Speaker Ashoka Ranwala, who has been avoiding the media regarding his PhD, has responded to a telephone call on the BBC Sinhala website. The conversation has been posted on the BBC website and the English translation is published below
Speaker Ashoka Ranwala’s statement
Excerpt begins.
During the investigation of the relevant information, the BBC was able to contact Speaker Ashoka Ranwala by phone on November 27.
During the 22-minute telephone conversation with us, BBC Sinhala asked Speaker Ashoka Ranwala whether he obtained his primary degree from the University of Moratuwa.
“The university had not been established at that time. The university had already become affiliated, we did it when it was converted from the UGC, and there was only one faculty then. Technical…what do you call it? I have not put it as I gave it. It is not there.”
So, when asked how to correctly state his primary degree, Ashoka Ranwala said, “Shall I write it down and send it to you?”
BBC Sinhala then asked him whether the information about Speaker Ashoka Ranwala’s political activities on his Facebook account (which was not verified) that is constantly updated about him was correct.
“No. The official page has not been created yet. Each person has created them in my place.”
“In those days, I did a lot of work in the faculty. I did some party work in the faculty. That is why I have put that in.” Ashoka Ranwala said.
BBC Sinhala asked Ashoka Ranwala again whether he could be called a graduate of the University of Moratuwa.
“It is not a degree. After a few years, we converted it into a degree. But that may be why it is being questioned.”
“Those who know petroleum are saying that, [the accusers] I am not a chemical engineer in petroleum.”
“When I was in petroleum, I did both together. [The degree] is what you are saying. There were engineers in petroleum. I am not an engineer, so you are saying I am in petroleum.”
BBC Sinhala asked him what position he held while working at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation.
“I was a technical officer.”
BBC Sinhala then asked him about his now controversial PhD.
He stated that he obtained his PhD from Waseda University in Japan.
Ashoka Ranwala also said that it was a PhD in Biochemistry.
BBC Sinhala asked him in which year he obtained his PhD from Waseda University in Japan.
“It was done in…eighty…ninety-six.”
However, Ashoka Ranwala, who promised to send a written response to the BBC’s questions about his educational qualifications, has not sent us any written response in the past 14 days.
Although he told us that he would call us again in this regard, he has not called us yet.