General Cyril Ranatunga passes away

General  (Retd) Cyril Ranatunga,  who served as the General Officer Commanding, Joint Operations Command and Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army and Defence Secretary’s position passed away today.

He was 91 years.

Born and raised in the village of Bakmeedeniya, Kegalle, in a family of six children Ranatunga attended St. Sylvester's College, Kandy; where he excelled at many sports, captained hockey and athletic teams. He was the head prefect and won the Gold Medal for the best all round student in 1949.

Soon after leaving school he enrolled in the Army in 1950 and received his officer training at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. On his return he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and   was transferred to the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment which was later converted as the  Ceylon Armoured Corps.

He also underwent training at British Army Armoured Center, Bovington.

During the 1971 Insurrection  he was appointed the Military Coordinating Officer of the Kegalle District, where he effectively subdued the insurgency. He attended the Staff College, Camberley and the Royal College of Defence Studies.

In February 1982, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army and Commander Security Forces Headquarters – Jaffna

In 1983, he retired from the army as a Brigadier after serving as Chief of Staff from the Sri Lanka Army. He became a director of the Airport and Aviation Services.

However, in1985 he was brought back to the military service and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, to serve as the General Officer Commanding, Joint Operations Command which had been formed early that year under the command of General Tissa Weeratunga.

It was during his service period some of the large scale operations against the LTTE including the Vadamarachchi Operation were launched.

In 1988, he retired from active service once again, stepping down as GOC, Joint Operations Command and was promoted to the rank of General.

He was appointed as Chairmen of Airport and Aviation Services after retirement and subsequently  President Ranasinghe Premadasa appointed him as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence.

He was appointed as the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia and thereafter Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom finishing his tenure in 1995.