Srilal Weerasooriya was the 15th Commander of the Sri Lankan Army and a former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Pakistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
14 Facts About Srilal Weerasooriya
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Srilal Weerasooriya was born in Karawanella, Ceylon, on 22 December 1943, to Charles Richard Percival Srilal Weerasooriya and his wife Harriet Freda.
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Srilal Weerasooriya is the nephew of David Paynter and the grand nephew of Arnolis Weerasooriya of the Weerasooriya family of Dodanduwa, Hikkaduwa.
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Srilal Weerasooriya was enlisted into the Ceylon Army on 09 May 1963 as an Officer Cadet.
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Srilal Weerasooriya was a member of the first batch that was trained at the Pakistan Military Academy from 1963 to 1965.
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Srilal Weerasooriya was commissioned on 11 September 1965 into the 4th Regiment Ceylon Artillery.
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Srilal Weerasooriya followed the Regimental Officers Survey Course, Long Gunnery Staff Course, and the Senior Command Course, all of these in India.
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Srilal Weerasooriya followed the National Defense College Course in New Delhi, India, subsequent to which he was promoted to the rank of Major General.
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Srilal Weerasooriya was appointed Commander of the Sri Lanka Army with the rank of Lieutenant General.
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Srilal Weerasooriya held this position until his retirement on 24 August 2000.
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Srilal Weerasooriya has received some of the highest awards in the Sri Lankan armed forces, which include the Rana Wickrama Padakkama, Rana Sura Padakkama, Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya, and the Uttama Seva Padakkama.
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Srilal Weerasooriya was awarded the Sitara-e-Pakistan by the Government of Pakistan for services to Pakistan during his tenure as High Commissioner.
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Srilal Weerasooriya served as an Independent Non-executive Director of Ceylinco Life PLC from 2010 to 2022.
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Srilal Weerasooriya was the first South Asian to hold this position.