Posted on February 9, 2010 by admin

OVER ONE HUNDRED SOLDIERS BURST INTO HIS OFFICE AT MEETING WITH POLITICAL LEADERS…

WILL BE PUT ON TRIAL IN A MILITARY COURT

Mere hours after General Fonseka said while with political colleagues yesterday that he would reveal in any international court anything he knew of or had heard about war crimes committed in Sri Lanka , about 100 powerfully armed soldiers forced their way into his Colombo office and dragged him away under arrest, ostensibly to be tried in a Military court for yet unclear charges which include allegations of plans to assassinate President mahidna Rajapaksa and revealing classified military information while still in uniform.

The BBC’s Mark Haviland said in first reports that “Gen Sarath Fonseka was dragged away by military police .The defeated candidate in Sri Lanka’s presidential election, General Sarath Fonseka, has been arrested at his office in Colombo. Gen Fonseka was defeated by incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa last month by six million votes to four million. Gen Fonseka rejected the results and vowed to challenge them in court. The initial allegations brought by the government against Gen Fonseka, 59, were put simply as “committing military offences”. The government had earlier been seeking legal advice on bringing a court martial on charges of plotting to overthrow the administration. The BBC’s Charles Haviland in Colombo says he later learned from National Security Director-General Laxman Hulugalle that the charges against the general relate to the alleged violation of rules preventing the discussion of political matters while being a member of the military. He was dragged away in a very disgraceful manner in front of our own eyes Rauff Hakeem, Muslim Congress leader Mr Hulugalle said the general would be questioned and put on trial in a military court. Military law still covered Gen Fonseka despite his retirement, he said. Gen Fonseka was in charge of Sri Lanka’s army when it defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels last year after a destructive civil war lasting more than a quarter of a century. However, he fell out with President Rajapaksa soon after and the pair fought a bitter election campaign. War crimes Gen Fonseka’s wife confirmed to the BBC that her husband had been detained after the security presence around his office in Colombo had been stepped up during the day. Gen Fonseka’s secretary, Senaka de Silva, was also said to have been arrested. Gen Fonseka was meeting a number of politicians who had supported his candidacy. The Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem told Reuters news agency: “He was dragged away in a very disgraceful manner in front of our own eyes.” Mr Hakeem said the action was “authoritarian and vindictive”. Mr Rajapaksa won the election by 57% to 40% A spokesman for the People’s Liberation Front told Agency France-Press: “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 politicians at the meeting said the military police had given no reasons as they made the arrest. Mr Hakeem said Gen Fonseka had complained that because he was no longer in the military he should not have been arrested by military police. Earlier in the day, Gen Fonseka had said 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,” Gen Fonseka said. Our correspondent, Charles Haviland, says the arrest was dramatic but not unexpected and there must now be questions about whether this is the start of a bigger clampdown on the opposition. After the election, the government had accused Gen Fonseka of divulging sensitive information to the public, and of plotting both a coup and to assassinate the president and his family. Gen Fonseka has vehemently denied the charges. He said he feared an assassination attempt against him and had been told that airports would not allow him to leave the country. Analysts had predicted a closely fought election contest between the two architects of the government’s victory over the Tamil Tigers. But in the end President Rajapaksa won the vote comfortably – capturing 57% of the vote, while Sarath Fonseka won 40%.

The meeting at evening came days after hakeem and Tamil national Alliance leader R.Sampantha sealed an accord to take the Tamil-Muslim political thrust to new levels transcending the mere concept of Tamil people’s grievances into a wider “Tamil speaking people’s grievances “platform. Fonseka would have in all likelihood had their support promising over 3 million votes at any future election from the north and east as well as in the southern parts of the country.

A week before his arrest, which was expected ever since the government made allegations of alleged plans by Fonseka to assassinate the president, three army categorically denied any plans to arrest him. But security round his Colombo office and residence were intensified and though his and freedom of movement, he was under 24 hour surveillance.

The US government said shortly after the recent presidential election that the US was in ‘touch with Fonseka’s security’. But no official US response had been announced at the time of writing.

