Larry Wijeratne
{{short description|Sri Lanka army officer}}
{{refimprove|date=February 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox military person
|honorific_prefix = Major General
|name =Larry Wijeratne
|honorific_suffix = USP
|native_name =
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|image =
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|birth_date = 1950
|death_date = {{death date and age |1998|05|14 |1950 |df=yes}}
|birth_place =
|death_place =Jaffna, Sri Lanka
|placeofburial =
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|allegiance = {{flag|Sri Lanka}}
|branch ={{army|Sri Lanka}}
|serviceyears =
|rank =10px Major General
|servicenumber =
|unit =Sri Lanka Artillery
|commands =Commanding Officer 51-4 Brigade
|battles =1971 Insurrection
Insurrection 1987-89
Sri Lankan Civil War
|battles_label =
|awards =23px Uttama Seva Padakkama
23px Desha Putra Sammanaya
|relations =
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}}
Major General Larry A.R. Wijeratne USP, SLA (1950 – 14 May 1998) was the former Brigade Commander of 532 Brigade based in Jaffna.
Early life and family
He completed his education at Nugawela Central College.{{cn|date=December 2024}} At school, he excelled in both studies, sports alike and was a Queen's Scout. His wife was Brigadier Indira Wijeratne of the Sri Lanka Army Legal Branch{{Cite web |last=Kangaraarachchi |first=Ramani |date=17 February 2002 |title=13 new Brigadiers |url=https://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2002/02/17/sec03.html |access-date=20 September 2024 |website=Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka)}}{{Cite web |date=14 May 1998 |title=Senior SLA officer killed |url=https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=1490 |access-date=20 September 2024 |website=TamilNet}} and he was the father of two sons, Bhagya{{Cite web |last=de Silva |first=Shelani |date=17 May 1998 |title=Jaffna people need me, they have no one |url=https://www.sundaytimes.lk/980517/news3.html |access-date=20 September 2024 |website=Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)}} and Dulanjaya.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}
Career
After leaving school he joined the army as an officer cadet and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Sri Lanka Artillery. During his career he held many positions within the army including that of instructor at the Army Training Centre, Diyatalawa (now the Sri Lanka Military Academy). He had been awarded the Uttama Seva Padakkama, Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal, North and East Operations Medal, Purna Bhumi Padakkama, Operation Wadamarachchi Medal, Riviresa Campaign Services Medal, and 50th Independence Anniversary Commemoration Medal for his service during the course of his military career.
Brigadier Larry Wijeratne was appointed as commanding officer of 51-4 Brigade at Vadamarachchi in Jaffna in 1997.
Death
On the last day of his duty assignment he was killed by an LTTE suicide bomber{{Cite web |date=4 September 2000 |title=Jane's Sentinel examines the success of the LTTE in resisting the Sri Lankan forces |url=http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/sentinel/sent000904_6_n.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010815014632/http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/sentinel/sent000904_6_n.shtml |archive-date=15 August 2001 |website=Jane's Security}} at Velvetiturai in Jaffna on 14 May 1998, when he attended a Jaffna traders' felicitation lunch just before leaving on transfer as deputy commandant of the Kotelawela Defence Academy. Brigadier Larry Wijeratne was posthumously promoted to the rank of Major General.{{Cite web |last=Jeyaraj |first=D.B.S. |date=11 November 2023 |title=Sinhala Brigadier Who Won the Hearts and Minds of Tamil People |url=https://www.dailymirror.lk/opinion/Sinhala-Brigadier-Who-Won-the-Hearts-and-Minds-of-Tamil-People/172-271054 |access-date=20 September 2024 |website=Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)}}
External links
- [http://www.army.lk Official Website of Sri Lanka Army]
- [http://www.defence.lk Ministry of Defence, Sri Lanka]
- [http://www.army.lk/mic.php MIC-Military Intelligence Corps]
References
{{Reflist}}
- [http://www.infolanka.com/org/srilanka/issues/ut18.html THE DRIFT IN JAFFNA: THE URGENCY OF A POLITICAL SETTLEMENT & THE IMPORTANCE OF LARRY WIJERATNE'S LEGACY., THE UNIVERSITY TEACHERS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, JAFFNA (UTHR(Jaffna)) Sri Lanka]
- [http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/terror_98/asia.htm Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1998 Asia Overview]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20040712041427/http://atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FG10Df03.html Tigers send a deadly message, By Sudha Ramachandran]
- {{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20080513141306/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fline/fl1703/17031060.htm The LTTE and suicide terrorism]}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080721073313/http://www.spur.asn.au/larry.htm The Larry Wijeratne That I Knew]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wijeratne, Larry}}
Category:Alumni of Nugawela Central College
Category:Sri Lankan major generals
Category:Sinhalese military personnel
Category:Assassinated Sri Lankan military personnel
Category:Terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka in 1998
Category:Suicide bombings in Sri Lanka
Category:Sri Lanka Military Academy graduates