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Gen.Fonseka Field Marshal from today
View(s):General Sarath Fonseka will be elevated to the post of Field Marshal today, the first Sri Lankan to be honoured with the highest rank in the Army.
The promotion ceremony will be held at the Ministry of Defence under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena.When the Sunday Times photographer Indika Handuwala caught up with the General yesterday at his office in Kotte, he was in a relaxed mood before the historic day.
The rank of Field Marshal is being conferred on him in recognition of his bravery and his distinguished career in the Sri Lanka Army for over 30 years, during which period he led the successful ground operation to defeat the LTTE.
General Fonseka contested the 2010 presidential election as the common Opposition candidate and lost to then President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Shortly thereafter, he was court-martialed, stripped of his rank as General, his gallantry medals withdrawn and imprisoned.
As head of the Democratic Party (DP), he supported the candidature of the common Opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena in 2015.