President Ranasinghe Premadasa (1989-1993) Former President Ranasinghe Premadasa was killed 30 years ago on 1 May 1993 at 12. 45 p.m. along with 17 others in a bomb explosion that also injured 38 more persons at the Grandpass Road – Armour Street Junction in Colombo.    He was inspecting a May Day procession of the party. The assassin was an LTTE suicide bomber Kulaveerasingham Veerakumar alias Babu, who wore an explosive-laden vest. Premadasa, born on 23 June 1924 served as Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister from 1978 to 1988 and as President from 1989 to 1993.    The political ascendancy of Ranasinghe Premadasa in Sri Lanka through the United National Party (UNP) was indeed a formidable feat and praiseworthy accomplishment. For a person of subaltern status in class and caste terms to rise to the pinnacle of power in a party like the UNP amounts to a political fairy tale.    This column focuses on Ranasinghe Premadasa’s rocky road to Sri Lanka’s Presidency this week to denote his 30th death anniversary. This article - based upon some of my earlier writings - will emphasize the former President’s remarkable political journey from 1970 to 1988.