Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa is tipped to be appointed as the new Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF).
Accordingly, Rajapaksa is set to assume duties as the 19th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force.
Born in Colombo in Western Province in 1969, Air Vice Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa is a past pupil of Bandaranayake College, Gampaha and Ananda College, Colombo.
He joined the Kotelawala Defence Academy, Ratmalana as an Officer Cadet in October 1988 in the 6th Officer Cadets’ Intake.
Having undergone his Basic Combat Training and Graduate Studies at Kotelawala Defence Academy, Basic Flying Training at No. 1 Flying Training Wing, Sri Lanka Air Force Base Anuradhapura and having performed with distinction, he became the Best Flight Cadet in the 33rd Flight Cadets’ course.
Then he proceeded to No. 2 Squadron, Sri Lanka Air Force Base Ratmalana for advance flying training. He was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the General Duties Pilots Branch on 05 October 1990 as a graduate of the Kotelawala Defence Academy, Ratmalana.
Air Vice Marshal Rajapaksa commanded SLAF Academy, China Bay as the Commandant in 2020 and was appointed as Eastern Air Commander.
Then he embraced the responsibilities as the Base Commander SLAF Base Katunayake, Southern Air Commander and Overall Operations Commander (Air Defence) during his tenure at SLAF Base Katunayake. Gradually, he held the appointment of Director Air Operations at Air Force Headquarters before being appointed as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Air Force.
Air Vice Marshal Rajapaksa held the appointment of Chairman of Sri Lanka Air Force Athletic Association and he has been awarded Sri Lanka Air Force Colours for Tennis in 2010 and he is the only SLAF Officer who has won Commander’s Cup Eagles’ Challenge trophy (in 2021). He also has been awarded SLAF Colours for Golf in 2021.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Centre for Good Governance of India (NCGG) and Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA) was signed during the State Visit of President of Sri Lanka, H.E. Anura Kumara Disanayaka to India in December 2024 for training and capacity building of 1500 Sri Lankan civil service officers over a period of five years.
The first program under the MoU was successfully held at NCGG from 21 April to 02 May 2025, and was attended by 41 officers. Based on the request of the Government of Sri Lanka, the theme of the program was ‘digitization in governance’. The program featured a series of sessions focused on key areas such as digital service delivery, digital public infrastructure, financial inclusion through digital payments, and innovations in public grievance redressal systems. Senior officials and domain experts delivered presentations on flagship Indian initiatives in the digital domain, including Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, e-Office, GeM, Aadhaar, PM Gati Shakti, among others.
At an interaction session with participants in the inaugural program organized on 08 May 2025 at SLIDA, the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, H.E. Santosh Jha underscored that capacity building is an important pillar of the development cooperation between the two countries, with Sri Lanka being among the largest recipients of scholarships and capacity building initiatives offered by India. He highlighted that, demonstrating India’s continued commitment to enhancing capacity-building opportunities for Sri Lankans, Prime Minister of India had announced additional training avenues to 700 Sri Lankan citizens annually during his recent State visit. In that context, the High Commissioner said that the participants in the first NCGG-SLIDA programme also represented the first set of Sri Lankan nationals to receive training as part of the significantly enhanced capacity-building endeavour of India that will now benefit 1000 Sri Lankans annually.
The interaction session was also attended by Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Mr S. Aloka Bandara; Director General of SLIDA, Mr A.V. Janadara; senior officials and faculty members of SLIDA; among others.
In view of the highly positive feedback from the participants in the inaugural NCGG-SLIDA program, based on request from SLIDA, a second program on the same theme under the MoU is now being planned for another batch of around 40 officers for early June 2025.
Another Special Forces (SF) soldier who was onboard the SLAF Bell 212 helicopter that crashed into the Maduru Oya Reservoir this morning (May 09) has succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment at the hospital.
This brings the death toll from the fatal accident to six.
Six other armed forces personnel, who sustained injuries in the incident, are currently receiving treatment at the hospital.
(Previous news 2025 May 09 – 11.31.a.m.)
5 dead in Bell 212 crash
Five military personnel have been confirmed dead in the crash of a Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Bell 212 helicopter into the Maduru Oya Reservoir earlier this morning (May 09. According to the SLAF Spokesperson Group Captain Eranda Geeganage, the deceased include three members of the Sri Lanka Army’s Special Forces and two Air Force personnel.
The aircraft was carrying a total of 12 individuals, including six Army Special Forces members, two Air Force Regiment Special Forces personnel, two other Air Force members, and two pilots.
The Election Commission has instructed all candidates who contested the 2925 Local Government (LG) Elections to submit their campaign income and expenditure reports on or before May 28.
A statement by the Commission emphasized that candidates are required to prepare and submit their financial disclosures in line with the provisions of the Election Expenditure Regulation Act No. 03 of 2023. These reports must be handed over to the Returning Officers of the respective electoral districts.
Election Commissioner General Saman Sri Ratnayake stated that this process is part of the Commission’s efforts to ensure transparency and accountability in the electoral process.