18 Facts About Tissa Weeratunga

General Tissa Indraka Weeratunga, VSV was a Sri Lankan general.

Tissa Weeratunga was the Commander of the Sri Lankan Army from 1981 to 1985 and the first General Officer Commanding of the Joint Operations Headquarters, he was later Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to Canada from 1986 till 1990.

Tissa Weeratunga had one sister, Krishnajina Weeratunga who married Ana Seneviratne, a police officer who served as Inspector General of Police from 1978 to 1982.

Tissa Weeratunga joined the newly formed Ceylon Army on 11 October 1949, in its first cadet officer intake and received his basic officer training at the Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot and at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant and posted to the Ceylon Light Infantry on 2 August 1951.

Tissa Weeratunga was appointed as adjutant of the Ruhunu Regiment on 4 July 1956; adjutant of the 1 Battalion, Ceylon Light Infantry on 22 October 1956 and Staff Captain Administration Branch at Army Headquarters on 25 July 1958.

Tissa Weeratunga was transferred to the Corps of Infantry on 8 December 1962 and posted later to the Gemunu Watch on its formation.

Tissa Weeratunga had followed the Unit Commander's Course in Australia and the Joint Service Defence College.

Tissa Weeratunga was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel on 1 October 1969 and confirmed as the Commanding Officer.

Tissa Weeratunga attended the National Defence College, India and on his return he served as Competent Authority for Sri Lanka Airports.

Concurrently, Brigadier Tissa Weeratunga was then tasked by President JR Jayawardene to clamp down on the Tamil militancy that was taking root in Jaffna and was dispatched to Jaffna as Overall Operational Commander, with extensive powers under the provisions of Prevention of Terrorism Act No: 48 of 1979.

Tissa Weeratunga was promoted to the rank of major general and made Commander of the Sri Lankan Army on 14 October 1981, and held the post till 2 November 1985.

Tissa Weeratunga's tenure marked the start of the Sri Lankan Civil War with the LTTE ambush of the army patrol Four Four Bravo in July 1983.

Tissa Weeratunga undertook several reforms in the army, including the formation of the Gajaba Regiment and undertaking the rapid expansion of the army to cope with the civil war.

Tissa Weeratunga was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and appointed as the first general officer commanding of the Joint Operation Command on 11 February 1985 to co-ordinate army, navy and air force counter-terrorist operations in the north and east of Sri Lanka.

Tissa Weeratunga retired from the army on 29 August 1985 and was promoted to the rank of general on the same day.

Tissa Weeratunga died at the age of 73 in November 2003 and was cremated with full military honours at General Cemetery Kanatte on November 9,2003.

Tissa Weeratunga's decorations include the Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya, Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services Medal, Sri Lanka Army 25th Anniversary Medal, Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal, Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal, President's Inauguration Medal and the Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal.

Tissa Weeratunga was married to Sonia Evangeline StClair Rhode and had three children: Rohan, Ajith and Annouchka.