Sri Lanka, June 15 -- The funeral of former Army Commander and Joint Operations Commander (JOC) General Hamilton Wanasinghe (91) will be held at 5 p.m. today (15) at the General Cemetery, Kanatte, Borella with full military honours.

Hailed as the one of the greatest military men the country has ever produced, Gen. Wanasinghe became the 11th Army Commander of Sri Lanka in 1988 and was later appointed as Secretary of Defence. Gen. Wanasinghe transformed the Sri Lanka Army from a ceremonial Army to a battle-ready one.

Born on August 17, 1933 in Kalukondayawa, Malwana, General Wanasinghe received his primary education at Kalukondayawa Primary School and later entered Ananda College, Colombo.

General Wanasinghe, who joined the Army as a cad...