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New Army Chief of Staff appointed

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Major General C.D Weerasuriya RWP RSP ndu, the present Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army has been appointed as the new Chief of Staff of the Army.

Major General C.D Weerasuriya RWP RSP ndu this afternoon (29) received the letter of appointment as 61st Chief of Staff of the Army from Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage, Commander of the Army at the Commander’s office.

He, who has served as the Commandant, Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force before he took office as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army on 16 June 2022, has also held many key appointments in the Army. He is also the Colonel of the Regiment, Sri Lanka Light Infantry and Mechanized Infantry Regiment.

Major General C.D Weerasuriya RWP RSP ndu was born in 15 July 1968 in Colombo and had his education at Mahanama College, Kollupitiya where he excelled in sports and various scopes. He joined the Army as an Officer Cadet in 27 October 1986 to the Intake 26 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into one of the most respected Infantry Regiments in the Sri Lanka Army, the 1st Battalion of the Sri Lanka Light Infantry on 23 July 1987. He has counted over 36 years of reckonable service in the military career.

Besides the regimental appointments in every sphere, Major General C.D Weerasuriya RWP RSP ndu has held numerous important appointments in Command and Staff capacities. He commanded one of the reputed Infantry Battalions, 4th Battalion of Sri Lanka Light Infantry Regiment during the era of very high intensity counter insurgency operations.

Having completed the tenure as the Battalion Commander, he held Staff appointments in various formations as General Staff Officer 1 (Coordinating) at 23 Division, Colonel General Staff at 58 Division, Chief of Staff at Regimental Headquarters of the Sri Lanka Light Infantry, Centre Commandant of Regimental Headquarters of the Sri Lanka Light Infantry, Brigadier General Staff at the Security Force Headquarters – Kilinochchi and Director at Directorate of Recruiting – Army Headquarters.

Major General C.D Weerasuriya RWP RSP ndu has served in many command appointments including Commander 512, 523 and 663 Infantry Brigades, Commander Air Mobile Brigade and Commander 22 Division in Trincomalee, and Commander Security Force (East), Commandant, Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force. Prior to taking over duties as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army.

The senior officer has been decorated with the ‘Rana Wickrama Paddakkama’ and ‘Rana Sura Paddakkama’ in recognition of the gallantry, invaluable and selfless dedication, excelled in the face of enemy in the battlefield.

In addition to the local courses he followed, Major General C.D Weerasuriya RWP RSP ndu has attended Young Officers’ Course in Pakistan, Mortar Course in India, Junior Command Course in Bangladesh, United Nations Staff Officers’ Course in Bangladesh and Senior Command Course in India. He has obtained the Master’s Degree in Public Management at the University of Sri Jayawardenepura and has attended seminars on ‘Conflict Resolution by Military Means’ held in California, USA and ‘Security of the Countries of South Asia and North Eastern Asia’ held in Mongolia. Major General Channa Weerasuriya has obtained the graduation on the National Security and War Course at the National Defence University of Pakistan.

He is married to Mrs. Danusha Weerasuriya and blessed with a daughter.

(army,lk)

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UN Rights chief türk to visit Sri Lanka this month

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The United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk will visit
Sri Lanka this month or early July, a Foreign Ministry source confirmed. No dates have been finalised for the visit, though the government has agreed to the visit by Mr. Turk.

It’ll be the first time in nine years that a UN Human Rights Commissioner will be visiting Sri Lanka, the last being Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein in February 2016 during Maithripala Sirisena’s presidencyMr. Turk, an Austrian national who took up his duties in October 2022, will visit at a time the government grapples with how it will address human rights concerns raised by the international

community.

In his report to the UN body in August last year, just ahead of
Sri Lanka’s presidential and parliamentary elections, Mr. Turk said the newly elected government should recommit to addressing the root causes of conflict and undertake fundamental constitutional and institutional reforms to address the accountability gap and work towards reconciliation.

These include the immediate moratorium on the Prevention of Terrorism Act and assurances that any replacement legislation is consistent with international human rights law, repeals or amends existing laws or proposed laws that unduly restrict the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, association, and peaceful assembly, including the Online Safety Act and the ICCPR Act.

Mr. Turk’s predecessor Michelle Bachelet requested a visit to
Sri Lanka, but the matter was put under consideration, and the visit did not materialise.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) set up the Sri Lanka accountability project, an external evidence-gathering mechanism within the OHCHR, during Ms Bachelet’s period in office, a move strongly opposed by the government.

The OHCHR says that as of July 5, 2024, the repository established within the framework of the OHCHR project comprises 96,215 items and contains information from more than 470 different sources (more than 220 witnesses and 250 organisations), including international and multilateral organisations.

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, who addressed the high-level segment of the UNHRC in March this year, rejected the OHCHR Sri Lanka project and outlined government plans for a credible and sound domestic process to address accountability issues in the country.

“We will ensure that the domestic mechanisms and processes established to address challenges emanating from the conflict will continue their work in an independent and credible manner within the constitutional framework,” the minister told the UNHRC.

Despite a visit by the Human Rights Commissioner, the government will remain opposed to any international legal options to advance accountability in Sri Lanka and maintain that there are adequate domestic mechanisms to address accountability issues.

(sundaytimes.lk)

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Trade unionist Ranjan Jayalal takes helm as Kaduwela Mayor

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Prominent trade union leader Ranjan Jayalal has officially been appointed as the new Mayor of the Kaduwela Municipal Council.

Jayalal, a key member of the Ceylon Electricity Board Employees’ Union and a strong advocate for labor rights, was nominated by the National People’s Power (NPP) following their recent victory at the local government elections.

His appointment was formally confirmed through the government gazette issued by the Election Commission on May 31.

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Sri Lanka must take practical steps to join BRICS – Russian Ambassador

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If Sri Lanka is interested in joining the BRICS alliance, the country must take practical steps, says the Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Levan S. Jagaryan.

Speaking during an event at the Bandaranaike International Centre for International Studies in Colombo, Ambassador Levan S. Jagaryan said Russia and China have been offering support to Sri Lanka, but he has not seen adequate interests from the Sri Lankan side.

Responding to a question raised by a journalist about Sri Lanka joining BRICS, the Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka said, he has been questioned about the matter on several occasions.

Ambassador Levan S. Jagaryan said, “Last October, on the 1st, I met with President Anura Kumar Dissanayake and brought with me an invitation letter from the President of Russia, inviting Sri Lanka to participate in the BRICS summit. I spoke with a language interpreter, but I don’t know if the translation was accurate. The President told me that due to the upcoming general elections, he wouldn’t be able to visit Russia. If Sri Lanka is to join BRICS, it’s not just a matter of Russia; all the member countries need to agree, and there are several steps to take before that happens.”

Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jagaryan stated that he has not seen much interest at the moment and therefore requested Sri Lanka to take some practical steps, if it is serious about joining BRICS.

(adaderana.lk)
(This story, originally published by adaderana.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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