Your tributes to Sirimavo Bandaranaike

BBC News Online users have been paying tribute to Sri Lanka's former prime minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike, after she died of a heart attack at the age of 84.

Click here to send us your tributes.

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She set an example for all women to be leaders

Dunitha De Silva, USA

My deepest sympathies! Mrs. B's death has brought all walks of women, all over the world together to remember a great woman leader. She is a woman of courage and hope. She set an example for all women to be leaders. She will be missed surely, but will live forever and ever in our hearts as a mother and a women of guts. May she attain Nibbana.
Dunitha De Silva, USA

We extend our deepest sympathies. We all remember you as the first woman prime minister in the world with great courage and dedication.
Latha Gunatunga, United Kingdom

A tear-full good bye to the mother of our land! May she attain nibbana!
Dushan, Canada

She was the mother of Sri Lanka. She was a great leader not only to her country but for the whole Asia.
Menake, US

My deepest sympathies
Indrani, Sri Lanka

I come from a Sri Lankan background, and from what I have been told, Sirimavo Bandaranaike was a great lady. She was the world's first female prime minister, and was the oldest living PM, until four days ago. Although, clashes in Sri Lanka have been brought out, she made her stand in the family of Bandaranaike politicians, and will always be a part of Sri Lanka.
Andrew, Canada

Srimavo Bandaranaike was an icon in Sri Lankan and world politics. Being the first woman prime minister in the world after the assassination of her husband, she displayed great courage enduring almost 4 decades in politics, therefore her legacy should be kept alive. We offer our condolences to president Chandrika Kumaratunga.
Gayan & Inoka Kodikara, USA/Sri Lanka

My tributes to one of the leading women of the world.
Arijit Das, India/USA

This is a greatest loss to our country, but you will remain in our hearts forever.
Harani , Saudi Arabia

You were our great leader

Sriya Kumarasinghe, Japan

You, our courageous mother of nation, not only your own children, the whole country is in tears with your loss. You were our pride. You were our great leader. May you attain Nirvana!
Sriya Kumarasinghe, Japan

Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranayake will be remembered by her nation not only being the world's first elected woman prime minister but being a remarkable leader. She is true original and quite beyond compare, she made our motherland more beautiful with her own devotion and dignity. The ones we love are never gone, they live within our hearts forever. May you attain Nibbana!
Ereen Upthegrove, USA

She is one of the greatest leaders ever born in Sri Lanka and I Salute for her leadership, integrity and honesty towards her motherland. May she attain greatest sublime Nibbana!
Dinesh, United Kingdom

I feel really sad to hear Sirimavo's death. I voted for her once in my lifetime. In some ways, she is one of the reasons we have lost more than 60,000 Tamils in Sri Lanka. She introduced standardisation and the war. This woman finally left the place where you and I live.
Kumar Mahalingam, USA

She was a politician of unique calibre. Having entered politics, following her husband's untimely demise, she led the country towards true independence, giving a powerful leadership to the country.
Chaminda Hettige, USA

It was a great honor to have her in Sri Lanka

Gamini Premaratne, USA

It was a great honor to have her in Sri Lanka. She was a woman and mother who understood the value of the lives better than anyone who lead the country
Gamini Premaratne, USA

I read some of the tributes written about Mrs Bandaranaike and thought that I too should say something nice about this wonderful woman. However, when I hear the name Sirimavo Bandaranaike, all I remember is how my parents along with the rest of the general population of Sri Lanka had to wait in endless queues for hours to buy bread while she imported basmathi rice from India and Pakistan for her and her family. How transport of paddy (rice) was banned (even from one's own field) and how sugar was rationed. How she sent her to UK and France for studies while everybody else was denied foreign exchange to go abroad for even medical treatment. How she extended the life of the Parliament by two years, by passing a new constitution without two thirds thus starting the war with the LTTE. How in 1977 she was defeated by the UNP who obtained a 5/6TH MAJORITY in Parliament in an honourable election held in 1977. Unlike the daughter who rigged all elections under her regime). I hope Mrs Bandaranaike will rest in peace wherever she is now and god bless the people of Sri Lanka who have forgotten all this.
Girigoris Appu, Sri Lanka

This is a great loss to the country but she will remain a legend

Vasantha De Silva, New Zealand

My tributes to a world-class leader and mother of the nation who guided her country to the true clear path of an economy of national interest. She resembles the ancient queens who ruled Sri Lanka hundreds and thousands of years ago. Ths is a great loss to the country but she will remain a legend.
Vasantha De Silva, New Zealand

She was stood beside Sri Lanka at the time of glory and she stood beside the country at the hour of its need.
Mahesh Abyewardene, Canada

Long before it became fashionable to talk about women's equality in the West, Mrs Bandaranaike rose to lead a democracy. Her remarkable statesmanship was only upstaged by Mrs Indira Gandhi, who led Sri Lanka's neighbour in the north for a number of years. It is hard not to think that Mrs Gandhi was influenced by Sirimavo. It is heartening to see that the democracies these two ladies championed are still flourishing, though not entirely free from problems. Sirimavo leaves a lasting legacy as the leader of a free country, something that even the USA cannot boast about!
Dr M. Divakar, USA/ India

Our deepest sympathy to the most admired Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
Saman, Disna and Sahan Nanayakkara, Australia

Madam Sirimavo Bandaranaike is not dead, she is immortalised. She was a patriot in the truest sense of the word who loved the country with immense personal sacrifice. She stood valiantly against all the unethical adversarial acts of local political opponents for decades with great resilience and took brave decisions, sometimes facing direct hostility from some of the most powerful Western nations and business interests, in the name and service of the motherland and its people.
Viduragomi Vithana, Thailand

