Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

W.A.A.P. Bhathiya Jayatilleka, RSP was a Sri Lankan Army

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

, who was the

Brigade commander A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...

, 54-1 brigade of the 54 Division based at

Elephant Pass Elephant Pass, (, si, අලිමංකඩ Alimankada) Northern Province, Sri Lanka is located in the gateway of Jaffna Peninsula. It lies about 340 km north from capital. It has an important military base and used to be the island's larg ...

. Educated at Royal College, Colombo, Jayatilleka joined the army after completing his schooling and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the

Sri Lanka Artillery The Sri Lanka Artillery (SLA) is the artillery arm of the Sri Lanka Army. It is made up of ten regular regiments and two volunteer regiments. The SLA is headquartered at Panagoda Cantonment, Panagoda. The emblem of the SLA is modeled after that ...

, following his training at the Sri Lanka Military Academy. He was severing as the Brigade commander 54-1 brigade of the 54 Division based at

at the out set of the

Second Battle of Elephant Pass The Second Battle of Elephant Pass (code-named Operation Unceasing Waves III (ஓயாத அலைகள் மூன்று) by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), was a battle fought in April 2000 for the control of the Sri Lankan mi ...

in 2000. Following orders from the GOC 54 Division to make a strategic withdrawal of troops from Elephant Pass due to a lack of water, Colonel Jayatilleka withdrew his troops in order. He died of

dehydration In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mil ...

on April 22, 2000, at the Palali Military Hospital.72 soldiers killed, 243 injured
He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier posthumously. Brigadier Jayatilleka had received the

Rana Sura Padakkama Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP, Combat Excellence Medal) ( Sinhala: රණ ශූර පදක්කම ''rana śūra padakkama'') is awarded to servicepersons of all ranks of the regular and volunteer forces of the Military of Sri Lanka for individua ...

(RSP), the Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal, the

Riviresa Campaign Services Medal The Riviresa Campaign Services Medal ( Sinhala: රිවිරැස මෙහෙයුම් පදක්කම ''riviræsa meheyum padakkama'') was a campaign medal presented to all ranks of the regular and volunteer forces of the Military of ...

and the North and East Operations Medal. Jayatilleka was married to the daughter of the former army commander

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Hamilton Wanasinghe General Hamilton Wanasinghe, VSV (born 1935) was a Full General in the Sri Lanka Army. He served as the 11th Commander of the Sri Lankan Army (1988–1991), third General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Joint Operations Headquarters (JOH) (at ...

. His brother Captain Nalin Jayatilleke was killed in 1993 serving as a

forward observation officer An artillery observer, artillery spotter or forward observer (FO) is responsible for directing artillery and mortar (weapon), mortar shooting, fire onto a target. It may be a ''forward air controller'' (FAC) for close air support (CAS) and spo ...

References

External links

Troops capture Elephant Pass:Road to Jaffna open
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jayatilleka, Bhathiya Sri Lanka Artillery officers Year of birth missing Alumni of Royal College, Colombo 2000 deaths Sri Lanka Military Academy graduates Sri Lankan military personnel killed in action Sinhalese military personnel Sri Lankan brigadiers Deaths by dehydration