Parami Kulatunga

Lieutenant General Parami Sugandika Bandara Kulatunga RSP, VSV, USP, GW (Sinhala:පාරමී කුලතුංග) (born 9,October,1951 in Kandy,died 26,June,2006) was Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, its third highest-ranking officer.

On the morning of 26 June, he was killed by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber who drove an explosives laden motorbike into his official vehicle as it was driving to a military base at Pannipitiya near Colombo.

A Memorial Dedication service for Lt. Gen. Kulatunga was held at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on October 11, 2006.

Education
Kulatunga was educated at Trinity College, Kandy. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College.

Military career
He enlisted in the Sri Lanka Army on July 20, 1971. After his initial military training, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and subsequently posted to the 1st Battalion of the Gemunu Watch on October 14, 1972.

In his military education, he followed the International Military Education & Training Program in the United States and several other courses including the Senior Command Course (India), Advanced Intelligence Course (Singapore), and the Intelligence Staff Officers’ Course (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.

Appointments
July 24, 1974: Promoted to First Lieutenant.

July 24, 1977: Promoted to Captain.

June 1, 1982: Promoted to Major.

March 24, 1989: Appointed as Staff officer to the Intelligence Operation headquarters, (MOD)

October 1, 1989: Promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel, he continued working at MOD.

January 56, 1990: Appointed as a General Staff officer to the 23rd Brigade.

June 27, 1993: Promoted to Colonel, at General Staff headquarters 2nd Division.

November 31, 1993: Appointed Deputy Commandant of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy at Ratmalana.

June 10, 1994: Appointed the Assistant Military Secretary MOD.

December 12, 1994: Promoted to Brigadier, he took command of the 22nd Brigade Trincomalee.

December 28, 1996: Appointed the Director of Training at the army headquarters.

October 1, 1997: Appointed Deputy General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 56th and 54th Divisions.

November 28, 1999: Appointed General Officer Commanding of the 52nd Division, Varani.

May 5, 2000: Promoted to Major-General, and appointed as GOC of the 11th Division, Panagoda.

September 6, 2003: Appointed the Director General of the General Staff, army HQ

August 10, 2004: Appointed Commander of Security Forces HQ, Wanni.

December 6, 2005: Appointed the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka army.

Awards and decorations
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, Purna Bhumi Padakkama, North and East Operations Medal, Desha Putra Sammanaya amongst others. In 2008 he was posthumously awarded the Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya.

Death
On the morning of 26 June he was killed along with two other military personal and a civilian bystander, by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber who drove an explosives laden motorbike into his official vehicle as it was driving to a military base at Panipitiya near Colombo from his official quarters at Panagoda Cantonment. He was age 55 at the time of his death. Major-General Kulatunga was posthumously promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General effective from June 28, 2006.