newspaper without any hidden agenda or being linked to vested interests. There was much speculation then in the media about his political ambition. I thought then that he would focus on Kelaniya and asked him directly. But I was surprised when he said, \u201cNo, the South.\u201d It was then that I came to know of his southern roots from his mother\u2019s side and the Sarath Wijesinghe relationship. <\/p>\n

Later he earmarked the Kamburupitiya electoral division and began nursing it. He focused on improving the standard of English among Students in the area. I once went to a meeting in the South where Upali spoke. The cheers for him were loud, huge and spontaneous. The people on that side of the Bentara River loved Upali and regarded him as a true son of the southern soil. After all, Southerners are known for their entrepreneurial acumen and success. Though he hardly ever visited Jaffna, the people of the peninsula appreciated him greatly too. They admired his commercial success.<\/p>\n

When I was working at Virakesari, I once asked Upali how he would resolve the ethnic crisis if he became Sri Lanka\u2019s Head of State. Of course the problem then was not as bad as it became later. He thought a while and said that all people should be able to study and communicate with the government in their own language, that official administration should be done in all three languages and that no person should be discriminated against on grounds of race or religion. He was of the view that all parts of the country should be developed evenly and access to jobs provided on merit basis. Upali opined that when the country prospered economically, the ethnic issue would lose its sting. <\/p>\n

In Greek mythology whatever was touched by king Midas turned to gold. Likewise, whatever venture launched by the mighty magnate Upali became a roaring success within a short time due to his golden touch. Upali\u2019s newspaper venture was no exception.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Island\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Island burst upon the media scene in 1981 like a gust of fresh air. Upali had undertaken a market survey which indicated there was no room for a new English paper. But Wijewardene being Wijewardene, he simply went ahead disregarding the survey results.<\/p>\n

It was indeed a great challenge then working for the paper. Those recruited from other newspapers had their previous salaries doubled. We were told that Upali would shut the paper if it did not break-even in a year.
\nThe new kid on the block achieved tremendous success within a short time. Two older kids on the block went out of business gradually.
\nThe paper\u2019s plus point in one respect was the colour and modern printing technology. On another level, it was due to its editorial and news content.
\nThe paper covered events fearlessly and provided space for all points of view. One of its strong points then was its coverage of the ethnic crisis.
\nThis was both good journalism and good business. In this, the paper reflected the worldview of both Upali Wijewardene and editor Vijitha Yapa.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Island\u2019 was a runaway success in Jaffna then. One reason was that the Late City Edition was put on Upali Airlines and sent to Jaffna. The Colombo (City) edition was available in Jaffna before noon. I recall then Jaffna Government Agent (GA) Devanesan Nesiah telling me happily, \u201cThanks to \u2018The Island\u2019; we are able to read the latest sports news without delay.\u201d <\/p>\n

The main reason for the paper\u2019s editorial success was the free hand given to Vijitha Yapa. This was possible then only because Upali Wijewardene owned the paper. A lesser man would have interfered unnecessarily with editorial matters during its formative phase.<\/p>\n


\nRanasinghe Premadasa<\/strong><\/p>\n

In those days there was only one sacred cow- Upali Wijewardene\u2019s uncle, President J.R. Jayewardene.All others were fair game. Open season was declared on Wijewardene\u2019s political rivals, prime minister Ranasinghe Premadasa and Finance minister Ronnie de Mel.<\/p>\n

Premadasa being prime minister had high hopes of succeeding JR Jayewardene as President. When Upali Wijewardene began flirting with politics, Premadasa resented it. He scented a rival for the presidency. Premadasa engaged in obstructionist tactics,Upali did not take it lying down. He hit back. For instance ,it was \u201cThe Island\u201dwhich exposed the fact that Dulanjalee Premadasa was a special student at the Colombo International school. <\/p>\n

Ronnie de Mel<\/strong><\/p>\n

The tussle with Ronnie de Mel was also interesting.Apparently relations between Ronnie and Upali were amicable until the latter evinced interest in entering politics. Ronnie felt Upali was eying the finance ministry portfolio as a stepping stone to the executive presidency. Soon there was no love lost between both.<\/p>\n

When JR appointed Upali as Director -General of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC) with the responsibility of setting up free trade zones (FTZ), Ronnie did not like it. The finance minister created an alternative structure the Foreign Investment Advisory Committee (FIAC) and provided incentives like tax holidays to potential investors outside the FTZs. Both the GCEC and FIAC competed for foreign investment separately.<\/p>\n

