Photo: Government of India / GODL-India (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Gotabaya Rajapaksa is a figure I find impossible to view simply. He climbed from army officer to defense chief to the presidency in 2019, only to be forced out amid a devastating economic crisis in 2022. That arc from decorated soldier to a leader fleeing public fury is a sobering meditation on the weight of power. History will keep weighing his record for years, but his rise and fall remind me how unforgiving it is to carry a nation's fate. He is someone I prefer to assess soberly, holding both the achievements and the failures in view.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Gotabaya Rajapaksa
- Name (Japanese)
- ゴタバヤ・ラージャパクサ
- Reading
- ごたばや・らーじゃぱくさ
- Born
- June 20, 1949 (age 77)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Ox
- Origin
- Matara District, Sri Lanka
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- civil servant / military officer / politician / President of the Republic / soldier
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Ananda College
Awards & achievements
- Rana Wickrama Padakkama
- Rana Sura Padakkama
- Desha Putra Sammanaya
- Eastern Humanitarian Operations Medal
- Northern Humanitarian Operations Medal
- Purna Bhumi Padakkama
- North and East Operations Medal
- Vadamarachchi Operation Medal
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Gotabaya Rajapaksa born?
Born June 20, 1949 (age 77).
Where is Gotabaya Rajapaksa from?
Gotabaya Rajapaksa is from Matara District, Sri Lanka.
What does Gotabaya Rajapaksa do?
Gotabaya Rajapaksa works as civil servant, military officer, politician, President of the Republic, soldier.
Civil servant — see all → · Military officer — see all → · More people from Sri Lanka →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.