Colombo (AsiaNews) – Sri Lanka’s opposition is up in arms following the arrest of General Sarath Fonseka, a candidate defeated by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in recent presidential election. Yesterday, a team of military investigators arrested him in his office. Government sources said the general would be interrogated and then appear before a military tribunal.
The Defence Ministry said General Fonseka is being held under military guard for alleged “offences committed during his time in the army”. A government spokesperson said the opposition leader violated army regulations by engaging in politics whilst still an army officer.
For other opposition leaders, Fonseka’s detention is a virtual “abduction” rather than an arrest, a shameful operation that saw the general dragged away.
Speaking earlier to journalists, he said that he was prepared to appear before an international commission to answer accusations of war crimes allegedly committed during the war against Tamil Tigers (LTTE).
Rajapaksa and Fonseka led the army to last year’s victory against rebel forces in northern Sri Lanka, ending a bloody civil war that lasted 30 years.
On behalf of the government, Defence Minister Gotabhaya Rajapaksa closed all avenues for a possible inquiry into alleged crimes committed during the war against the separatists.
The arrest of General Fonseka, who won 40 per cent of the vote in the 26 January presidential elections against 57 for Rajapaksa, is the sign of a new political crisis in the country, but one that is not unexpected. In fact, right after the vote, the general’s headquarters in the capital were surrounded by hundreds of soldiers.
Now, everyone is waiting to see if there will be further retaliation or violence against members of the opposition.
The government accuses General Fonseka of revealing to the public sensitive information and of planning to assassinate President Rajapaksa and his family.
The opposition leader has always rejected the charges. He accused the government of conspiring to kill him and prevent him from leaving the country.
Leaders of a number of civil society groups and ordinary citizens have slammed the arrest. Some now say they regret voting for Rajapaksa. “We trusted him, and all we get is to see the country slide back into the past,” some said.
The government is cracking down on the opposition “in order to cover up corruption and abuses”.
For human rights organisations and activists, the government is engaging in “repression against political opponents.”
Tomorrow protests against Fonseka’s arrest will be held in many Sri Lankan cities.
