Sarath Munasinghe
Major General Sarath Munasinghe, RWP, RSP, USP, ndc, psc, SLA was a Sri Lankan General and a politician. He had served in the Sri Lanka Army, becoming Commander Security Forces Headquarters Jaffna and went on to become the Deputy Speaker and Member of Parliament.
Hon. Major General Sarath Munasinghe | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Sri Lanka Parliament for Kurunegala District | |
| In office 2000–2004 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1949 Kurunegala, Dominion of Ceylon |
| Died | 17 March 2008 Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | United National Party |
| Other political affiliations | Sri Lanka Freedom Party (2000–2001) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Military |
| Awards | Rana Wickrama Padakkama, Rana Sura Padakkama, Uttama Seva Padakkama |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Sri Lanka |
| Branch/service | Sri Lanka Army |
| Years of service | (1970–1999) |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | Sri Lanka Artillery |
| Commands | Commander Security Forces Headquarters Jaffna (SF HQ (J)) |
| Battles/wars | 1971 Insurrection, Sri Lankan Civil War |
Military career
Educated at Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala, Munasinghe joined the army as a cadet officer in 1970 and later was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Sri Lanka Artillery. Serving for 29 years in the army, he held several senior commands such as; general officer commanding 51 Division SLA and 54 Division SLA; commander 12 Brigade Group, Colombo; commander 15 Brigade Group, Mannar; commanding officer of 6th Regiment Sri Lanka Artillery; coordinating chief Batticalao, Ampara, Polonnaruwa Districts and coordinating officer Welioya. He was also the Army Director Psychological Operations and Director Media Operations Headquarters, Ministry of Defense and Director Media Army Headquarters whilst being the army media spokesman. In 1998 he was promoted to the rank of major general and in 1999 served as Commander Security Forces Headquarters Jaffna, one of the most senior commands in the Sri Lankan military.
Political career
Major General Munasinghe entered the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 2000 as a member of the Peoples Alliance, representing the Kurunegala District and was made Deputy Speaker of Parliament, and in 2001 crossed over to the opposition and became a member of the United National Party (UNP). He was not reelected in 2001. However he was appointed as the Chairman of the Building Materials Corporation. At the time of his death he was the UNP chief organizer for the Polgahawela electorate. He died after a brief illness and his funeral took place in Kurunegala with full military honors.
Family
He was married and had two sons.