Meanwhile, a SOUTH ASIA NET report said General (Retired) Sarath Fonseka was arrested by the military police Monday night for what the army cited as committing military offences and fraudulences during his period in service. He is now expected to be court martial. Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Prasad Samarasinghe said Gen. Fonseka was arrested around 9.30 pm. At the time of his arrest Gen. Fonseka was at his office having a meeting with JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe, SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem and Democratic People’s Front leader Mano Ganeshan on the possible strategies to contest the upcoming general election and on filing a petition against the alleged election malpractices on polling day, according to sources close to him.
An eye witness to the incident said several army officers broke into the room where the discussion was being held and asked Gen. Fonseka to come with them. However, he had refused to do so insisting that he would deal only with the civil police. He had then inquired about the charges served on him for his arrest. The army officers had apparently read out some charges in accordance with the military law.
Gen Fonseka’s wife confirmed that her husband had been detained after the security presence around his office in Colombo had been stepped up during the day. Gen Fonseka’s secretary, Senaka de Silva, is also said to have been arrested.
The office was cordoned off by heavily armed troops who blocked reporters and photographers from entering the building.
Official sources confirmed that Fonseka was seized by military police who took him to a doctor to check his medical condition before formally placing him under arrest. A day earlier a private newspaper said Fonseka could be court-martial on charges of plotting a coup.
Media Centre for National Security Director General Lakshman Hulugalle said Gen. Fonseka had committed a military offense by striking deals with the opposition parties during his service period as the Chief of Defense Staff and Army Commander.
“In this manner, he has acted against the President and created rifts within the military. It is an offense. He has now been arrested to be court martial,” he said, adding that military law still covered Gen Fonseka despite his retirement. Fonseka and President Mahinda Rajapaksa were once strong allies who combined to end the country’s 25-year civil war last May. But they subsequently fell out, and Fonseka quit his post. They contested a bitter election last month for the presidency that Rajapaksa won by 17 percentage points, according to official results. However, the general blamed wide scale ballot rigging for his defeat and vowed to challenge the result in the Supreme Court. The United States and the European Commission have pressed for a probe into allegations of vote fraud.
Officials have repeatedly accused Fonseka of plotting to kill Rajapaksa and overthrow the government with the help of army deserters and former military officers since the election. Fonseka has called the allegations fabricated and vowed to push on with his political career. A number of serving officers, who the government said were considered to be a threat to national security, have been fired.
Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said Fonseka would be tried in a military court on charges of conspiring against the President and planning a coup while being the army chief. “When he was the army commander and chief of defense staff and member of the security council, he had direct contact with Opposition political parties, which under the military law can amount to conspiracy,” Rambukwella said.
“He’s been plotting against the President while in the military with the idea of overthrowing the government,” he added.
Meanwhile, JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe said the one who defeated terrorism was treated like a terrorist Monday and requested all political parties and ordinary citizens including Sri Lankan expatriate workers to protest against this incident. He said: “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.”
SLMC Leader Rauff Hakeem said, Fonseka, was forcibly detained after objecting to his arrest and charged that the former army commander was taken out in a despicable and disgraceful manner. He said Fonseka objected to being arrested by military police instead of civilian officers, since he was no longer in the military. However, the officers dragged Fonseka and his secretary by their hands and legs into their vehicles, Hakeem said.
“He was humiliated and disgraced in the way he was handled. No civilized government would resort to this kind of action,” he said adding they were flabbergasted to see a military hero being treated in this manner. He said the action was “authoritarian and vindictive”.
Mano Ganeshan, who was also with Fonseka at the time of the arrest, echoed Hakeem’s charge and said he was “arrested and forcibly carried away” while having a discussion with a group of political allies.
Since the January 26 election, Fonseka has complained that the government was attempting to arrest him on trumped-up charges. Last week, security forces raided his office and arrested at least 15 of his staff.
“We have to ask why now? Why not six months ago when he was a military officer?” asked Jehan Perera, an analyst with independent activist group, National Peace Council.
“One has to think that it is politically motivated,” Perera said, adding there was a suspicion the motive might have been to stop him from challenging the results of the presidential election or to prevent Fonseka from leading the Opposition in the upcoming parliamentary election.
Earlier on Monday, it was thought that General Fonseka could face a court martial trial on charges that he plotted a coup and planned to assassinate President Rajapaksa.
A senior Sri Lankan military official said 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.
Both Britain and the United States have registered concerns with senior government officials about the treatment of the general following his presidential campaign defeat. The United States warned iit could worsen divisions as the island recovers from war.
“There is a tremendous need for the government of Sri Lanka to work to overcome the fissures that exist within its society,” State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said, adding, “It has to be very cautious that any actions it takes are designed to heal the split within Sri Lankan society, not to exacerbate it,” he said.
Amnesty International accused Colombo of stepping up a “crackdown on political opposition” and urged Rajapaksa to make progress on human rights. Fonseka’s detention “escalates post-election repression”, Sam Zarifi, the rights group’s Asia-Pacific director, said in a statement released in London.
Western diplomats said the Sri Lankan government has told them it has proof of his involvement in a coup attempt, but it has failed to produce any credible evidence to support its claims. “We would have expected the evidence to have come out by now,” one Colombo-based diplomat said.
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.
Observers had believed the two candidates were neck and neck, but President Rajapaksa won with a 17 per cent margin.
Earlier in the day, Gen Fonseka had said 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,” Gen Fonseka said.
In contrast, the government has resisted international calls for an investigation amid charges that a senior defense official ordered the killing in cold blood of surrendering rebel leaders.