Karunasena Hettiarachchi was appointed as the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence yesterday at a function held at the Presidential Secretariat.

He was among the 44 Secretaries to Ministries appointed yesterday. Their appointment letters were handed over by the Secretary to the President P.B. Abeykoon.

Hettiarachchi was a former Secretary to the Ministry of Urban Development and Water Supply. He replaced the former Defence Secretary B.M.U.D. Basnayake.