Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has appointed more military top brass to a number of top and strategic positions in the government and promoted more officers including three Brigadiers to the rank of Major Generals and 46 Colonels as Brigadiers.
As part of Government’s move to offer senior posts to military officials, Major General Asoka Thoradeniya of the Military Police has been appointed as Chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, Major General A R A T Soysa has been appointed managing director of the Ceylon Petroluem Storage Terminals, Artillery General, V R Silva, has been appointed Commissioner General of Prisons and Brig Udaya Perera, former Director or Army Operations, has been made Deputy High Commissioner in Malaysia.
These latest appointments follows, the appointment of former navy chief, Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, as Secretary of the Highways Ministry, Major General G A Chandrasiri, as Governor of the Northern Province and Major General Jagath Dias as Deputy High Commissioner to Germany.
The appointment of military men to top civil posts shows Rajapakse’s growing dependency on the military to run the country according to analysts.
In addition to military men being appointed top civil posts, there have also been numerous promotions since the end of war.
Former General Officer of Command (GOC) of the 55 Division, Brigadier Prasanna Silva, present 53 Division GOC, Brigadier Chagi Gallage and Director Operations of Army Head Quarters, Brigadier Shavendra Silva are the latest officers to be promoted as Major Generals, sources in
These officers had served in Vanni war front during the military operations against the Liberation Tigers.
45 year old Brigadier Shavendra Silva was the youngest military officer to be promoted to the rank of Major General. Meanwhile, 46 Colonels who served during the war at the front have been promoted to the rank of Brigadier.
A few weeks ago major changes took place in the
Jaffna Commander Major General Mendaka Samarasinghe took over as Chief of Staff Army Headquarters.
Major General Jammika Liyanage took over as Commandant of SLA Volunteer Force while Major General Aruna Jayatilake assumed duties as Adjutant General Army Headquarters.
Major General Rajitha Silva took over as Commander Jaffna.
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