George alagiah granddaughter
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Remembering George Alagiah - The Tamil who fled Sri Lanka to become one of Britain best-loved figures
Alagiah speaking at an event in London, 2009 (DFID)
Hundreds of mourners paid tribute to BBC News presenter George Alagiah at a memorial service in London this week.
Alagiah, one of British television's best-loved figures, was a Tamil who fled Sri Lanka in the wake of the 1958 pogrom and ongoing ethnic discrimination on the island.
Born George Maxwell Alagiah, he was born and raised in Colombo, on 22 November 1955, when the island was still known as Ceylon. His father, Donald, was a successful civil engineer, who had grown up in Kalmunai. But they would not stay on the island for long.
“Tamils very quickly found that they were on the wrong side of history,” Alagiah told The Times in 2019.
“In 1958 there were some pretty bad riots, so my father was one of the first people who said: ‘It’s time to get out.’”
On 27 May 1958, the Sri Lankan state declared a state of emergency after Sinhala mobs had began attacking, raping and murdering Tamils across the island on
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Remembering George Alagiah
George studied politics at Durham University, as a member of Van Mildert College, before going on to a highly successful career in journalism, most notably with the BBC.
He died on Monday 24 July 2023 aged 67, following a long battle with cancer.
‘A shining inspiration’
Professor Karen O’Brien, our Vice-Chancellor, said: “George Alagiah was one of the finest journalists of his generation.
“We are so proud of his achievements as a journalist of the highest integrity and calibre, who was a shining inspiration for so many others in his profession.
“We are very sorry to hear of his death, following his long battle with cancer, and extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.”
A career that reached across the globe
Born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, George lived in Ghana and England during his childhood.
He often spoke fondly of his time at Durham University, particularly his College. While at Durham, he met his
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George Alagiah
British newsreader and journalist (1955–2023)
George Maxwell AlagiahOBE (; 22 November 1955 – 24 July 2023) was a British newsreader, journalist and television presenter, and one of BBC News's chief presenters. From 2007 until 2022, he was the presenter of the BBC News at Six, and also the main presenter of GMT on BBC World News from its launch in 2010 until 2014. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours.
Early life and education
George Maxwell Alagiah was born in Colombo, Ceylon, on 22 November 1955.[1][2][3] His parents, Donald Ratnarajah Alagiah (c. 1925–2013), a civil engineer, later a public health engineering consultant for the World Health Organization,[4][5] and Therese Karunaiamma (née Santiapillai; died 1996),[6][7][8] were Ceylon Tamils.[9] In 1961, his parents moved to Ghana in West Africa, where he had his primary education at Christ the King International School.[10] He ha
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