12 August 2009
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| New role, familiar tasks for Major General GA Chandrasiri |
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Northern Province with effect 12 July by His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The post is unique since he will be in charge of the only province that is yet to have a fully fledged, i.e. elected, Provincial Council. Whereas the post of Governor, in the general, is largely ceremonial, in this instance, Maj. Gen. Chandrasiri will ‘enjoy’ full powers since he will be operating in a province without a council and therefore sans ministers overseeing key subjects. Under ordinary circumstances it would be a challenge for anyone. Maj. Gen. Chandrasiri is by training a soldier, not a politician or an administrator and yet few would argue that he is unsuited for the job.
Maj. Gen Chandrasiri served in the Jaffna Peninsula on two occasions. He was the Divisional Commander, 52 Division, from 2002-2003 and later, from December 2005 to January 2009, functioned as the Security Forces Commander, Jaffna
When he took over as Security Forces Commander, Jaffna, both the security situation and the system of civil administration were hardly describable as ‘under control’. Indeed, the apt description tended to be closer to the ‘chaos’ end of the spectrum.
