Anuruddha Ratwatte

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Diyawadana Nilame of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
Acting
In office
1964–1965
Basnayake Nilame of Natha Devale, Kandy
Minister of Power and Energy and Deputy Defence Minister
In office
1994–2001
Personal details
Born14 July 1938
Kandy, Sri Lanka
Died24 November 2011(2011-11-24) (aged 73)
Kandy, Sri Lanka
Political party
née Rangala)
ChildrenLohan, Mahendra & Chanuka[1]
Alma materTrinity College, Kandy
OccupationPolitics
ProfessionPolitician
Military service
AllegianceSri Lanka
Branch/serviceSri Lanka Army Volunteer Force
Years of service1960-1977
RankGeneral
UnitSri Lanka Sinha Regiment

Cabinet Minister and Deputy Minister of Defence.[2]

Early life

Born in

Member of Parliament for Mawanella 1947 to 1952 Anuruddha Ratwatte was educated at Trinity College, Kandy, where he played rugby for his school.[3]

Following his schooling, he volunteered in the Central Ceylon Youth Council, serving as the administrator of the Council office and library in Kandy in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He gained a commission as a

Sirima Ratwatte Bandaranaike became prime minister. He received military training in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand in 1961.[3] When not mobilized for active service, Ratwatte served as the Acting Diyawadana Nilame (Chief lay Custodian) of the Sri Dalada Maligawa, Kandy during his father's tenure as Diyawadana Nilame and was a former Basnayake Nilame (Lay Custodian) of the Natha Devale, Kandy
.

Early political career

Anuruddha Ratwatte entered local government politics having been elected as a Municipal Councillor in the

1970 general election from the Sengkadagala Electorate. Although his party won a landslide victory, he was defeated by Noel Wimalasena of the United National Party
in the Senkadagala electorate.

Field Security Detachment

In 1971, he was reinstated and promoted to the rank of

Major General Sepala Attygalle and Lieutenant Colonel Ratwatte briefed Bandaranaike and escorted her to the Prime Minister's official residence Temple Trees, which became the operations center coordinating the counter-insurgency activity of the Ceylonese government. Field Security Detachment was tasked with the security of the Prime Minister and Temple Trees. Ratwatte retired the Army in the late 1970s.[3][4]

Kandy Municipal Council

Ratwatte, as Sri Lanka Freedom Party Chief Organizer for the Sengkadagala Electorate again contested the 1977 general election from the Sengkadagala Electorate and lost to Shelton Ranaraja of the United National Party. He then contested and was elected to the Kandy Municipal Council in 1979 and served until 1986, during which time he became the leader of the opposition in the Kandy Municipal Council.[3][5][6][7]

Parliament

In February 1989, he entered parliament having been appointed to it by the

Deputy Defense Minister
. While Kumaratunga held the portfolio of Minister of Defense.

Cabinet Minister and Deputy Defence Minister

Becoming Kumaratunga's chief defense adviser, Lt. Colonel Ratwatte became the de facto defence minister once hostilities in the

Major General Rohan Daluwatte for Operation Riviresa. Launched in late 1995, Operation Riviresa under Daluwatte recapture of the Jaffna peninsula, but failed to cut off LTTE units that withdrew to the jungles of Wanni. The recapture of Jaffna was well celebrated and Ratwatte who oversaw it as deputy defence minister; was promoted to the rank of general by President Chandrika Kumaratunga in 1995 and was awarded the Riviresa Campaign Services Medal.[8] The following year the government faced a major defeat in the Battle of Mullaitivu in which it lost an entire brigade and was forced to withdraw from Mullaitivu. Government forces responded by recapturing the strategic town of Kilinochchi. Having the burden of defending the Jaffna peninsula and no land route to resupply, Ratwatte initiated Operation Jayasikurui in 1997; it failed to achieve its primary objective of gaining a land route to the Jaffna peninsula and was called off by President Kumaratunga in 1999. This led to his falling out of favour with President Kumaratunga, who established the post of Chief of the Defence Staff
to reduce Ratwatte's influence over the operational matters of the military. He remained a Cabinet Minister until his party was defeated in the 2001 general elections.

Later life

Ratwatte was re-elected to Parliament in 2000 and 2001, however, he retired from politics in 2004, facing fraud and criminal charges against him since the early 2000s.[9]

He died on 24 November 2011 at the Kandy General Hospital following complications of a fall he sustained in his home. A statue of him was built in the Kandy City Center in 2013.

Family

He married Carman Rangala, the Librarian of the Youth Council Library in 1967. Their eldest son Lohan is a Minister and Member of Parliament representing the Kandy District and second son Mahendra is the former Mayor of Kandy. His second marriage was to Ramani Imbuldeniya in 1996.[10]

Decorations

During his service as an volunteer officer from 1960 to 1977, he received the Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services Medal in 1972 and the Sri Lanka Army 25th Anniversary Medal in 1974. During his tenure as Deputy Defense Minister from 1994 to 2000, he received the Riviresa Campaign Services Medal in 1996, Purna Bhumi Padakkama in 1996 and the 50th Independence Anniversary Commemoration Medal in 1998.

See also

References

  1. ^ Chanuka Ratwatte , Isira Dassanayake and Entrust Co. bigwigs remanded over Rs. 10,000 million colossal fraud[permanent dead link]. Lanka E News (Sri Lanka), Retrieved on 16 September 2016.
  2. ^ Gamini Gunaratna, Sri Lanka News Paper by LankaPage.com (LLC)- Latest Hot News from Sri Lanka. "Sri Lanka : Sri Lanka\'s former deputy Defence Minister passes away". Colombopage.com. Archived from the original on 27 November 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d "Anuruddha was second Sapumal Prince". Daily News. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  4. ^ "The Operation In Jaffna: July 1979; What Was Wrong?". Colombo Telegraph. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  5. ^ [permanent dead link] Official Website, Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  6. ^ 1977 Parliamentary Elections Results Official Website, Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  7. ^ 1970 Parliamentary Elections Results
  8. ^ Sri Lanka’s former Deputy Minister of Defense General Anuruddha Ratwatte has passed away
  9. ^ "Anuruddha Ratwatte To Head SL Mission In Malaysia". Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016. 
Chanuka Ratwatte , Isira Dassanayake and Entrust Co. bigwigs remanded over Rs. 10,000 million colossal fraud[permanent dead link]. Lanka E News (Sri Lanka), Retrieved on 16 September 2016.
Gamini Gunaratna, Sri Lanka News Paper by LankaPage.com (LLC)- Latest Hot News from Sri Lanka. "Sri Lanka : Sri Lanka\'s former deputy Defence Minister passes away". Colombopage.com. Archived from the original on 27 November 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
"Anuruddha was second Sapumal Prince". Daily News. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
"The Operation In Jaffna: July 1979; What Was Wrong?". Colombo Telegraph. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
[permanent dead link] Official Website, Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
1977 Parliamentary Elections Results Official Website, Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
1970 Parliamentary Elections Results
Sri Lanka’s former Deputy Minister of Defense General Anuruddha Ratwatte has passed away
"Anuruddha Ratwatte To Head SL Mission In Malaysia". Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.

"Everyone gropes in darkness"2nd June 1996 By Our Political Correspondent https://www.sundaytimes.lk/960602/pol.html

External links

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