Gemunu Kulatunge

Last updated
Gemunu Kulatunge
Allegiance Sri Lanka
Service/branch Sri Lanka Army
Years of service1963-1996
Rank Major General
Unit Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
Commands held Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lankan Army
Battles/wars 1971 Insurrection,
Sri Lankan Civil War,
Insurrection 1987-89
Awards Rana Sura Padakkama,
Uttama Seva Padakkama

Major General Gemunu Kulatunge, RSP, USP, ndc, psc (1941-2003) was a Sri Lankan army general, [1] who was the former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army.

Educated at Royal College, Colombo, he graduated from the University of Ceylon in 1960 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree and had won university colours for Rugby. He thereafter joined the Ceylon Army. Having completed his basic officer training at the Army Training Center, Diyatalawa and was commissioned into the Ceylon Sinha Regiment as a second lieutenant on 1 September 1965. He was posted to the 1st Battalion, Ceylon Sinha Regiment from April 1966, in which he served as a platoon commander, adjutant. He then served as company commander, staff officer II at the Army Training Center; staff officer II at Army Headquarters. During the 1971 Insurrection he was appointed military coordinating officer, Kilinochchi District. Promoted to lieutenant colonel, he was appointed commanding officer, 1st Battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment. He served as commandant, Army Training School, Maduru Oya; Deputy Brigade Commander, 22 Brigade, Trincomalee; military coordinating officer, Matara; Brigade Commander, 12 Brigade; Military Coordinating Officer, Kandy; Brigade Commander, 7 Brigade, Elephant Pass; Commander, Security Forces Headquarters – Jaffna; Principal Staff Officer to Secretary Defence, Operational Headquarters, Ministry of Defence; Commander Task Force-Vavuniya; Adjutant General, Army Headquarters; Operations Commander Colombo and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army. General Kulatunge is a graduate of the National Defence College, India . He was awarded the Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP), Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP), the Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal, the Riviresa Campaign Services Medal, the Purna Bhumi Padakkama and the North and East Operations Medal. He retired from the army in 1996. [2] [3]

He was married to Shirani Kulathunge, they had three children. Their son Shewanth Kulatunge, is a colonel in the Sri Lanka Engineers. [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vijaya Wimalaratne</span> Sri Lankan Army Officer

Major General Vanigamuni Indrajith Vijeyakumar Mendis Wimalaratne, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, psc, GR was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer. One of the most distinguished field commanders in Sri Lanka, Wimalaratne raised the Gajaba Regiment, he commanded the 1st Brigade during the Vadamarachchi Operation, he commanded the Amphibious Task Force Commander during Operation Balavegaya and was the Commander Security Forces – Jaffna at the time of his death in a land mine explosion at Point Arali in the Kayts Island while making preparations to re-capture Jaffna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parami Kulatunga</span> Sri Lankan army general

Lieutenant General Parami Sugandika Bandara Kulatunga, RSP, VSV, USP was a Sri Lanka Army general. He was serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army and its third highest-ranking officer at the time of his assassination. On the morning of 26 June, he was killed by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber who drove an explosives laden motorbike into his staff car as it was driving to a military base at Pannipitiya near Colombo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Signals Corps</span> Military unit

The Sri Lanka Signals Corps (SLSC) is a combat support corps of the Sri Lanka Army, responsible for providing military communications, information technology and electronic warfare support. The corps is made up of a signals brigade, ten regular regiments and one volunteer regiment. It is responsible for installing, maintaining and operating all types of telecommunications equipment and information systems. It is headquartered at the Panagoda Cantonment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment</span> Military unit

The Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment (SLSR) is an infantry regiment of the Sri Lanka Army; it is the second oldest infantry regiment in the army. It is made up of seven regular battalions, five volunteer battalions and a headquarters battalion at the Ambepussa Camp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gemunu Watch</span> Military unit

The Gemunu Watch (GW) ("King Dutugemunu's Own") is a infantry regiment of the Sri Lanka Army, formed with troops from the Ceylon Light Infantry and the Ceylon Sinha Regiment in 1962. It has been deployed in many major operations against the LTTE. It is made up of 14 regular units and 9 volunteer units. Headquartered at Kuruwita Army Camp, Ratnapura. It is named after one of the most famous Lankan Kings, King Dutugemunu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tissa Weeratunga</span> Sri Lanka Army general and diplomat (1930–2003)

General Tissa Indraka Weeratunga, VSV was a Sri Lankan senior general. He was a former Commander of the Sri Lankan Army and first general officer commanding (GOC) of the Joint Operations Headquarters (JOH), he was later Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G. A. Chandrasiri</span> Sri Lankan army general, politician

Major General Gammanpila Arachchige Chandrasiri, RWP, USP, ndc, psc, SLAC was a Sri Lankan senior army general and a provincial governor. He is the Governor of Northern Province. He was the former Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna ; General Officer Commanding, 52 Division;, Director General - General Staff, Joint Operations Headquarters; Brigade Commander Armoured Brigade, and Commander, Area Headquarters Mannar.

