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. In ...

Rohitha Neil Akmeemana RSP, USP was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer who served as Brigade Commander, 54-2 Brigade which was attached to the 54 Division during 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 April 2000. Having joined the Sri Lanka Army as an officer cadet in 1976, he received his training at the

Sri Lanka Military Academy The Sri Lanka Military Academy () (SLMA or SLMA Diyatalawa), commonly known simply as Diyatalawa, is the Sri Lanka Army's training centre where officer cadets are trained for getting commission. It is located in the garrison town of Diyatalawa ...

and was commissioned as a

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 ...

in the 1st Battalion, Gemunu Watch. There he was a part of the regimental

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

team which won the Army inter regimental Cricket tournament in 1979. During his military career spanning over 22 years, he held a number of battle commands in the 30-year-old ethnic conflict battling the LTTE. He was appointed as the first commanding officer of the 9th Battalion, Gemunu Watch on 24 January 1994 and commanded the unit in the eastern theater of war until 1995. In 1995 he was appointed as the centre commandant at the Gemunu Watch regimental headquarters in Kuruwita. He was killed in action during the

during the SLA's strategic withdrawal following a massive

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

offensive in April 2000. During the withdrawal his brigade acted as a rear guard alongside the Independent

Special Forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

brigade commanded by Major General

Percy Fernando Major General Percy Fernando, RWP, RSP, psc, CR (died 2000) was a Sri Lankan Army officer, who was the Deputy GOC, 54 Division based at Elephant Pass and prior to which he was the brigade commander of the independent Special Forces Brigade. ...

. After the withdrawal he died of dehydration on 22 April at the Palali hospital. He was serving in the rank of

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 ...

as a brigade commander and was posthumously promoted to the rank of

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. In ...

. He was awarded the Rana Sura Padakkama and Uttama Seva Padakkama among other medals for gallantry and service.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akmeemana, Rohitha Neil Year of birth missing 2000 deaths Gemunu Watch officers Sri Lankan brigadiers Sinhalese military personnel