Victoria University scholar allegedly killed
A Victoria University of Wellington PhD student has allegedly been killed in Sri Lanka by her former husband, two days after arriving from New Zealand.
Apsara Wimalarsiri died on Sunday in the town Weliweriya during short holiday to visit family and take part in the country’s political protests.
The 33-year-old moved to Wellington in 2020, completing a masters by thesis, before moving on to become a PhD candidate at the university’s School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies on a full scholarship.
Her PhD supervisor and friend, Dr Corrine Seals, said Wimalarsiri was ‘‘so loved by so many people’’ and was connected to many communities both in New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
‘‘She was an activist and a scholar, who was always supporting everyone around her. She was a very central part of my school ... but she was also connected to Samoan studies and psychology and had friends all across the university. She was constantly impressing people, both academically [and] also with her heart and who she was as a person, which is why this has impacted so, so, so many people.’’ Wimalarsiri ‘‘connected instantly and easily’’ with people as soon as she met them, making them laugh and smile, Seals said.
In her academic studies, Wimalarsiri was passionate about empowering people with multilingual background, supporting multilingual teachers, helping second and thirdgeneration students discover family languages that may have become lost, and helping schools and institutions support those students. Wimalarsiri was ‘‘really involved in anything to do with Sri Lanka and supporting Sri Lanka’’, Seals said.
Weliweriya Police told Sri Lankan newspaper, The DailyMirror, the suspect, a 37-year-old resident of Matara, had attempted to commit suicide after killing Wimalasiri and critically injuring her sister and friend. He was in hospital under police guard.