New Chief of Staff of the Army Begins His Office

The 61st Chief of Staff of the Army, Major General Channa Weerasuriya of the Sri Lanka Light Infantry Regiment assumed office this morning (01) during a simple ceremony amid religious observances, greetings and best wishes at the Army Headquarters at Sri Jayawardenepura.

Upon his arrival, he made own religious offerings and observances before members of the Maha Sangha began chanting ‘Seth Pirith’ to invoke blessings on his new appointment.

As 'Pirith' chanting was in progress, the new Chief of Staff symbolized the acceptance of his new office by leaving his signature for an official document. He also offered 'Pirikara' to members of the Maha Sangha and received blessed ‘Pirith’ water and threads.

Major General Channa Weerasuriya also holds the office of Colonel of the Regiment of Sri Lanka Light Infantry. He was serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army before he took over this appointment on the recommendation of the Commander of the Army.

A representative gathering of Senior Officers, including Commandant, Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force, Principal Staff Officers, Directors were there to extend best wishes to him at the occasion.

Here is the brief profile of Major General Channa Weerasuriya:

Major General Channa Weerasuriya was born on 15 July 1968 in Colombo and had his education at Mahanama College, Kollupitiya where he excelled in sports and various other spheres. He joined the Army as an Officer Cadet on 27 October 1986 in 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 Channa Weerasuriya has held numerous important appointments in command and staff capacities. He commanded one of the reputed Infantry Battalions, 4th Battalion of the Sri Lanka Light Infantry Regiment during the period 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 at the Army Headquarters.

He also has served many command appointments as Commander 512, 523 and 663 Infantry Brigades, Commander Air Mobile Brigade and Commander 22 Division in Trincomalee, and Commander Security Forces-East and Commandant, Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force. Prior to his taking over duties as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army.

The Senior Officer has been decorated with the ‘Rana Wickrama Padakkama’ (RWP) and 'Rana Sura Padakkama' (RSP) in recognition of gallantry, invaluable and selfless dedication, excelled in the face of enemy in the battlefield.

In addition to the local courses, he has also followed the 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 also read for 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 received the graduation at the National Defence University of Pakistan on ‘National Security and War Course’.

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