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{{Short description|Sri Lanka Army's senior officer and diplomat (1930–2003)}}
{{More footnotes|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= Tissa Indraka Weeratunga
|birth_date=August 29, 1930
|death_date=November 2003
|birth_place= [[Matara, Sri Lanka|Matara]], [[Ceylon]]
|death_place= [[Colombo]], [[Sri Lanka]]
|image=General Tissa Weerathunga.webp
|caption=
|nickname= Bull
|allegiance= [[Sri Lanka]]
|serviceyears= 1951-1985
|rank=[[General]]
|branch=[[Sri Lanka Army]]
|commands=[[Chief of the Defence Staff (Sri Lanka)|Chief of the Defence Staff]],<br />[[Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka)|Commander of the Sri Lankan Army]],<br /> [[Chief of Staff of the Army (Sri Lanka)|Chief of Staff of the Sri Lankan Army]]
|unit=[[Ceylon Light Infantry]],<br />[[Gemunu Watch]]
|battles= [[1971 JVP Insurrection (Sri Lanka)|1971 Insurrection]], <br />[[Sri Lankan Civil War]]
|awards=[[Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya]]
|laterwork= [[High Commissioner (Commonwealth)|High Commissioner]] to [[Canada]]
}}

[[General (Sri Lanka)|General]] '''Tissa Indraka Weeratunga''', [[Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya|VSV]] (August 29, 1930 – November 2003) was a [[Sri Lanka]]n senior army officer. He was a former [[Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka)|Commander of the Sri Lankan Army]] (1981 – 1985) and first [[General Officer Commanding]] (GOC) of the Joint Operations Headquarters (JOH) (at present referred [[Chief of the Defence Staff (Sri Lanka)|Chief of the Defence Staff]]), he was later Sri Lanka's [[High Commissioner (Commonwealth)|High Commissioner]] to Canada.

==Early life and education==
Born to Arthur Weeratunga, a [[Plantation|planter]] from [[Matara, Sri Lanka|Matara]] and Henrietta Weeratunga ([[née]] Gurusingha). He had one sister, Krishnajina Weeratunga who married [[Ana Seneviratne]], a police officer who served as [[Inspector General of Police (Sri Lanka)|Inspector General of Police]] from 1978 to 1982. Tissa Weeratunga was educated at the [[Royal College, Colombo]].<ref name="GW1">[https://web.archive.org/web/20150618042042/http://www.gemunuesra.lk/general_bull_weeratunga_remembered.html GENERAL TI WEERATHUNGA VSV ndc jssc (Retd) REMEMBERED]</ref>

==Military career==
===Early career===
Weeratunga joined the newly formed Ceylon Army on 11 October 1949, in its first cadet officer intake and received his basic officer training at the [[Mons Officer Cadet School]], [[Aldershot]] and at the [[Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst]], and was commissioned as a [[Second Lieutenant]] and posted to the [[Ceylon Light Infantry]] on 2 August 1951. He was appointed as [[adjutant]] of the [[Ruhunu Regiment]] on 4 July 1956; adjutant of the 1 Battalion, Ceylon Light Infantry on 22 October 1956 and [[Staff Captain]] Administration Branch at [[Army Headquarters, Colombo|Army Headquarters]] on 25 July 1958. He was transferred to the Corps of Infantry on 8 December 1962 and posted later to the [[Gemunu Watch]] on its formation. In December 1965, he was appointed [[Brigade Major]] of the 1st Brigade Group in [[Panagoda]]. From 23 February 1966 to 1 November 1967 he served as the Military Liaison Officer in the [[Ministry of External Affairs and Defence]]. He had followed the Unit Commander’s Course in Australia and the [[Joint Service Defence College]].<ref name="GW1"/>

===Field command===
On 1 September 1968, he was appointed the acting [[Commanding Officer]] of the 1st Battalion of the Gemunu Watch. He was promoted to the rank of [[Lieutenant Colonel]] on 1 October 1969 and confirmed as the Commanding Officer. Later he took command of the [[Ceylon Army General Service Corps]] and the [[Ceylon Army Pioneer Corps]]. With the outbreak of the [[1971 JVP Insurrection (Sri Lanka)|1971 Insurrection]], he was appointed [[Military Coordinating Officer]] of the [[Monaragala District]] on 15 August 1971 and thereafter served as Military Coordinating Officer of the [[Kurunegala District]] from 16 April 1972 to 7 May 1972.<ref name="GW1"/>

On 1 November 1972 he was appointed Commander, [[Task Force Anti Illicit Immigration]] (TAFII) in [[Jaffna]] serving till 1 March 1976, having been promoted to the rank of [[Colonel]] on 1 January 1974. On 1 March 1976, he was appointed Commander Western Command and later made Director Operations and Training at Army Headquarters on 15 September 1977. On 1 December 1977, he was promoted to the rank of [[Brigadier]] and appointed Inspector of Training of the Army. He attended the [[National Defence College, India]] and on his returned he served as Competent Authority for Sri Lanka Airports.<ref name="GW1"/>