Another bone of contention was the envisaged Ruhuna University. Upali wanted it located in Kamburupitiya electorate which he was nursing as his future constituency. Ronnie wanted it in Matara. Ultimately De Mel had his way.Upali utilised his publications to irritate Ronnie. The cartoon paper \u201cChitra Mithra\u201d featured a canine character named Ronnie. <\/p>\n

Events took a serious turn when \u201cThe Island\u201d edited then by Vijitha Yapa scooped details of the Budget on Budget day morning. JR was furious. The Finance Minister had to alter some of his proposals in a hurry and was seen reading from Xerox copies in Parliament. Later Ronnie allegedly motivated the CID into launching a prosecution of Vijitha Yapa under the official secrets act.<\/p>\n

Shenanigans Exposed<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is important to note that Upali did not interfere with editorial content despite his political ambition. The newspaper started at a time when Wijewardene was building a circle of supporters in the ranks of the UNP to further his political prospects.But when The Island began its fearless journalism crusade , many shenanigans were exposed. <\/p>\n

Several of these news story \u201cscoops\u201dwere about Wijewardene\u2019s supporters or potential supporters.Since the journalists were not told to lay off, we went about our reporting without fear or favour.Those affected complained to Wijewardene. But to Wijewardene\u2019s credit, he never instructed the editorial to adopt a \u201chands off\u201d approach on any such \u201ccrony\u201d.<\/p>\n

One exciting night was when Upali himself became a \u2018reporter\u2019 for The Island. One day President Jayewardene had taken an important decision about evolving suitable criteria for staging by-elections.Urged by the Editor, we the reporters contacted all our sources to find out the details. We failed. A desperate Vijitha Yapa appealed to Wijewardene himself.<\/p>\n

The Upali Newspapers Chairman then went to see his uncle, the President. He got the information from the horse\u2019s mouth about the formula to be adopted for by-elections. It was a scoop.Upali was pleased with himself, and joked with the Editor that his reporters were useless because he had to personally get the story.<\/p>\n

Missing Learjet<\/strong><\/p>\n

42 years ago on February 13, 1983, a privately owned Lear jet flew out of Malaysia\u2019s Subang Airport at 8.41 p.m. with six on board. It was expected to reach Colombo by 9.45 p.m. that night. 15 minutes after taking off, the plane lost radio contact with the airport. The final message received said the plane was flying at an altitude of 27,000 ft over the straits of Malacca. The Learjet never arrived in Colombo that Sunday as scheduled. The plane went missing. <\/p>\n

News of the missing plane began spreading. Sri Lankans from all walks of life were shocked when they heard that the missing plane belonged to Upali Wijewardene and that he was among the six persons, who disappeared along with the aircraft. <\/p>\n

Apart from Upali Wijewardene, the others who went missing were Upali\u2019s most trusted Lieutenant Ananda Pelimuhandiram, Financial Director of the Upali Group S. M. Ratnam, a Malaysian lawyer of Jaffna Tamil origin and A. Senanayake, the Steward. The other two were the Pilot Capt. Noel Anandappa and Co-Pilot Sidney de Zoysa. <\/p>\n

Unresolved Mystery <\/strong> <\/p>\n

Legally, Upali is presumed dead though his body was never found. The disappearance continues to linger in the collective memory of the nation as an unresolved mystery. There are people who ask me even now, \u201cWhat really happened to Upali? Don\u2019t know, no?\u201d .A song composed in Upali\u2019s honour and memory was a popular favourite then. The chorus was \u2018Upalee… Wijeyawardena,\u2026.. Upalee… Wijeyawardena\u2019. <\/p>\n

D.B.S.Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

This article appears in the \u201cpolitical Pulse\u201dColumn of the \u201cDaily FT\u201ddated 19 February 2025.It can be accessed here – <\/p>\n


\nhttps:\/\/www.ft.lk\/columns\/Upali-Wijewardene-Sri-Lanka-s-immensely-popular-indigenous-tycoon\/4-773194#<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

*********************************************************<\/strong><\/p>\n

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By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (Article Reposted to Commemorate Upali Wijewardene’s’s 88th B’day(Feb 17)and Day of Disappearance(Feb 13)43 years ago) Sri Lanka known earlier as Ceylon has produced several businessmen and industrialists of great repute over the years. There were however only a few who captured the popular imagination of the people. One such person was the industrial …<\/p>\n

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