Foneska arrested

09 February, 2010 02:25:00 editor

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Sarath Fonseka (59), the former Sri Lankan army chief and defeated presidential candidate, has been arrested for 'military offences' just as President Rajapaksa concluded his Russian so journey with a $ 300 million arms deal.

He will be court martialled. He faces the prospect of execution.

The arrest was made at his office in Colombo on Monday, Feb 8, 2010, night when he and other opposition leaders were discussing how to challenge the results of the January 26 ballot.

Fonseka has intended to stand in parliamentary elections due to be held before April.

"He (Fonseka) was dragged away in a very disgraceful manner in front of our own eyes," Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem said but a blog writer saw ‘a savage irony’ pointing out that ethnic Tamil minority hold him responsible particularly for shelling of civilians, in the last stages of the Wanni War.

Keheliya Rambukwella, a government minister and spokesman, confirmed that Fonseka would be tried in a military court on charges of conspiring against the President and planning a coup. “He has been plotting against the President while in the military ... with the idea of overthrowing the Government,” he said.

Analysts say the arrest is a heavy handed tactics to humiliate a former national hero who is already in an electoral disgrace. The action, instead of neutralising fully Foneska influence in the army, may invite a backlash. The opposition gets a new weapon to beat the regime.

Military spokesman Major-General Prasad Samarasinghe said the arrest related to offences from Fonseka's time in the army. “General Fonseka has been arrested to question him in regard to certain actions carried out when he was chief of the defence staff. It is not related to the election. The election is over”.

A senior Sri Lankan military official said earlier that the former army chief was currently under investigation in relation to an alleged coup attempt and that if charged it would be under the Army's code of conduct.

Fonseka resigned from the army last November following a fall out with President Rajapaksa over who deserved the credit for the final defeat of the Tamil Tigers and entered the Presidential race as common candidate of the opposition.

Twenty-one members of his campaign team, including some senior former army officers, were arrested over the past week. His campaign computers have been seized.

Tensions between the two former colleagues deteriorated during the campaign and pressure on General Fonseka intensified after his defeat by about 20 percent vote. The general blamed wide scale ballot rigging for his defeat. During the electioneering, the Rajapaksa camp levelled several charges against him, his son-in-law and his family. He denied all these charges. Fonseka still holds the view that he was moved from his job as army chief to the more ceremonial position of chief of the defence staff because the president believed he was plotting a coup.

But General Fonseka's supporters insist such allegations are baseless. According to them, he has been arrested because the government considered him a political threat.

Mano Ganeshan, leader of the Democratic People's Front, who had supported Fonseka’s Presidential bid, was present when soldiers stormed into the office where they were meeting.

He said: “We were discussing the upcoming general election and the results of the presidential election. When we were discussing this, military personnel entered the room and said they wanted to arrest Mr Fonseka”.

Mano added: “He asked for the civilian police to be present but they said no. When Mr Fonseka protested they took him by his arms and legs – many army people. They want to take him away from the public eye. He has become the focal point”. He protested."

The move against General Fonseka comes amid growing concerns expressed by campaigners about a government crackdown on its opponents, especially those in the media, the Independent reported. While Mr Rajapaksa has talked of working to bring about reconciliation in the country following his victory, his first step was to close several news websites critical of the government. Andrew Buncombe, Asia Correspondent of the daily said in his despatch.

Both Britain and the United States have registered concerns with senior government officials about the treatment of the general following his presidential campaign defeat.

Sri Lankan government has told Western diplomats that it has proof of his involvement in a coup attempt, but has failed to produce any credible evidence to support the claim, says the Daily Telegraph, a London based daily.

Few diplomats believe General Fonseka had planned a coup and regard the allegations as a sign of insecurity in the Rajapaksa camp following the general's claims of ballot-rigging, the daily remarks.

TIME LINE: The battle for power

2009

*19 May: Sri Lanka formally declares an end to the civil war after the army – under the command of General Sarath Fonseka – takes control of the entire island and kills the leader of the Tamil Tigers.

*12 November: Fonseka resigns his army post abruptly, accusing the president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, of sidelining him despite his contribution to the war victory. He had been appointed to the newly created post of Chief of Defence Staff, a hollow promotion in the eyes of many analysts.

*28 November: President Rajapaksa calls early elections to take advantage of popular support in the wake of the war victory.

*29 November: Fonseka announces his candidacy for president at the head of a coalition of opposition parties, putting himself in a head-to-head contest with his one-time ally.

2010

*26 January: Rajapaksa wins presidential poll, roundly beating Fonseka by a margin of 18 points, or more than 1.8 million votes. The opposition cry foul, alleging the election was stolen.

*29 January: Commandos raid Fonseka's offices in Colombo and arrest 15 staff.

*30 January: Fonseka accuses the government of removing his personal security as part of "indirect assassination attempt".

*2 February: Sri Lanka's Supreme Court rules President Rajapaksa can begin his new term in November, rather than straight away, giving him an extra year in power.

*8 February: Fonseka is arrested at his office.

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