Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena appoints new army chief

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday appointed Mahesh Senanayake as the new army chief.

"A proud son of Mother Sri Lanka, Mahesh Senanayake took office as the Commander in Chief of the Army," Sirisena said in a statement.

Senanayake was also promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, reports Xinhua news agency.

Senanayake will take over from Chrisantha De Silva, who was last week appointed to the rank of General by President Sirisena.