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Sri Lanka arrests former presidential challenger Sarath Fonseka
The Australian - February 9, 2010
Amanda Hodge – Failed Sri Lankan presidential challenger Sarath Fonseka was yesterday dragged from his Colombo office and taken into custody as the government moved to charge the former army chief with an attempted coup.
Max Malwenna, General Fonseka's Sydney based nephew who helped worked on last months ultimately unsuccessful campaign, told The Australian his whole family feared for the safety of the former Sri Lankan army chief.
Mr Malwenna, who arrived back in Australia earlier this week, said as many as 100 special forces officers commanded by a major general loyal to President Mahinda Rajapaksa surrounded his uncle's Colombo office late Sunday and seized the weapons of four security guards before dragging the four-star general into a waiting vehicle.
"They actually carried him out by force," Mr Malwenna said. "I spoke to my cousin who was there with him... they kind of took his arms and legs and dragged him out. Who knows what will happen to him now. We fear for his life. We don't know where they're keeping him."
The arrest, which follows that of at least a dozen former army officers loyal to General Fonseka and raids on several media offices which supported his campaign, comes as little surprise.
The government had been seeking legal advice on whether it had grounds to court martial General Fonseka since President Rajapaksa secured an unexpectedly large victory against his former military commander in last months presidential election.
A government spokesman said earlier today only that General Fonseka, 59, had been arrested for "committing military offences".
General Fonseka had rejected the election results in which President Rajapasa secured a second term with 6 million votes compared to his 4 million. He accused the government of manipulating the results and vowed to challenge them in court.
General Fonseka was arrested as he was meeting a number of politicians who had supported his candidacy, including Tamil politician Mano Ganeshan, and Muslim League leader Rauf Hakeem who described his seizure as "disgraceful".
General Fonseka's stunning arrest came just hours after he told reporters he was prepared to give evidence in international courts on any war crimes charges brought in relation to the civil war.
"I am definitely going to reveal what I know, what I was told and what I heard. Anyone who has committed war crimes should definitely be brought into the courts," he said.
In an exclusive interview with The Australian two days after his January 26 electoral defeat General Fonseka revealed he had spoken to the US and UK embassies in Colombo about possible temporary asylum and had intended also to approach the Australian High Commission.
He also claimed the government had instructed airport immigration authorities that he was not to leave the country.
General Fonseka was instrumental in the military victory last May against the separatist Tamil Tigers, which ended the country's bloody 26-year civil war But he fell out with President Rajapaksa soon after and the pair fought a bitter election campaign.
In the post-election recriminations the government accused General Fonseka of divulging sensitive information to the public, and of plotting both a coup and to assassinate the president and his family.
General Fonseka has denied the charges and countered that the government was trying to orchestrate his assassination by withdrawing his security detail.
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