Despite repeated requests made by the TNA to appoint a non-military person as the Governor of the North, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has re-appointed retired General G.A. Chandrasiri for the same position.
Chandrasiri has served as the Governor of the North since the end of war.
It is widely known among political circles that the Governor of the Northern Province and Chief Minister of North C.V. Wigneswaran are at loggerheads over many issued concerning the province. The TNA has, on many occasions, requested the President to remove Chandrasiri from the position and appoint a non-military person as the Governor of the North.
General Chandrasiri is a graduate of the Defence Services Command And Staff College, Mirpur and National Defence College, India. He has received armoured warfare training in India, Fort Knox and attended the Senior Command Course in Mhow. He was awarded the Rana Wickrama Padakkama, Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP), the Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal, the Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal, the Purna Bhumi Padakkama, Vadamarachchi Operation Medal and the Riviresa Campaign Services Medal.
During the final phase of war, he was appointed Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna, during which his command resisted several attacks on the Jaffna peninsula by the LTTE until a successful offensive by his divisions pushed the LTTE out of the Jaffna peninsula and recaptured the statistic Elephant Pass. Following the end of the war he was appointed by the President as Competitive Authority for approximately 3,000,000 internally displaced personnel and was in charge of the resettlement process