Lanka ex-army chief Fonseka held, may face court martial

Former Lanka army chief Sarath Fonseka, who lost last month’s presidential elections to incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arrested by the military police on Monday, reports Sutirtho Patranobis.

Updated on: Feb 9, 2010, 24:51:57 IST

Hindustan Times | By Anonymous, Colombo

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Former Lanka army chief Sarath Fonseka, who lost last month’s presidential elections to incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arrested by the military police on Monday.

Fonseka is likely to be court-martialled for military crimes, a government official told state TV. He is accused of revealing military secrets and plotting to kill Rajapaksa, the Daily Mirror reported on its website.

Opposition leader Mano Ganeshan told HT the police “carried him (Fonseka) out by grabbing his hands and legs”.

Under Emergency laws in Sri Lanka, no warrant is needed to take a person in custody.

The government has alleged that Fonseka had planned a coup in case of defeat and plotted to kill Rajapaksa. Fonseka, on his part, said the government wanted him dead.

Rajapaksa is in Russia and will be back on Wednesday.

Get the latest headlines from US news and global updates from Pakistan, Nepal, UK, Bangladesh, Russia and US Iran war Live, get all the latest headlines in one place on Hindustan Times.