Fazly Lafir
Colonel Aslam Fazly Laphir, PWV, RWP, RSP, SF (last name also spelled Laffeer; 1958 - 19 July 1996) was a Sri Lankan Army officer and posthumous recipient of the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya (PWV). He was awarded the PWV for his actions leading the 1st Special Forces Regiment during the Battle of Mullaitivu in which he was killed. Colonel Laphir played a major role in the formation and development of the Special Forces Regiment from the original Combat Tracker Team. Early life Laphir was born in Kandy to a Muslim family He was the eldest son of seven children born to Dr Mohammad Laphir and Siththi Hanul. He was educated at St. Anthony's College, Kandy where he was an around student, playing cricket and taking part in scouting. Having passed his advanced level examination in the maths stream, the family wanted to send him to Libya to study engineering. Military career Laphir instead opted to join the Sri Lanka Army and was selected as a cadet officer of the cadet intake no ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of a regiment in an army. Modern usage varies greatly, and in some cases, the term is used as an honorific title that may have no direct relationship to military service. The rank of colonel is typically above the rank of lieutenant colonel. The rank above colonel is typically called brigadier, brigade general or brigadier general. In some smaller military forces, such as those of Monaco or the Vatican, colonel is the highest rank. Equivalent naval ranks may be called captain or ship-of-the-line captain. In the Commonwealth's air force ranking system, the equivalent rank is group captain. History and origins By the end of the late medieval period, a group of "companies" was referred to as a "column" of an army. According to Raymond Ol ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)
''Daily Mirror'' is a daily English-language newspaper published in Colombo, Sri Lanka, by Wijeya Newspapers. Its Sunday counterpart is the ''Sunday Times''. Its sister newspaper on financial issues is the ''Daily FT''. Daily supplements ;Mondays through Saturdays *''Mirror Business'' *''Life'' ;Tuesdays *''W@W – Women at work'' ;Thursdays *''Junior Mirror'' See also *''Lankadeepa'', Sinhala-language sister newspaper *''Tamil Mirror'', Tamil-language Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian territory of Pud ... sister newspaper Notes External links * - Daily Mirror Daily newspapers published in Sri Lanka English-language newspapers published in Sri Lanka Publications established in 1999 Wijeya Newspapers Mass media in Colombo {{SriLanka-newspaper-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Security Forces Headquarters – Jaffna
Security Forces Headquarters – Jaffna (SFHQ-J) is a regional command of the Sri Lanka Army, that is responsible for the operational deployment and command all army units stationed in and around the Jaffna Peninsula in the Northern Province. It is the most senior of the five Security Forces Headquarters and the General Officer Commanding it is one of the most senior officers in the army, the post is designated as Commander Security Forces Headquarters – Jaffna. The current Commander SFHQ-J is Major Generalbr>Ruwan Wanigasooriya The SFHQ-J is based at the Palaly Military Base. At the height of the Sri Lankan Civil War, SFHQ-J included several divisions and the independent brigades. At certain times SFHQ-J would be under the command of an Overall Operational Commander. History The first permanent formation to be established in the Jaffna Peninsula since Ceylon gained its independence from the British in 1948 was the headquarters established by the Ceylon Army for "Operation ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Vijaya Wimalaratne
Major General Vanigamuni Indrajith Vijeyakumar Mendis Wimalaratne, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, psc, GR ( si, විජය විමලරත්න; 25 August 1940 – 8 August 1992) was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer. One of the most distinguished field commanders in Sri Lanka, Wimalaratne raised the Gajaba Regiment, he commanded the 1st Brigade during the Vadamarachchi Operation, he commanded the Amphibious Task Force Commander during Operation Balavegaya and was the Commander Security Forces – Jaffna at the time of his death in a land mine explosion at Point Arali in the Kayts Island while making preparations to re-capture Jaffna. Early life and education Born on 25 August 1940, second of a family of eight boys, Wimalaratne was educated at Royal College, Colombo. Military career Early career Wimalaratne joined the Ceylon Army as an Officer Cadet in August 1962 and underwent training at the Indian Military Academy, in Dehradun as part of the first batch of four Ceylone ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gajaba Regiment
The Gajaba Regiment (GR) is an elite infantry regiment of the Sri Lankan Army. Formed on 14 October 1983 at the Saliyapura Camp in Anuradhapura, it is named after the famous Sinhalese warrior King Gajabahu the First. It consists of 14 regular battalions and 6 volunteer battalions. It is the parent regiment of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the former President of Sri Lanka. History The 1st battalion, Gajaba Regiment was formed on 14 October 1983 with the amalgamation of officers and men of the 1st Rajarata Rifles and the 1st Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Vijaya Wimalaratne at Saliyapura Camp with a strength of 36 officers and 752 other ranks. The 2/3 (Volunteer) Rajarata Rifles was reconstituted as the 2nd (Volunteer) battalion, Gajaba Battalion at Fort Fredrick in Trincomalee on the 14 October 1983 under the command of the Lieutenant Colonel W.R. Wijerathna. The Cap badge of the Gajaba Regiment was designed with a shield, two Keteri (battle axes) ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment
The Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Sri Lankan Army. Formed on 22 March 1988, it is named after Vijayabahu I of Polonnaruwa (King Vijayabahu, 1055 to 1110 AD). The regiment consists of 17 regular battalions, 9 volunteer battalions and a headquarters battalion. Since 1993, its Regimental Centre is located at the Boyagane Camp, Kurunegala. History Originally formed in 1982 and disbanded in 1983 follow its amalgamated with the 1st Battalion, Rajarata Rifles form the Gajaba Regiment, the regiment was reformed on 22 March 1990. The first colonel of the regiment was W. J. V. K Wimalarathna. The regimental centre commandant was H. S. A. Perera. On 23 April 1993, the regiment was relocated to Boyagane Camp in Kurunegala District. The Regiment consists of 25 battalions, the first of which was established in 1988. The Regiment numbers 655 officers and 16,501 other ranks. A new Regimental office was opened in January 2010. It features a herbal garden in rememb ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sri Lanka Army Commando Regiment
The Commando Regiment ( si, කොමාන්ඩෝ රෙජිමේන්තුව ''komāndo rejimēnthuwa''; ta, இலங்கை இராணுவத்தின் கமாண்டோ படைப்பிரிவ) is the commando formation of the Sri Lanka Army. The unit specializes in various roles including hostage rescue, counter-terrorism, unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance, counter-insurgency, and personnel recovery. It was formed in 1980 and is based in Ganemulla, a suburb of Colombo. The Commando Regiment currently consists of four regular battalions organized into the Commando Brigade, under the operational command of I Corps forming its Special Operations Force along with the Special Forces Regiment. History In 1977 Lt. General Denis Perera issued a call to combating terrorism in Sri Lanka, a decision was made by the Army HQ to raise a special counter-terrorist unit. Maj. Sunil Peris from 1st Gemunu Watch, Capt. Sarath Handapangoda f ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rajarata Rifles
The Rajarata Rifles was a former rifle regiment of the Sri Lanka Army. It was one of only three geographically based regiments in the Sri Lanka army. The cap badge of the Raja Rata Rifles show the figure of a ''Bherunda Pakshiya'' (Double-headed eagle). First Rajarata Rifles Raised along with Ruhunu Regiment in 1954, by Prime Minister Colonel Sir John Kotelawala with officers and men from the Charley Company of the 2nd(Volunteer) Battalion, Ceylon Light Infantry under the command of Lieutenant Colonel S.D. Ratwatte in Kandy. In 1956, Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike had the Rajarata Rifles and Ruhunu Regiment disbanded fearing personal loyalty of the regiments to Sir John Kotelawala. The Rajarata Rifles were disbanded and its personal transferred to form the 2nd(Volunteer) Battalion, Ceylon Sinha Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel S.D. Ratwatte in Kandy. Second Rajarata Rifles The second regiment called the Rajarata Rifles was formed at Saliyapura in 1980 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 1986. In the colonial forces, which closely followed the practices of the British military, the rank of second lieutenant began to replace ranks such as ensign and cornet from 1871. New appointments to the rank of second lieutenant ceased in the regular army in 1986. Immediately prior to this change, the rank had been effectively reserved for new graduates from the Officer Cadet School, Portsea which closed in 1985. (Graduates of the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) and the Royal Military College, Duntroon (RMC-D) are commissioned as lieutenants.). The rank of second lieutenant is only appointed to officers in special appointments such as training institutions, university regiments and while under probation during training. Trai ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gamini Hettiarachchi (military Officer)
Major General Gamini Hettiarachchi, WWV, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP is a retired Sri Lankan Army officer who served as the Commander, Security Forces Headquarters – East, General Officer Commanding, 21 Division and Brigade Commander, Special Forces Brigade. Having founded the Special Forces Regiment of the Sri Lankan Army, he is known as the "Father of the Special Forces Regiment". Hettiarachchi joined the Sri Lanka Army as a cadet officer in 1973 and received his basic training at the Army Training Center in Diyatalawa. On completing his training he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC). He served as a Troop Commander and a Squadron Commander in the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, SLAC. In 1985, the army formed a Combat Tracker Team under the command of Major Hettiarachchi consisting of two officers and 38 men to conduct direct action and covert reconnaissance against LTTE units operating in the thick jungles in the northern part of th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Diyatalawa
Diyatalawa (දියතලාව, meaning “the watered plain”) is a former garrison town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, in the Badulla District of Uva Province. It is situated at an altitude of and has become a popular destination for local holiday makers. It is home to the Diyatalawa Garrison of the Sri Lanka Army, which includes the Sri Lanka Military Academy, officer training centre of the army; SLAF Diyatalawa, the Sri Lanka Air Force's ground combat training centre; and facilities of the Sri Lanka Police. History It is not known when Diyatalawa became a training station for troops, but available records show that it was selected around 1885, when the British Army first established a garrison at Diyatalawa. At that time training was conducted at the Imperial Camp which is now occupied by the Gemunu Watch troops. On 8 August 1900, the British War Office established a concentration camp in Diyatalawa to house Boer prisoners captured in the Second Boer War. Const ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |