Rajapaksa was the sixth of nine children born into a Buddhist Sinhalese household. His father, D.A. Rajapaksa, was a member of the Sri Lankan parliament from 1947 until 1965, representing Beliatta. After completing his secondary school at Ananda College in Colombo, Gotabaya Rajapaksa joined the Sri Lankan army in 1971. In 1983, he got a master's degree in defense studies from the University of Madras.
Gotabaya did not want to pursue a career in politics, in contrast to his older brother Mahinda, who controlled Sri Lankan politics for over 20 years while serving as president and prime minister. Instead, at the age of 21, he enlisted in the army, where he served for 20 years until becoming a lieutenant colonel. He moved to the United States and took early retirement, working in information technology.
By the time he had completed his military schooling and training, racial tensions in the nation between the majority-Sinhalese people and the Tamil minority were getting worse. After 13 troops were killed by Tamil insurgents in 1983, the conflict descended into widespread bloodshed. During Operation Liberation in Vadamarachchi in May–June 1987, Rajapaksa led a regiment in the offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; commonly known as the Tamil Tigers) and other Tamil separatists. The government's repression of a Marxist Sinhalese uprising in the late 1980s included him as a commander. He persisted in pursuing Tamil rebels as the conflict intensified at the beginning of the 1990s.
When Mahinda became Sri Lanka's president in 2005, he appointed Gotabaya as defense secretary, putting him in command of the battle against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a guerrilla organization fighting for an independent state in the country's north and east.
During his term at the ministry, Gotabaya was credited with a considerable military buildup and escalation that resulted in the victorious overthrow of the separatists in 2009, thereby ending the civil war. However, the escalation was exceptionally savage, and 40,000 Tamils may have been slain in the last months of the war, accounting for up to half of the losses in the decades-long battle. In the years since the war's end, evidence of crimes perpetrated during this last period has emerged, including torture, indiscriminate bombardment, and the widespread extrajudicial death of civilians. Gotabaya was suspected of being responsible for several of these crimes. While the bulk of the island's Sinhalese Buddhist population viewed Gotabaya as a war hero,
1) Please fulfill your responsibility and I will fulfill my responsibility by creating a secure and prosperous nation
2) I deny in all possible terms reports of attempts to use the military to influence election results, during decades in politics, I have always bowed down to the people's verdict. Wins & losses are a natural part of political life.
3) As we usher in a new journey for Sri Lanka, we must remember that all Sri Lankans are part of this journey. Let us rejoice peacefully, with dignity and discipline in the same manner in which we campaigned.
4) As we usher in a new journey for Sri Lanka, we must remember that all Sri Lankans are part of this journey. Let us rejoice peacefully, with dignity and discipline in the same manner in which we campaigned.
5)Sustainability is a cornerstone of #SriLanka’s policy framework.
6)SriLanka has a vibrant and energetic youth which I firmly believe will take the country towards a prosperous and successful future.
7)I am committed to create more opportunities and always prioritize resolving the challenges youth face.
8)We are committed to take advantage of the scientific research & techniques, and sustainably transform our food system to ensure a healthy future for all.
9)The Government has taken a strong stance in support of healthy,organic agriculture.
10)To preserve the health of our planet & ensure human sustainability,a gvt must not hesitate to adopt bold policies.
11)policies should support ecological conservation, combat the loss of biodiversity in more sustainable ways.
12) I commit to ensure the conservation of our environment, protection of biodiversity, increase of national forest cover
13)We intend to safeguard our national interests based on friendly relations with all our partners.
14)There is an unavoidable responsibility vested upon us to utilize natural resources carefully, while saving the opportunity to meet the needs of our population.
15)Together We Can build a fairer and healthier world.
16)The thinking & philosophy of a country is shaped by its education system.
17)An outdated education system creates a society that cannot keep pace with the modern world.
18)Generating quality & secure employment opportunities could conveniently attract youths to the #apparel sector.
19)I strongly believe that women will play an integral role in a rapidly developing #lka & we must ensure that more women are empowered to take leadership roles in our journey to the future.
20)From ancient times,we #SriLankans have lived in harmony with wild beings.
21)As the president of #lka I am determined to secure everybody’s right to live life with dignity regardless of age, gender, sexuality, race, physical appearance, and beliefs.
