Wickrematunge was born to Harris Wickrematunge former deputy mayor of Colombo and is the grand nephew of the late
George E. de Silva. Wickrematunge worked in the
Criminal Investigation Department (Sri Lanka) and worked as a
business man before co-founding
The Sunday Leader alongside his brother
Lasantha Wickrematunge who was later assassinated in January 2009. Along with his brother Wickrematunge endured constant run-ins with the government for stories his publishing house would carry including a long-standing case made against Wickrematunge and
Leader Publications by
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa for which he is suing for 2 Billion Rupees (€14 million). ==See also==