Rear Admiral Ananda Peiris who was appointed as the Director-General of the Sri Lanka Civil Defence Force (CDF) assumed duties yesterday (Feb. 15).

He took over the post which fell vacant by the retirement of Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera who transformed the CDF into a formidable unit by incorporating the former Home Guards into the force.

Ananda Peiris joined the Sri Lanka Navy as a Cadet Officer in 1974 and thereafter held several high positions in the Navy. He has also been honoured with the “Vishista Seva Vibushana” Medal and rendered a service to the operations in defeating the LTTE terrorists.

The Sri Lanka Home Guard Service, part of the Department of Civil Defence was tasked as an auxiliary unit to the Sri Lanka Police. The Department of Civil Defence comes under the purview of the Ministry of Defence. They are utilized to serve as auxiliary to the Police and generally help in maintaining internal security.