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Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa assumed duties as the Secretary
to the Ministry of Defence in November 2005. In this capacity he guided
the Sri Lankan Defence Services to victory against the separatist
terrorism of the LTTE, thereby ending a thirty year long conflict in Sri
Lanka.
A career soldier, Mr. Rajapaksa joined the Sri Lanka
Army in 1971 and served his country with distinction for twenty years.
He commanded many anti-terrorist operations in the North and East of Sri
Lanka at crucial times during the conflict. Amongst these, his command
of the 1st Battalion of the Gajaba Regiment in the vital Vadamarachchi
Operation in 1987, and his participation in Operation Thrividhabalaya in
1990 to rescue the Jaffna Peninsular from terrorist control are
particularly noteworthy.
Following these accomplishments, Mr. Rajapaksa was
appointed as the Deputy Commandant of Sir John Kotelawala Defence
University in 1991 and, as a Lieutenant Colonel, was Coordinating
Officer of the Welioya area from 1990 to 1991. Prior to that
appointment, he was the Coordinating Officer of the Matale District and
the Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, Gajaba Regiment from 1989
to 1990.
During his military career, Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa was
awarded the
President's Commendation letter by former President J
R Jayewardene and decorated with the
Rana Wickrama Padakkama and the
Rana Sura Padakkama
medals for valour in combat by former Presidents R Premadasa and D B
Wijetunga. He has also received a commendation from the Commander of the
Army for his bravery in action.
Hailing from the village of Weeraketiya in the South
of Sri Lanka, Mr. Rajapaksa had his education at Ananda College,
Colombo, Sri Lanka's premier Buddhist school. He completed his basic
officer cadet training at the prestigious Military Academy at Diyatalawa,
and subsequently completed the Young Officers Course at Rawalpindi and
the Mid-Career Course at Quetta, Pakistan. He completed his Staff Course
at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, India, in 1983, and
obtained his Masters Degree in Defence Studies from the University of
Madras in the same year. He underwent advanced training in Counter
Insurgency and Jungle Warfare at Assam, India, and graduated in Advanced
Infantry Training from the Infantry School at Fort Benning, USA later in
his career.
Following his successful career in the Sri Lanka Army,
Mr. Rajapaksa obtained a Masters Degree in Information Technology from
the University of Colombo. He subsequently worked as the Unix System
Administrator of the prestigious Loyola Law School in Los Angeles,
California, prior to returning to Sri Lanka to take up his appointment
as the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence.
Mr. Rajapaksa is the brother of the current President
of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, and the son of former
Parliamentarian and Deputy Speaker of Parliament, the late Mr D.A.
Rajapaksa. Mr. Rajapaksa and his wife, Ioma, reside in Colombo.
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