[2] He was also the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Suriname from June 2014 to August 2017.

[5] Jayasuriya is the youngest of six brothers, three of whom also attended Royal College and, alongside Jagath, were prize-winning boxers.

[6] Joining the army after completing schooling in 1978 as a cadet officer, he was at the top of his class at the Army Training Centre and was commissioned into the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps as a second lieutenant on 23 January 1980[7] with his military career spanning the Sri Lankan Civil War.

From this capacity he directed the military operations in the Wanni region that was aimed at regaining area controlled by the LTTE.

[11] On 28 August 2017, the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP)- a group affiliated with the Foundation for Human Rights based in South Africa- filed lawsuits against Jayasuriya in Brazil and Colombia, citing his alleged complicity and command role in artillery strikes on hospitals and other civilian targets, torture (including sexual violence) and enforced disappearances.

[12] In September 2017 current Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena refused to let several human rights groups take Jagath Jayasuriya to court for war crimes.

Sirisena reportedly said "I stated very clearly that I will not allow anyone in the world to touch Jagath Jayasuriya or any other military chief or any war hero in this country," in reference to the lawsuit.