Major General Deshamanya Asoka Kanthilal Jayawardena, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, was a Sri Lankan army general and politician. He was the former Provincial Governor of the Governor of North Eastern Province and Secretary to the Minister of Defence.
Asoka Jayawardena | |
|---|---|
| 4th Governor of North Eastern Province | |
| In office 13 November 1998 – 30 November 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Gamini Fonseka |
| Succeeded by | Tyronne Fernando |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Spouse | Srimathi (m. 1975; d. 2002) |
| Children | Two children |
| Alma mater | S. Thomas' College, Colombo |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Sri Lanka |
| Branch/service | Sri Lanka Army |
| Years of service | 19?? - 1998 |
| Rank | Major general |
| Unit | Sri Lanka Light Infantry |
| Commands | Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna Overall Operational Commander |
| Battles/wars | Sri Lankan Civil War |
Military career
editJayawardena was Overall Operational Commander (OOC) of the Sri Lanka Army. In 1997 he was succeeded by Lt. Gen. Srilal Weerasooriya.[1] Jayawardena also served as Security Forces Commander in Jaffna.
Political career
editRetiring from the Sri Lanka Army in 1998, Jayawardena was appointed Governor of North Eastern Province. His predecessor Gamini Fonseka resigned from the office due to a difference of opinion with the President at the time. He is known to be a close confidant of the President Chandrika Kumaratunga, and he is believed to be one of her principal military advisors.
Jayawardena was the first governor of the province to visit the Jaffna peninsula after the establishment of the North Eastern Provincial Council.[2]
Awards
editHis awards and decorations include the Medals; Rana Wickrama Padakkama (RWP), Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP), Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya (VSV) and Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP).[3]
In 2005 he was awarded the National title, Deshamanya.
Sri Lankan awards
editIn Order of Precedence
References
edit- ^ "New SLA commander assumes duties". TamilNet. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
- ^ "Asoka tipped to be new Defence Secretary". The Island. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
- ^ "History of Governors". Governors of the Northern Provincial Council. Northern Provincial Council. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
External links
edit
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
