Shavendra Silva conferred with honorary title

Chief of Defense Staff, General Shavendra Silva, was today bestowed with the honorary title of ‘Mahamanya Prathapadhi-keshwara’ by the Asgiri Maha Viharaya.

The honorary title was bestowed on the Chief of Defense Staff in Kandy today.

During the war he was appointed as the Brigade Commander of the Air Mobile Brigade and in August 2006 he was instrumental in the capture of the forward defense lines in Muhamalai.

Thereafter, he took command of the 58 Division, playing a key role in the military capturing several former LTTE strongholds including the Mannar Rice Bowl, Vedithalathivu, Nachchikuda, Mulangavil, Devils Point, Pooneryn, Kilinochchi, Paranthan, Elephant Pass, Dharmapuram, Vishvamadu, Suvandipuram, Thevipuram Puthukudirippu, Puthumathalan, Wellamullu vaikkal and the last stretch of LTTE held Karayamulli vaikkal in the mangroves of Nanthikandal lagoon in the Mullaithivu district.

After the end of the war he was appointed as Director of Operations at Army Headquarters and promoted to the rank of Major General, the youngest officer to reach that rank.

In 2010, he took up position as Sri Lanka Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Headquarters with the rank of Ambassador in 2010, serving till December 2014. At the time he was the only serving army officer to hold such a diplomatic post. He was also the alternative representative of Sri Lanka to the Special Committee on Decolonization from 2010 to 2015 and served as an advisor of the Sri Lankan delegation to the United Nations General Assembly Third Committee.

In 2019 he was appointed as the Commander of Sri Lanka Army and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General by then President Maithripala Sirisena. (Colombo Gazette)