Shantha Kottegoda , WWV , RWP , RSP , VSV , USP ( born November 6 , 1949 ) is a Sri Lankan general . He was the seventeenth Commander of the Sri Lankan Army from 1 July 2004 – 5 December 2005 . He had served as the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Brazil and Thailand . In April 2019 , following the Easter Sunday bombings he was appointed as the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Defence . Shantha Kottegoda has served the Sri Lankan Army for 36 years in throughout the island . He has been involved in both the 1971 and 1987 – 89 JVP Insurrection as well as the Sri Lankan Civil War , participating in major operations against the LTTE in the North and East of the country . Kottegoda has held numerous positions in the Army , among them he was Chief of Staff , Colonel of the Regiment of the Sri Lanka Light Infantry , General Officer Commanding 55 Division , 51 Division , 21 Division and served as Director Military Intelligence
Easter Sunday bombings
2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings
Shantha Kottegoda