Cecil Waidyaratne
| General Cecil Waidyaratne VSV, USP | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 16, 1938 Ceylon |
| Died |
December 18, 2001 (aged 63) India |
| Allegiance | Sri Lanka |
| Service/branch | Sri Lanka Army |
| Years of service | 1961-1994 |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | Sri Lanka Armoured Corps |
| Commands held | Commander of the Sri Lankan Army |
| Battles/wars |
1987–89 JVP Insurrection Sri Lankan Civil War |
| Awards |
Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya Uttama Seva Padakkama |
| Other work | Sri Lankan Ambassador to Thailand |
General Cecil Waidyaratne, VSV, USP, ndc, psc, SLAC (May 16, 1938 - December 18, 2001) was a Sri Lankan general. He was 12th Commander of the Sri Lankan Army and a former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Thailand.[1][2]
Educated at St. Benedict's College, Colombo, he joined the Ceylon Army on June 26, 1959 as a cadet officer and received his officer training at Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. On July 28, 1961 he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Ceylon Armoured Corps. On January 1, 1980 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and took over command of the Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers; 1st Battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment and 1st Battalion, Rajarata Rifles. He went on to become the commanding officer 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps.
In 1985, he became the Commander Northern Area and thereafter Commander Southern Area before becoming the General Officer Commanding, 1 Division. He served as Commander of Combines Operations in 1989 and he was responsible for the security of Colombo Metropolitan area. He lead the Operation Combine which ended the second JVP insurrection. In 1989, he was promoted to the rank of Major General and appointed Chief of Staff of the Sri Lankan Army.[2][3]
He was appointed on November 16, 1991 he was promoted to Lieutenant General and was appointed as Commander of the Sri Lankan Army. He held the post until December 31, 1993 when he resigned following the Battle of Pooneryn. He was succeeded by G. H. De Silva. He was promoted to General on January 1, 1994 and retired from the army. Following his retirement he was appointed Sri Lankan Ambassador to Thailand and held the post till December 1994.[2]
He married Thileka Jayewardene, daughter of Major T.F. Jayawardena.[2]
References
- ↑ "Commandants". ceylondatabase.net. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Proud soldier who proved himself a noble son of Lanka
- ↑ General Cecil Waidyaratne
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hamilton Wanasinghe |
Commander of the Sri Lankan Army 1991-1993 |
Succeeded by G. H. De Silva |
| ||||||||
