Major General Samantha Sooriyabandara RSP, USP was a

Sri Lankan Army The Sri Lanka Army (; ) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; t ...

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

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 Nalanda College () is a Buddhist school in Sri Lanka that provides primary and secondary education for boys.Sri Lanka Army The Sri Lanka Army (; ) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; ...

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 ( ''komāndo rejimēnthuwa''; ) is the Commandos (United Kingdom), commando formation of the Sri Lanka Army. The unit specializes in various roles including Hostage, hostage rescue, counter-terrorism, unconventional warfare, ...

as a

Commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

. During

Operation Jayasikurui Operation Jayasikurui (''Certain Victory'' in Sinhala), was a Sri Lankan military operation launched on 13 May 1997, it lasted until 1999, when it was called off. The operation was initially launched for 6 months but cancelled after 18 mont ...

, the helicopter in which Samantha was traveling was shot down by the

LTTE The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; , ; also known as the Tamil Tigers) was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam ...

. 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 combined infantry 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 c ...

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 The Commander of the Army () is the title of the professional head of the Sri Lanka Army. The current Commander of the Army is Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo. The post's precursor was known as Commander of the Ceylon Defence Force. Se ...

Sarath Fonseka Field Marshal Gardihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka (born 18 December 1950) is a Sri Lankan retired army officer. He was the eighteenth Commander of the Sri Lankan Army from 2005 to 2009, and under his command the Sri Lankan Army ended the 26- ...

. 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