Sri Lanka opposition leader arrested

9 Feb 2010, 6:57 am   -   Source: AFP/SBS
0 Comments
Share This
+ Comment
0
Sarath Fonseka was defeated in Sri Lanka's presidential elections earlier this year (AAP)

Sarath Fonseka was defeated in Sri Lanka's presidential elections earlier this year (AAP)

Sri Lanka's defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka has been arrested, and will reportedly face charges of "military offences".

RELATED

Sri Lanka's defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka was arrested on Monday, and will reportedly face charges of "military offences" committed when he headed the army.

Fonseka, a retired four-star general who lost to President Mahinda Rajapakse in the January 26 election, was taken into custody by troops who stormed the offices of the main opposition alliance which had backed his candidacy.

"They forcibly took away General Fonseka while he was having a discussion with three other senior opposition leaders," said a spokesman for the People's Liberation Front (JVP).

"The general refused to be taken away. They grabbed him and virtually carried him away after threatening the others...

"There must have been over 100 soldiers."

The office was cordoned off by heavily armed troops who blocked reporters and photographers from entering the building and taking pictures.

'Coup plot' claim

The state-run Daily News said Fonseka, 59, was arrested for unspecified "military offences".

The dramatic arrest came a day after a private newspaper said Fonseka could be hauled before a court martial to answer charges of plotting a coup to topple the government.

Earlier this month, Rajapakse sacked a dozen senior military officers whom the defence ministry said were a "direct threat" to national security.

The government has sought legal advice on using a military court to fast track proceedings against Fonseka who led the army to a crushing victory over Tamil Tiger rebels in May last year.

During their head-to-head at the ballot box, both Fonseka and Rajapakse had sought to take credit for the spectacular military success that ended the Tigers' 37-year-old separatist campaign.

Rajapakse won the election easily but Fonseka has vowed to challenge the result in the Supreme Court.

The government insisted the election was free and fair but the United States and the European Commission have pressed for a probe into allegations of vote fraud.

 

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube

Join the Discussion

Name
City / Suburb E.g. Artarmon, Sydney
Title
Comment
You have characters remaining.
Validation
What's this?
This is a captcha-picture. It is used to prevent mass-access by robots.
All submitted comments become the property of SBS. They are moderated, so we reserve the right to edit comments and remove HTML tags. Not all submitted comments will be published. Publication does not mean we endorse the opinions expressed. Please read our terms and conditions for more information.