Sarath Weerasekara
Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara, RSP, VSV, USP, MP is a Sri Lankan senior naval officer and politician. He is the current State Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government [1]. He was former State Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Affairs, member of parliament and former Deputy Minister of Labour and Labour Relations. He had served as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy and first Director General of the Civil Security Force.[2][3][4][5]
Hon. Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament for Colombo Electoral District | |
| Assumed office 20 August 2020 | |
| Majority | 328,095 Preferential Votes |
| Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament for Ampara Electoral District | |
| In office 22 April 2010 – 26 June 2015 | |
| Majority | 54,373 Preferential Votes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 October 1951 Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna |
| Relations | Major General Ananda Weerasekara |
| Alma mater | Nalanda College, Colombo Ananda College University of Kelaniya |
| Profession | State Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government |
| Website | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Sri Lanka |
| Branch/service | Sri Lanka Navy |
| Years of service | 1971 - 2006 |
| Rank | Rear admiral |
| Battles/wars | Sri Lankan Civil War |
Early life and education
Born in Colombo, Weerasekara is the forth of six children in his family. Both his parents were from the Southern region of Sri Lanka. His father was a Chief Jailor in the Department of Prisons. His elder brother, Ananda Weerasekara was a Major General in the Army, now a Buddhist priest in Buddangala, Ampara. Weerasekara attended Nalanda College, Colombo (from grade 1-5) and Ananda College, Colombo (from grade 6-13). At Ananda College he was a sergeant of the Junior Cadet Squad and a corporal of the Senior Cadet Squad; the captain of junior and senior football team; senior college prefect and member of senior athletic team.
Naval career
After passing the advance level examination he joined the Royal Ceylon Navy in 1 August 1971. Following basic officer training at the Naval and Maritime Academy, Trincomalee; he specialised in naval gunnery at INS Dronacharya in India. He had served in all types of boats and ships of the Sri Lanka Navy. Weerasekara volunteered to serve in fast attack craft, attended Fast Attack Craft courses in Tel Aviv and in n. He was appointed the first commander of the Fast Attack Flotilla. He had followed the Naval Staff Course at the [[[Naval War College]] in Rhode Island and attended the National Defence College, New Delhi. In addition he had attend the security studies program that the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii and Senior Executive Courses in Washington DC and Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Higher command
Weerasekara had served as First Squadron Commander Fast Attack Craft, Commanding Officer Surveillance ship SLNS Edithara, Commander Northern Naval Area, Commander Eastern Naval Area, Commander Southern Naval Area, Director General Project and Plans, Director General Welfare, Director General Operations and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Navy. Appointed as Commander Northern Naval Area during LTTE ‘unceasing wave’ operation. He managed to bring Army's MBRL's to KKS harbor in midnight which were used to deter the terrorists advance to Jaffna Peninsula. LTTE ships carrying weapons to the country were destroyed in mid sea during his tenure as Director General Operations at Naval Headquarters. He retired from the Navy in 2006. Then President Mahinda Rajapaksa, on advise of the then Secretary of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed him as the first Director General of the Civil Security Force. He was instrumental in the reorganizing the Home Guard into the Civil Defence Force with better training and equipment to effectively counter LTTE attacks on board villages during the last stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War. As such he became on the service commanders felicitated by the government at the end of the war.
Controversies
In 2002, when the government signed the peace accord with LTTE, he was the Commander Northern Naval Area . The LTTE was given full freedom to enter any Army, Navy camp but Admiral Weerasekera never allowed LTTE to enter Mandativu island which was a very important military strategic location. He also never allowed LTTE to come in wearing the cyanide capsule and he was categorized and warned by the government as " anti peace element" in the peace process. In 2003 when he was the Commander Eastern Naval Area, during the " Peace Accord" , the LTTE vehemently protested to the placing of a Buddha statute in Trincomalee town on Vesak day by the Sinhalese. The terrorists brought the entire town to a standstill by forcibly closing all shops, fuel stations, public transport and tried to destroy the Buddha statue by throwing grenades. When the police and the Army were under orders not to interfere as it was peace time, on the third day Rear Admiral Weerasekera, on his own initiative, took charge of the situation, proceeded to the town with naval troops, guarded the Buddha statue and brought back the town to normal. Within two days, at the demand of the LTTE, the then President Chandrika Bandaranayaka removed him from the Eastern Naval Commander appointment, and brought him to Colombo. However, after few days, a new post was created at NHQ as Deputy Chief of Staff and posted appointed him in it.
Honors
He was awarded the Rana Sura Padakkama for volunteering and landing Army Commandos in LTTE controlled Pooraryn ( in Jaffna Peninsula) in broad day light ( with minimum casualties) and rescuing 400 soldiers. He had been awarded the Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya and the Uttama Seva Padakkama for a long and distinguished service in the navy.
Political career
Geneva human rights council
When the Yahapalana government co sponsored the 30/1 resolution in Geneva UNHRC Admiral Weerasekera attended the Geneva Human Right Council on his own initiative and submitted documents and the rebuttal prepared by local patriotic intellectuals proving that all the war crime allegations levelled against SL troops were false.
From 2017 he consistently attended all UNHRC sessions in Geneva and challenged the false allegations of the pro LTTE NGOs. In March 2019 at UNHRC, when the UK alleged violations of HR in Sri Lanka, Admiral Weerasekera, in his speech said, that before the UK try to teach Sri Lankans about HR, they should tender a public apology to Sri Lankans for the atrocities they committed in 1818 and return all the Ola leaf books looted from Sri Lanka. He harnessed all the Nationalistic organizations in the country as the convener against the government's activities detrimental to the nation. He is the convener of the National War Heroes Front. He is a pioneer member of Viyathmaga and Eliya organisations inaugurated by Gotabhaya Rajapaksha.
Out of the 225, he was the only Parliamentarian who opposed to the controversial 19th amendment in the parliament. He was the only parliamentarian who opposed to the National Anthem being sung in Tamil in parliament proving that it is a violation of the constitution.
Personal life
Married to Hemanthi Weerasekera, has two children, a daughter and a son. Daughter is a speech pathologist and a weight management consultant and son is a medical doctor at Police hospital, Colombo.
Other work
Film direction
He directed his first film Gamani in 2011, which is about the LTTE terrorist attack of Gonagala massacre in 1999. The film was critically acclaimed and also won many awards. Director, script writer and songwriter of the film Gamani which won 17 Derana film awards and 5 OCIC film awards including the best Director, best Script Writer, best song and best film of the year.
Writings
Obtained MA and M phil degrees in Buddhist Philosophy. Author of three books
- සාගරය සහ ගැහැනිය
- නූතන පරෙවි සංදේශය
- තොටගමුවේ ශ්රී රාහුල හිමි
References
- No Police & Land Powers for Provincial Councils; State Minister
- "SARATH WEERASEKARA". Directory of Members. Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
- "Parliamentary Elections -2010" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2010. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
- "Military-LTTE commanders meet at Muhamalai second time". Tamilnet. 16 November 2002. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
- Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara: another feather in his cap
