Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake was appointed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake as the new Secretary to the President at the Presidential Secretariat today (23).
Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake joined the government service as an Assistant Superintendent of Sri Lanka Customs in 1997. He studied at Rahula College, Matara, and obtained his BSc degree with first-class honors from the University of Kelaniya.
After receiving a scholarship from the World Customs Organization (WCO), he pursued a Master of Public Finance at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo, Japan. He was further awarded a university scholarship to complete an MA in Public Economics and a Ph.D. in Development Economics at the GRIPS-Japan. His research focused on the issue of customs corruption, and he has published several papers in international journals.
He is now accredited by the World Customs Organization as a Customs Modernization Advisor, specializing in Integrity Development. He has participated in several WCO international delegations to conduct programs in foreign countries aimed at enhancing the integrity of customs systems.
Meanwhile, in accordance with Sub-Article 52 (1) of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed Mr. D.W.R.B. Seneviratne as the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security.
Mr. Ravi Seneviratne, a retired Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police, holds a Master's Degree in Human Rights from the University of Colombo. He has served as a founding member of the Special Task Force (STF), former Deputy Director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), First Secretary of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Thailand, and the Head of Sri Lanka Interpol Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, H.S. Sampath Thuyacontha, a retired Air Vice Marshal of the Sri Lanka Air Force has been appointed as the new Secretary to the Ministry of Defence.
The appointment was made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, under the authority vested in him by Section 52 (I) of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
Mr. Thuyacontha holds a Master’s degree in Defence Studies from National Defence University of China and a Master’s from Kotelawala National Defence University in Sri Lanka.
He has served as the former commanding officer of the MI-24 Attack Helicopter Squadron, the Anuradhapura Air Force Base, and the Chinese Harbour Air Force College. Additionally, he was the former Defence Advisor at the Sri Lankan High Commission in Pakistan, and commanding officer of the Katunayake Air Force Base. He also held the position of Director of Training at the Air Force Headquarters. He has been awarded the Weera Wickrama Vibushana, Rana Wickrama, and Rana Sura medals for his valiant service.
