Cecil Waidyaratne

General L. D. E. Cecil Waidyaratne, VSV, USP (16 May 1938 – 18 December 2001) was a Sri Lanka Army general. He was 12th Commander of the Sri Lankan Army and a former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Thailand.

Education Educated at St. Benedict's College, Colombo, where he played for the college cricket team.

Military career Early career Waidyaratne joined the Ceylon Army on 26 June 1959, as a cadet officer and received his officer training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. On 28 July 1961, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, Ceylon Armoured Corps. He served with the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment during the 1971 JVP insurrection and in 1973, he attended the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington gaining his psc qualification. and was promoted to General on 1 January 1994 and retired from the army. He was succeeded by Major General G. H. De Silva.

Strategic approach and legacy

As Army Commander of the Sri Lanka Army from 1991 until his retirement in December 1993, Waidyaratne pressed for a strategic re-orientation of Sri Lanka’s internal-conflict posture. At a time when the army had suffered a string of setbacks, he emphasised the need for a “comprehensive mechanism” to defeat the terrorist threat rather than incremental adjustments.

One of his most notable proposals was to expand the navy rather than solely build up the army, on the basis that in the island-context of Sri Lanka the maritime dimension offered a critical and under-exploited lever in the campaign. According to contemporary commentary, his argument was that the armed forces had over-relied on land forces, while the insurgents exploited the littoral environment and maritime supply-routes.

Although Waidyaratne did not himself oversee the full implementation of this naval shift, his strategic recommendation has been credited by analysts as influencing subsequent commanders (notably Sarath Fonseka) and contributing to the eventual success of the government campaign in the late-1990s and early 2000s.

Honors He had been awarded the Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya (VSV) for distinguished service, his other medals include the Sri Lanka Army 25th Anniversary Medal, Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal, Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal, President's Inauguration Medal, Purna Bhumi Padakkama.

Later life Following his retirement he was appointed Sri Lankan Ambassador to Thailand and held the post till December 1994. He died on 18 December 2001, while undergoing medical treatment in India.

Family He married Thillaka Jayewardene daughter of Major T. F. Jayewardene. T.F Jayewardene who was born to Colonel T. G. Jayewardene and Lena Jayewardene née Attygalle, daughter of Mudaliyar Don Charles Gemoris Attygalle, Jayewardene was related to three major political families that would play a significant role in the pre- and post-Independence era of Ceylon. His cousins Sir John Kotelawala and Dudley Senanayake, became Prime Ministers and Junius Richard Jayewardene became the President of Sri Lanka.

Cecil and Thillaka Waidyaratne had two children, Ruwan and Niroshini.