Nationality Sri Lankan Occupation Journalist, Diplomat Spouse Indra Corea Books Beyond Dialogue | Alma mater Royal College Colombo. Religion Christian Education Royal College, Colombo | |
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Children Lester Corea, Andy Corea | ||
Early life
Corea was born in Kurana, Katunayake in Ceylon.
His parents were Reverend Canon Ivan Corea and Ouida Corea, and was the brother of Vernon Corea a pioneering broadcaster with Radio Ceylon/SLBC and Ethnic Minorities Adviser to the BBC. Rev. Corea was Rural Dean of Colombo in the Church of Ceylon, Vicar of St. Luke's Church Borella, and St. Paul's Church, Milagiriya.
His family hailed from the west coast town of Chilaw in Sri Lanka and were direct descendants of King Dominicus Corea, also known as Edirille Rala who was crowned King of Kotte and Sitawaka in 1596.
Ernest Corea was educated at the Royal College, Colombo and the University of Peradeniya.
Media
He was a leading journalist with the Lake House Group in Colombo, rising to the top as Editor of the Ceylon Daily News and The Ceylon Observer. The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon is the largest newspaper group in South Asia. Corea was appointed Features Editor and a Foreign Affairs Columnist at the well known South-East Asian newspaper, the Singapore Straits Times in the 1970s.
Diplomat
In the 1980s he was appointed Sri Lanka's High Commissioner in Canada and served as Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the United States, Cuba and Mexico. Ambassador Corea presented his credentials to U.S. President Ronald Reagan at the White House, in Washington D.C. He spearheaded the first ever State Visit to the United States of a Sri Lankan Head of State when President Junius Richard Jayewardene was invited to the White House by U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1984.
When he left the diplomatic service he joined the World Bank in Washington D.C. and remains a Consultant.