Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Samantha Sooriyabandara RSP, USP was a

Sri Lankan Army ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம் , image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army , start_date ...

Major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

and

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

who commanded the 53 Division. He also served as the

Defence Attache Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

in the Sri Lanka Embassy in Washington D.C.

Early life and education

Sooriyabandara was educated at

Nalanda College Colombo ''Āpadāna Sobhinī Panñā'' , motto_translation = Character Illumines Wisdom , established = , founder = Patrick de Silva Kularatne , type = National , grades = 1 ...

. He was a senior cadet in the school cadet core. Sooriyabandara's father was an officer in the Army, and was the first recruit soldier of the Sri Lanka Army after the English departed, with the Army registration number of No. 0001.

Military career

Sooriyabandara was an expert parachutist attached to the

Sri Lanka Army Commando Regiment The Commando Regiment ( si, කොමාන්ඩෝ ‍රෙජිමේන්තුව ''komāndo rejimēnthuwa''; ta, இலங்கை இராணுவத்தின் கமாண்டோ படைப்பிரிவ) is the comman ...

as a Commando. During Operation Jayasikurui, the helicopter in which Samantha was traveling was shot down by the

LTTE The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...

. The helicopter was destroyed and all its passengers and crew, except Soriyabandara died. Tamil fishermen helped save his life and in gratitude, he gifted his gold chain to them. Sooriyabandara was the Commander of the

53 Division (Sri Lanka) The 53 Division is an elite division of the Sri Lanka Army. Trained and formed in 1996 under the leadership of US military officers, the unit was used as a principal offensive division during the War, having been deployed for combat operations i ...

regiment during the final phase of Sri Lankan civil war. Earlier he was in charge of the personal security of the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Sarath Fonseka. He was also an active member of Sri Lanka ex-service and Police Association Australia Inc.Funeral of Major General Samantha Sooriyabandara
/ref>

References

* *
Funeral of Maj Gen Samantha Sooriyabandara

* [http://srilankaoneislandtwonations.tumblr.com/post/30060704748/major-gen-sooriyabandara-dies-prematurely Major Gen. Sooriyabandara dies prematurely : afflicted by the curse of the shawls- pension delayed]
An army is not its commander’s private fiefdom
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sooriyabandara, Samantha Sri Lankan Buddhists Sri Lankan major generals Sinhalese military personnel Alumni of Nalanda College, Colombo Sri Lanka Military Academy graduates Sri Lanka Army Commando officers Date of birth missing 2012 deaths