Cyril Ranatunga

General Cyril Ranatunga VSV, RCDS, PSC was a head of the joint operations command in Sri Lanka during 1980s.

Education
He studied at the prestigious St. Sylvester's College, Kandy where he excelled at many sports and entered the Ceylon Army in 1950.

Military career
General Ranatunga is one of the top military officers Sri Lanka ever produced. General Cyril Ranatunga VSV, rcds, psc, was the first General Officer Commanding the Joint Operations Command. He was given this appointment after he retired as Chief of Staff from the Sri Lanka Army. He went on to become the Secretary Defence.

General Ranatunga is of the opinion that the Indo Lanka Peace Accord was forced down Sri Lanka’s throat at a time when the then President, J.R. Jayewardene wanted no such thing. While the ongoing military operation at the time had to be called off due to the Accord, Gen. Ranatunga is confident that, had the operation continued, LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran would have been captured and the LTTE defeated.

Foreign Service
Later General Ranatunga was appointed as the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia and England and retired in 1994. Now he lives in his ancestral home in Mawanella.