===Higher command===
On 18 March 1979, he was appointed [[Chief of Staff, Sri Lanka Army|Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army]]. Concurrently, Brigadier Weeratunga was then tasked by President [[J. R. Jayawardene]] to clamp down on the [[Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups|Tamil militancy]] that was taking root in [[Jaffna]] and was dispatched to Jaffna as [[Overall Operational Commander|Commander Security Forces - Jaffna]], with extensive powers under the provisions of [[Prevention of Terrorism Act (Sri Lanka)|Prevention of Terrorism (Special Provisions) Act No: 48 of 1979]]. From 13 July 1979 to 31 December 1979, Brigadier Weeratunga lead extensive operations to route out the elements of Tamil militant groups forcing them to take refuge in India and reducing their terrorist activity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=82009 |title=The Island |website=www.island.lk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130628063638/http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=82009 |archive-date=2013-06-28}} </ref>

He was promoted to the rank of [[Major General]] and made [[Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka)|Commander of the Sri Lankan Army]] on 14 October 1981, and held the post till 2 November 1985. His tuner marked the start of the [[Sri Lankan Civil War]] with the [[LTTE]] ambush of the army patrol [[Four Four Bravo]] in July 1983. He undertook several reforms in the army, including the formation of the [[Gajaba Regiment]] and undertaking the rapid expansion of the army to cope with the civil war.<ref>[http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=82009 Gota survives blast at Mankulam, War on terror revisited]</ref>

He was promoted to the rank of [[Lieutenant General]] and appointed as the first [[General Officer Commanding]] of the Joint Operation Command on 11 February 1985 to co-ordinate army, navy and air force [[counter-terrorist]] operations in the north and east of Sri Lanka. He retired from the army on 29 August 1985 and was promoted to the rank of [[General (Sri Lanka)|General]] on the same day. Brigadier [[Cyril Ranatunga]] was brought out of retirement with the rank of Lieutenant General to succeed General Weeratunga.<ref name="GW1"/>

==Later life==
After retiring the army he was appointed as Sri Lankan [[High Commissioner]] to Canada in October 1989 and served till 1990.<ref name="GW1"/> He died at the age of 73 in November 2003 and was cremated with full Military Honours at [[Kanatte Cemetery|General Cemetery Kanatte]] on November 9, 2003.<ref>[http://sundaytimes.lk/031109/front/ex.htm Ex -Army chief’s funeral today]</ref>

==Honors==
His decorations include the [[Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya]] (VSV), [[Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services Medal]], [[Sri Lanka Army 25th Anniversary Medal]], [[Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal]], [[Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal]], [[President's Inauguration Medal]] and the [[Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal]].<ref name="GW1"/>

<div class="center">

[[File:Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya medal bar.svg|110px]]
[[File:Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services ribbon bar.svg|110px]]
[[File:Sri Lanka Army 25th Anniversary Medal ribbon bar.svg|110px]]

[[File:Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal ribbon bar.svg|110px]]
[[File:Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal ribbon bar.svg|110px]]
[[File:President's Inauguration Medal.svg|110px]]
[[File:Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal ribbon bar.svg|110px]]

</div>

==Family==
Weeratunga was married to Sonia Evangeline St.Clair Rhode and had three children: Rohan, Annouchka and Ajith.

== See also ==
*[[Sri Lankan Non Career Diplomats]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080505203152/http://www.army.lk/co.php www.army.lk]
*[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lkawgw/gen3002.htm JAYEWARDENE, Don Adrian Wijesinghe (Tombi Mudaliyar) - Family #3002, rootsweb.ancestry.com]
*[http://sundaytimes.lk/031109/columns/sitrep.html#1 Weeratunga: the man and his mission]

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=Post created}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[General Officer Commanding|GOC]] of the Joint Operation Command|years=1985–1986}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Cyril Ranatunge]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Denis Perera]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka)|Commander of the Sri Lankan Army]]
|years=1981–1985}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Nalin Seneviratne]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-dip}}
{{succession box | title=Sri Lankan High Commissioners to Canada| before=? | after=? | years=1986–1990}}
{{s-end}}

{{Commanders of the Sri Lankan Army}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weerathunga, T. I.}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan full generals]]
[[Category:Alumni of Royal College, Colombo]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Mons Officer Cadet School]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Joint Services Command and Staff College]]
[[Category:National Defence College, India alumni]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Sri Lanka Army]]
[[Category:Sinhalese military personnel]]
[[Category:Gemunu Watch officers]]
[[Category:Sri Lanka Light Infantry officers]]
[[Category:High Commissioners of Sri Lanka to Canada]]

Tissa Weeratunga - Revision history

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