Major General M.C. Mendaka. P. Samarasinghe, RWP, RSP, USP, ndc, psc, SLE was a Sri Lankan general and former Chief of Staff, Sri Lanka Army and also the former Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna; he was also the General Officer Commanding, 22 Division.

General Shantha H.S. Kottegoda, WWV, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP is a retired senior Sri Lanka Army general. He was the seventeenth Commander of the Sri Lankan Army from 1 July 2004 – 5 December 2005. He had served as the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Brazil and Thailand. In April 2019, following the Easter Sunday bombings he was appointed as the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Defence.

Major General T. N. De Silva, USP is a former Sri Lanka Army general, who was the former General Officer Commanding, 21 Division;, Commandant, Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force, Brigade Commander Armoured Brigade and Director, National Cadet Corps.

Major General Devinda Kalupahana, RSP, USP, psc, SLAC was a Sri Lankan army general, who was the former GOC, 3 Division; GOC, 2 Division; Director Operations, General Staff and Commandant, Sri Lanka Military Academy.

General G. D. H. Kamal Gunaratne, WWV, RWP, RSP, USP is a retired Sri Lankan army general. He is the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and the State Ministry of National Security and Disaster Management. A retired career officer of the Sri Lanka Army, Gunaratne had served as the former Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Wanni, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 53 Division and was a former Deputy Ambassador to Brazil. He was the GOC of the 53 Division which killed the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran at Nandikadal, Mullaitivu.

General Lionel Piyananda Balagalle RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, VSP was a senior Sri Lankan army general. He served as Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and Chief of the Defence Staff.

Major General Ananda Sri Sisira Kumara Hamangoda, RWP, RSP, USP was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer, who was the former brigade commander of the 51-2 Brigade based in Jaffna, when he was killed by a LTTE female suicide bomber.

General Gerard Hector "Gerry" de Silva, RWP, VSV, USP was a general officer of the Sri Lanka Army. He is the 5th Chancellor of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University since 20 January 2020. He was the 13th Commander of the Sri Lankan Army and Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crishantha de Silva</span> Sri Lanka Army general

General Akurathiya Withanage Jagath Crishanthe de Silva, RWP, USP is a former senior Sri Lanka Army general and military engineer. He had served as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army from 22 February 2015 to 4 July 2017, as the Chief of Defence Staff from 29 June 2017 to 21 August 2017. Later he was appointed as the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Bangladesh.

Major General Channa Gunathilaka, RSP, USP, ndc, psc, SLE was a senior general of the Sri Lanka Army, who was the current Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army. He was the former Commandant of the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force, Security Force Commander (Central), Military Secretary, Security Force Commander (Kilinochchi), GOC - 56th Infantry Division, GOC - Mannar.

Major General Priyanka Fernando, RWP, USP, is a former senior Sri Lanka Army general. He has served as the Director General of General Staff (DGGS); General officer commanding (GOC), 58 Division; Commandant of the Ranaviru (veterans) Resource Centre; Director of Rehabilitation; and the Director of Real Estate and Quartering. He served as the Colonel of the Regiment of the Mechanized Infantry Regiment and was the Sri Lankan Minister Counsellor (Defence) in London.

Major General A. K. Sumedha Perera, WWV, RWP, RSP, USP is a retired Sri Lankan general. He is the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Mahaweli, Agriculture, Irrigation and Rural Development; and former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army.

Major General Jagath Gunawardena, RSP, VSV, USP was a Sri Lankan senior army general. He was the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lankan Army, having served as the Commandant of the Volunteer Force, Commander, Security Forces Headquarters – Wanni and Master General of Ordnance. He served as the Colonel Commandant of the Sri Lanka Engineers.

References

  1. Hashim, Ahmed (2013). When Counterinsurgency Wins: Sri Lanka's Defeat of the Tamil Tigers. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 106. ISBN   9780812244526.
  2. "Maj. Gen. Gemunu Kulathunga (retd) bids adieu". army.lk. Sri Lanka Army . Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  3. "The Jungle Telegraph". Sundaytimes. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  4. "Obituaries: June 27 (Monday)". Times Lanka. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  5. "Senior Army Colonel Passes MA in Strategic Security Studies with Flying Colours". army.lk. Sri Lanka Army . Retrieved 19 October 2019.
Military offices
Preceded by
Deputy Chief of Staff
1995 - 1996
Succeeded by