A great statesperson who served her nation with full devotion and dignity. She had always been for peace at home and with neighbouring countries. A role model for the women of this world.
Rustam Khan, Pakistan

We are deeply sorry to here of her death, as she has been a great political leader and a good mother to her children!
Keshini Diyagama, New Zealand

Mrs. Bandaranaike was the one who put Sri Lankan women on the international map

Ravindra Wickremasinghe, Sri Lanka/Austria

Mrs. Bandaranaike was the Mother of the nation. And she was a democrat and a citizen to the end as demonstrated by the fact that she exercised her franchise as her final act. Sri Lanka won universal adult suffrage in 1931 and women have played a role in national politics since then. Lady Adeline Molemure was elected at the world's second female legislator after lady Astor. Ms. Wimala Wijeyawardene was elected and become a cabinet mister in 1956. However, Mrs. Bandaranaike was the one who put Sri Lankan women on the international map.
Ravindra Wickremasinghe, Sri Lanka/Austria

Mrs. Bandaranaike was not only a symbol of empowerment to women in South Asia. But she was a woman leader of the 20th Century who stood for democracy and the empowerment of women in an age where even the so-called advanced western democracies could not elect a woman to lead their country. She has left an indelible mark on Asian and world politics.
Harshini, Thailand

A great states person and a true patriot. Will be remembered for a long time by friend and foe alike.
K. Naeem Saeed, Pakistan

I was shocked and saddened by the news of your death. You were the mother of nation. You were forever blessed by our history. You were the first women prime minister in the world and also you are the last Prime Minister of democracy system in Sri Lanka.
Seewalie Walpola, Austria, Vienna, Austria

Mrs. Srima was an elegant Sinhala leader. She has contributed a lot to the Sinhala community. At the same time, she had well known records of discriminating Tamils in the same country. In the eyes of Tamails, she is a Sinhala chauvinist. She was the one who had used the military force against the Tamil's non-violent protest to show their aspiration. So let the future generation learn from her mistakes.
King Karna, Singapore

No one can match her courage, dedication and discipline

Mano Ratwatte, USA

There is no one in the present political landscape of Sri Lanka who has her integrity and dedication. No one can match her. Yes her political and economic decisions were sometimes not the best, but no one can match her courage, dedication and discipline. As her nephew I can say that unequivocally. The UNP took revenge on her to deprive Sri Lanka from a true opposition and the west which talks so much about civil rights and human rights kept silent when she was deprived of her civic rights in the 1980s.
Mano Ratwatte, USA

She was a great leader to this country!
Chamila, Sri Lanka

A great leader, a truly respectable and a devoted daughter of Sri Lanka. You will be missed by the whole world
Hiran Wijewardene, Sri Lanka/USA

She was symbolic of age-old Oriental virtues - wisdom, strict discipline and hard work

Vishaal Bhatnagar, India

Along with Golda Meir of Israel and Indira Gandhi of India, Mrs Bandarnaike served as an example to emulate for a vast number of her countrymen and I suspect a vast number of Third World citizens. She was symbolic of age-old Oriental virtues - wisdom, strict discipline and hard work.
Vishaal Bhatnagar, India

You were my pride.
Shaikh M. Abdullah, Bangladesh

May God give her a place in Heaven!
Prakash Anturkar, USA

She will definitely be missed and mourned by Sri Lankans. She defied all odds by becoming the world's first woman prime minister.
She is also responsible for the country's successes and also its shortcomings. No doubt she is a great leader but one can't help but feel she is responsible for fuelling the country separatist war.
Asantika, Sri Lanka

She was the pioneer. The world lost her - the world lost a lot. We all feel a great sorrow.
Mahmood Menon, Bangladesh

You loved the nation, the nation loved you

Gamini Sellahewa, Kingdom of Cambodia

Madam, your leadership proven, with integrity, and honesty. You loved the nation, the nation loved you. May the second generation follow your principals at least, from today onwards. May you attain nirvana. Our lady the queen of Sri Lanka.
Gamini Sellahewa, Kingdom of Cambodia

You made history and will be remembered as a woman with tremendous courage and vision.
Mahinda Wettasinghe, United States

My heartfelt condolence to great leader.
Sunil Wijesinghe, New Zealand

Please let me extend my deepest sympathy on behalf of all my family members on the passing of our former PM.
Mohamed Nizam, Canada

It appears fitting her last act to have been participation in the process of the general election

Capt. Sunil V. Perera, Australia

Lanka has lost another "Great" whose presence would have definitely benefited the present imminently impending political crisis. It appears fitting her last act to have been participation in the process of the general election.
I will always treasure the memory of my audience with her, on my last visit to SL in December 1999, after 30 years to personally autograph a photograph of me welcoming the "Worlds first Democratically elected Woman Leader'.
Capt. Sunil V. Perera, Australia

One of the greatest leaders ever born in the world. My salute to great great world leader!
Upul Weerasena, New Zealand

Accept our tribute to a mother of a nation.
Nishen, India

It is great that a small country gave birth to such a noble lady. Let her be a model for other women.
Ananth, India

You have set a wonderful example and hopefully your daughter will follow further in your footsteps

Achinthi Vithanage, Australia

My granma admired Madam Sirimavo Bandaranayaika and the same goes for me. After all she was the first woman prime minister in the world. Even though I didn't know her personally, after all I am only 12 years old, but I do know that she was a great Sri Lankan and that she will stay in our hearts forever.
Some of my speeches also included her so Madam Bandaranayaike, wherever you are just remember that we have not forgotten you. You have set a wonderful example and hopefully your daughter will follow further in your footsteps.
Achinthi Vithanage, Australia

A remarkable lady, a great leader and an honest politician. Having known her family in my youth, they have lost a great mother
Anne Kazi, Pakistan

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