Field Marshal Gardihewage Sarath Chandralal Fonseka (born 18 December 1950) is a senior Sri Lankan army officer. He was the eighteenth Commander of the Sri Lankan Army from 2005 to 2009, and under his command the Sri Lankan Army ended the 26-year Sri Lankan civil war in 2009, defeating the militant group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam; he thereafter briefly served as the Chief of Defence Staff.General G. S. C. Fonseka RWP RSP VSV USP rcds psc , Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 29 March 2015 After retiring from the Army with the rank of General, he entered politics as the common opposition candidate in the 2010 presidential election contesting against President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Following his controversial defeat in the presidential election he was elected to Parliament in the general election that followed. Soon after he was made a political prisoner and lost his parliamentary seat.Prosecuting and persecuting the war hero – General Fonseka , By Somar Wijayadasa, The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). Retrieved 29 March 2015Sarath Fonseka becomes Lanka’s first field marshal – The Times of India. Retrieved 29 March 2015Fonseka to become first Sri Lankan Field Marshal, Khaleej Times (UAE). Retrieved 29 March 2015 Fonseka supported Maithripala Sirisena in the 2015 presidential election, and, following his victory, the newly appointed President Sirisena gave Fonseka a full pardon, reinstating his civic rights, military rank and decorations. Later he was promoted to the newly created rank of Field Marshal on 22 March 2015, becoming the first Sri Lankan Army officer to be promoted to the rank.Gen. GSC Fonseka elevated to the rank of 'Field Marshal' , Ministry of Defence (Sri Lanka). Retrieved 29 March 2015Sarath Fonseka to be bestowed with Field Marshal Title NEWS.LK (The Official Government News Portal of Sri Lanka). Retrieved 29 March 2015General Fonseka Made Field Marshal – P.K.Balachandran, The Indian Express. Retrieved 29 March 2015
On 9 February 2016, he was appointed to Parliament as a national list candidate and served in the Cabinet of Ministers from 2016 to 2018 as Minister of Regional Development and thereafter as Minister of Wildlife and Sustainable Development until the 2018 Sri Lankan constitutional crisis.
Fonseka had joined the Ceylon Army in 1970 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in June 1971 and rose through the ranks while completing training stints across South Asia and in the United States. He saw extensive action throughout the 26-year civil war and over the years acquired a reputation as a tough battlefield commander and was often in the thick of the action in fighting against the Tamil Tigers, culminating in a term as Commander of the Army from 6 December 2005 – 15 July 2009.Army Commander revisits early beginnings , Shanika SRIYANANDA, Sunday Observer. Retrieved 17 May 2015Nation Salutes War Veteran, General Sarath Fonseka (Retd) Conferring Field Marshal Rank , army.lk. Retrieved 25 March 2015 As commander, he oversaw the final phase of the Sri Lankan civil war, which resulted in the total defeat of the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. He also survived an assassination attempt when an LTTE suicide bomber attacked his motorcade in April 2006.Sri Lanka's top general wounded in suicide attack , The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 March 2015Medical battle that saved the Army Commander By Chinthaka Fernando, The Sunday Leader. Retrieved 29 March 2015 Following the end of the war Fonseka was promoted to a four star rank in the Sri Lanka Army, becoming the first serving army commander to hold a four star rank.Three Service Commanders promoted: news.lk. Ministry of Defence, Public Security, Law & Order. Retrieved 18 May 2009 He has been described as Sri Lanka's most successful army commander.Sri Lanka rehabilitates ex-army chief Sarath Fonseka , Charles Haviland, BBC News. Retrieved 29 March 2015Review - Gota’s War -Final- revised By Major General (Retired) Lalin Fernando, Asian Tribune. Retrieved 18 May 2015
A few months after the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, Fonseka was appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. While his new post was of a higher rank, Fonseka saw the move as an attempt to sideline him. Amid rumours of his desire to enter politics, he subsequently retired from the post on 16 November 2009. On 29 November 2009, Fonseka formally announced his candidature in the 2010 Sri Lankan presidential election. His candidacy was endorsed by the main opposition parties, and Fonseka became the main opposition candidate challenging President Rajapaksa. He campaigned under the sign of a swan, and the slogan Vishvasaniya Venasak (A Credible Change).
Following his election defeat, Fonseka was arrested on 8 February 2010, and the government announced he would be court-martialed for committing "military offences".Former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka in military custody , Media Center for National SecurityTHE NIGHT THE AMBALANGODA LION ROARED DEFIANCE – D.B.S. Jeyaraj (Daily Mirror) Retrieved 14 February 2016 He was convicted of corrupt military supply deals and sentenced to three years in prison.Sri Lanka jails ex-army chief Fonseka AFP – 17 September 2010 After serving more than 2 years in prison, Fonseka was released amidst local and international pressure on 21 May 2012.Ex-army chief Sarath Fonseka, jailed for treason, made field marshal in Sri Lanka , The Guardian. Retrieved 29 March 2015 As per the pre-election statement, President Maithripala Sirisena, gave him the complete presidential pardon and acquitted him of all the charges against him on 22 January 2015, restoring his civic rights.
