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 ...

Ariyaratne "Ariya" Ariyapperuma, psc, GW 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 ...

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," ...

, who was the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army Northern Command. Ariyapperuma joined the army in the first batch of cadet officers to undergo training at the newly established Army Training Centre 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 1 ...

in the 1st Battalion of the Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment in 1958. In 1962, now

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Ariyapperuma was transferred to the 1st Gemunu Watch. Having attended

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which ...

, he served as the

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latit ...

of the 1st Gemunu Watch from December 1977 to January 1980 with rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1983, as a

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 ...

he was serving as Commander (Operations), Colombo when the Black July riots broke out in the city and surroundings. In September 1983, he took over as Commander, Northern Command in the Jaffna Peninsula. There he was killed on 19 November 1984, when his jeep hit a landmine on the Vallai-Tellipalai-Araly road in

Tellippalai Tellippalai or Thellippalai ( ta, தெல்லிப்பழை Tellippaḻai
Kuruwita Army Camp Kuruwitha Army Camp is a military base located in Kuruwita close to the town of Ratnapura in the Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. It serves as the regimental headquarters of the Gemunu Watch of Sri Lanka Army. See also *Gemunu Watch The Ge ...

was named in his honor at the Regimental Headquarters of the Gemunu Watch.The Tamil Separatist War in Sri Lanka, By Channa Wickremesekera, Samp Ur N Ananda Sa Msk Rta VI Svavidy Alaya

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ariyapperuma, Ariyaratne 1935 births 1984 deaths Sri Lanka Military Academy graduates Sri Lankan military personnel killed in action Landmine victims Assassinated military personnel People killed during the Sri Lankan Civil War Sinhalese military personnel Gemunu Watch officers Sinha Regiment officers Sri Lankan brigadiers