P. A. Ediriweera

Piyadasa Ariyasena Ediriweera (1915–1985) was a Sri Lankan travel agent, journalist and entrepreneur.

He left school to work as a 'cub' reporter in the 'Daily News' as provincial correspondent in Ahangama and later joined The Times of Ceylon as a journalist in the Colombo office working his way up to being a war correspondent and making influential friends and contacts in the international press and in particular at The New York Times.

Ediriweera is reputed to have generated interest through his contacts at The New York Times writing articles on Sri Lanka targeting the American reader, and an advertising campaign.

[1][2] Ediriweera formed the company Ceylon Tours in July 1946 with Justin Kotalawala (brother of Sir John Kotelawala) as Chairman, Ediriweera as Managing Director, with Directors DB Dhanapala (who worked with him at the Times group as a reporter), Rosaline Koch and D.P Abeywardena.

His daughter Ranjini Suranimala (who married DB Suranimala son of his friend DB Dhanapala and youngest son Chandra Ediriweera acted in the film Wer stirbt schon gerne unter Palmen [de] (1974).