On 29 June 2024, Fonseka launched his own written book titled The Army Commander's Promise to the Nation – I will not leave this war to the next Army Commander.
On 25 July 2024, he had announced his candidacy in the 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election.
Early life Fonseka was born on 18 December 1950 in the coastal town of Ambalangoda in the south of Sri Lanka. His father was Gardihewage Peter Fonseka, a school principal, and his mother Egodage Piyawathie De Silva was a teacher. He initially attended Madawalalanda Maha Vidyalaya (1955–1957) in Ampara,General Fonseka visits his first school in Ampara . Lanka Truth. Retrieved 7 January 2010. later receiving his secondary education from Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda (1958–1965) and Ananda College, Colombo (1966–1969). Fonseka represented his alma mater in cadeting, swimming and water polo events. He was the college swimming and water polo captain in 1969 and later represented the defence services and the country in these sports. He was a sergeant of the College Cadet Platoon.Meteoric rise of Ananda's patriotic sons , Rasika SOMARATNA, Daily News. Retrieved 4 May 2015
Military career
Early years
Fonseka joined the Ceylon Army on 5 February 1970 as a cadet officer and after completing his basic officer training at the Army Training Centre in Diyatalawa, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 1st Battalion, Ceylon Sinha Regiment on 1 June 1971 during the 1971 Insurrection.
Serving as platoon commander in the Sinha Regiment, he was promoted to lieutenant in 1973 and was promoted to the rank of captain in 1976. During this time he underwent the Commando Officers Course (1973), Battalion Support Weapons Course (1976) and Counter Insurgency Jungle Warfare Course (1978) in India. In 1980 he was promoted to the rank of major and in 1981 he attended the Company Commanders Course in Pakistan. In the next few years he served as an instructor at the Sri Lanka Military Academy, Ampara Combat Training School and Infantry Training Centre, and later as the Chief Instructor and Deputy Commandant in the same training institutes.
Eelam War I
In 1987, he graduated from Defence Services Command and Staff College, Mirpur in Bangladesh. On his return he was appointed commanding officer, 4th Sri Lanka Light Infantry and participated in the Vadamarachchi Operation.Operation Liberation One , The Sunday Times. Retrieved 6 April 2015Full text of H.Efs speech at the War Heroes commemoration event at the Ananda College , Old Anandians Web Japan. Retrieved 6 April 2015Sri Lanka taught world the art of humane ops-President , Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 6 April 2015 The following year he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment in 1989.
With the onset of the 1987–89 JVP Insurrection, he was appointed military coordinating officer for Gampaha District. Fonseka reputedly devised the plan which led to the capture of Premakumar Gunaratnam and gained a reputation for his humane treatment of detainees.FSP leader Kumar Gunaratnam fought a Guerilla war against the Indian army: Security Forces , By D.B.S.Jeyaraj, The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). Retrieved 29 March 2015
Eelam War II
In 1991, he was promoted to colonel and served as a brigade commander, 3rd Brigade during Operation Balavegaya and distinguished himself as a Brigade Commander. In the First Battle of Elephant Pass, the Sri Lankan armed forces were able to beat back the LTTE owing to the tenacity of the besieged troops led by Fonseka and the grit with which they held on despite the overwhelming odds. Thereafter he was appointed Center Commandant, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment at Ambepussa and next served as Staff Officer I at the Directorate of Operations at the Army Headquarters.
In 1993, the Jaffna Fort was under siege by Tamil Tiger rebels. Then Colonel Fonseka led troops in the daring Midnight Express operation to relieve besieged troops. Several hundred soldiers were saved due to the operation. Colonel Fonseka was wounded that year in the Yaldevi operation, having been shot through the lung. At the time Fonseka was commanding the 23 Division. After recovering, he was promoted to brigadier in December 1993 and was appointed to the Operational Headquarters in Colombo.
Eelam War III
Brigadier Fonseka was soon deployed to operational areas serving as Commander – Area Headquarters, Mannar; General Officer Commanding, 5 Division in Mannar; General Officer Commanding, 21 Division; Deputy Commander, Task Force I; General Officer Commanding, 3 Division in Batticaloa; General Officer Commanding, 27 Division in Kilinochchi; Coordinating Officer for Kayts and Mandattivu, Deputy General Officer Commanding, 51 Division in Jaffna, General Officer Commanding, 23 Division in Polonnaruwa; Overlooking General Officer Commanding Vavuniya Task Force – 2; General Officer Commanding, 55 Division at Mirusuvil.
In 1995, Brigadier Fonseka won widespread plaudits for his role in Operation Riviresa – the army's operation to capture Jaffna town from the Tamil Tigers. He played a major role in Operation Jayasikurui. In 1998, he was promoted to the rank of major general. He was appointed Colonel of the Regiment of the Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment. Serving as General Officer Commanding, 22 Division and Director General, General Staff at the Army Headquarters.