Maj. Gen. Daya Ratnayake new Chief of Staff

by Ranil WIJEYAPALA

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces has appointed Major General Daya Ratnayake who was the Commissioner General Rehabilitation as the Second in Command of the Sri Lanka Army making him the Chief of Staff with immediate effect.

He has been appointed to this post after appointing the former Chief of Staff Major General Mendaka Samarasinghe as the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff of the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff (OCDS).

A veteran infantryman attached to the Sri Lanka Light Infantry Regiment, Major General Daya Ratnayake prior to his appointment as the Chief of Staff, functioned as the military spokesman and later as the General Officer Commanding 23 Division, Welikanda during the Vakarai and Thoppigala operations in the East.

He is currently the Colonel of the Sri Lanka Light Infantry Regiment.

Major General Janaka Walgama who was attached to the OCDS has been appointed as the Commissioner General Rehabilitation.With these changes several key appointments in the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff (OCDS) and the Sri Lanka Army have also been effected.

Accordingly Major General Upul Perera has been appointed in change of Planning and Force Development of the OCDS while appointing Major General Jammika Liyanage and Major General Srinath Rajapaksa respectively as the Director General Staff and Director General Intelligence of the OCDS.

Major General Aruna Jayathilake has been appointed as the Commandant of the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force Headquarters. Major General Deepal Alwis has been appointed as the Deputy Commandant of the Staff College Batalanda.

Major General Athula Jayawardene has been appointed Commander of the Security Forces headquarters Mullaitivu whilst appointing Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe as the Commander Security Forces Headquarters, Jaffna.

The former Jaffna Security Forces Headquarters, Major General L.B.R. Mark has been appointed as the Director General Infantry attached to the Army Headquarters.Major General Chagie Gallage has been appointed as the Director General Training of the Army Headquarters.Apart from this Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe has been appointed to overlook the duties of the Directorate of Media of the Army Headquarters apart from his present duties whilst appointing Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara as the Chief Field Engineer.

Following appointments have also been made in respect of different Divisions of the SLA.

Major General L.A.D. Amaratunga- GOC 59 Division, Major General G.P.R. de Silva - GOC 68 Division, Major General Mano Perera - GOC 11 Division (Kandy), Brigadier Kumar Herath - GOC 65 Division, Brigadier Lal Perera - GOC 52 Division, Brigadier Ubhaya Medawala - GOC 53 Division, Brigadier Satyapriya Liyanage - GOC 64 Division, Brigadier Ralph Nugera - Commander Task Force 3.