Lt. Gen. Parami Kulatunga:
Epitome of military heroism
Ravi LADDUWAHETTY
He was of the mould of the ‘Desert Fox’ - General Erwin Rommel, one
of Adolf Hitler’s two famous military Generals along with Field Marshal
Bernard Law Montgomery in World War II; bold, dashing and handsome,
relentless in combat, magnanimous in victory and gracious to his
vanquished enemies.
For, slain Lieutenant General Parami Sugandika Bandara Kulatunga, VSV,
RSP, USP, PBP, DPS, USAWC, GW, Sri Lanka Army’s former Deputy Chief of
Staff and third most senior military General at the time of his
assassination and whose fifth death anniversary fell yesterday (26),
will be remembered with both affection and reverential respect for the
role that he played in the Northern theatre of war against the LTTE,
among others, akin to Rommel playing a part in two very significant
battles during World War II - both at El Alamein in North Africa and
also at D-Day. He will be remembered as a man with a heart by his peers
and a grateful nation for the major roles he played in the Vadamarachchi
Operation in 1987 in the liberation of the Jaffna peninsula where he was
a Junior Commanding Officer under the guidance of another slain General-
Lt General Denzil Lakshman Kobbekaduwa and also the Operation Balavegaya
I and II in 1991 and 1992 which saved Elephant Pass.
LTTE cadres
Lt. Gen. Parami Kulatunga |
He will also be remembered as the General Officer Commanding of the
52 Division which stopped the waves of the advancing LTTE cadres in the
Eluthumattuval Region after the Elephant Pass camp was over run.
Parallel to that was the then, ten serious Kinihira Operations which
were meant for the capture of Jaffna peninsula of which he was an
integral stakeholder. He also played an integral part in the Valampoori,
Yal Devi and Jayasikurui Operations.
JVP insurgency
With his ideal torso and height, any rational thinking mortal might
have perceived that he was a unanimous choice for a Lock Forward’s berth
in a Rugby team and more so, the Lock Forward in Fullback, Rugby Lion
and subsequent Sri Lanka Fullback Shafie Jainudeen’s unbeaten Trinity
Rugby XV of 1969, with Lt.Gen. Kobbekaduwa as the Trinity first XV coach
himself! But, it was a tryst with destiny. His passion was for
cadetting. He ended up as the Senior Regimental Sergeant Major of the
Senior Cadet Platoon.
That is when coming events cast their shadows. Deeply perturbed by
the goings on in the 1971 JVP insurgency which broke out on April 5, and
buttressed by his passion for the military and patriotism, he enlisted
in the Sri Lanka Army as an officer cadet on July 20, 1971. After his
initial military training, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant
and subsequently posted to the 1st Battalion of the Gemunu Watch on
October 14, 1972.
On July 24, 1974, he was promoted to First Lieutenant. Three years
later, on July 24, 1977, he was promoted to Captain. On June 1, 1982, he
was promoted to Major. On March 24, 1989 he was appointed as Staff
officer to the Intelligence Operation headquarters of the Defence
Ministry and on October 1, 1989, he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel
and continued working at the Defence Ministry. On January 6, 1990, he
was appointed as a General Staff Officer to the 23 Brigade. On June 27,
1993, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel, at General Staff
headquarters 2 Division. On November 31, 1993, he was appointed Deputy
Commandant of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy at
Ratmalana.
On June 10, 1994, he was promoted as the Assistant Military Secretary
of the Defence Ministry and on December 12, 1994, he was promoted to the
rank of a Brigadier, taking command of the 22 Brigade in Trincomalee.
On December 28, 1996, he was appointed Director of Training at the
Army Headquarters. On October 1, 1997, he was appointed Deputy General
Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 56th and 54th Divisions. On November 28,
1999, he was appointed General Officer Commanding of the 52nd Division
Varani. On May 5, 2000, he was promoted to the rank of Major-General,
and appointed as General Officer Commanding of the 11th Division, at
Panagoda. On September 6, 2003, he was appointed the Director General of
the General Staff, Army Headquarters. On August 10, 2004, he was
appointed Commander of Security Forces Headquarters, Wanni. On December
6, 2005, he was promoted Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army,
the third most senior officer.
In his military education, he followed the International Military
Education and Training Programme at the United States Army War College
and several other courses including the Senior Command Course in India,
Advanced Intelligence Course in Singapore, the Intelligence Staff
Officers’ Course in India and a few other short courses. Apart from that
he has also represented Sri Lanka in a number of international symposia,
including the Special Operations conference in the US, South Asia Peace
Keeping Operations Seminar in Bangladesh, Pacific Armies Management
seminar in Malaysia, Senior Military Officers’ seminar in United Kingdom
and United Nations Medal Awarding Parade in Haiti.
Awards
The main military decorations Kulatunga received included Rana Sura
Padakkama (RSP), Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP), Sri Lanka Armed Services
Long Service Medal, Riviresa Campaign Services Medal, Poorna Bhumi
Padakkama, North and East Operations Medal, Desha Putra Sammanaya
amongst others. In 2008, he was posthumously awarded the Vishista Seva
Vibhushanaya (VSV), the second- highest ranked medal for gallantry.
It was at around 7 am of June 26, 2006, that fateful day, he left his
Kendalanda Residence earlier than usual, en route to the Army
Headquarters, due to a backlog of work to complete, fighting a deadline.
But, alas! It was only up to Pannipitiya that he could travel up to.
A motorcycle rammed into his vehicle. The rider, as it transpired
later, was a female LTTE suicide bomber. Only a few split seconds
followed. A gigantic explosion ensued. The LTTE, licking the wounds of
annihilation in combat in the North, had struck in Colombo with a
vengeance. They got their principal target.
It was with the utmost difficulty that the passengers were retrieved,
amidst the vehicle going up in flames. They were to be taken to the
closest hospital, the Military Hospital at Panagoda.
Also in the vehicle were his personal security officer- Staff
Sergeant Buddhika Madhuranga and the driver- private A.R. Gomes. Prior
to their being admitted to hospital, the inevitable happened, leaving
thousands of patriotic Sri Lankans in veritable bewilderment and in mute
grief. |