Sri Lanka's ex-Army Commander indicted on one more count

Attorney General of Sri Lanka indicted former Army Commander and Democratic National Alliance parliamentarian retired General Sarath Fonseka in Colombo High Court today.

DNA MP General Fonseka says lawlessness prevailed in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka' former Army Commander and Democratic National Alliance (DNA) parliamentarian retired General Sarath Fonseka told Parliament today (3) that lawlessness prevailed at present in the country.

Courts Martial against Sri Lanka's ex-Army Commander to meet on August 07 and 09

The first Court Martial investigating the charges against Sri Lanka's ex-Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka on his alleged involvement in politics while in uniform has decided to meet for five consecutive days from August 09 to 13.

Sri Lankan court charges General Fonseka and his Secretary Senaka Silva for harboring Army deserters.

A Sri Lankan court today charged former Army Commander and Democratic National Alliance (DNA) parliamentarian retired General Sarath Fonseka for harboring army deserters just prior to the last Presidential Elections in January this year.

Former Sri Lanka Army Commander submitted a fake document, CID tells court

Sri Lanka's former Army Commander and present legislator, retired General Sarath Fonseka submitted a fake document to the military authorities saying that he received permission from Election Commissioner to use the services of Army deserters during the Presidential poll.

Sri Lankan Court rejects General Fonseka's request for a telephone call to his daughter in the US

A Sri Lankan court today (12) rejected former Army Commander and Democratic National Alliance (DNA) parliamentarian retired General Sarath Fonseka to permit him to make a telephone call to his daughter in the United States.

Sri Lankan government blames controversial "white flag" statement for the appointment of UN panel of experts

The Sri Lankan government blames the controversial "white flag" comment allegedly made by former Army Commander and Democratic National Alliance (DNA) parliamentarian retired General Sarath Fonseka as the reason for the UN Secretary-General's decision to appoint a panel of experts on Sri Lanka.

General Fonseka says government has failed to meet the aspirations of the Sri Lankan people

Sri Lanka's former Army Commander and Democratic National Alliance (DNA) parliamentarian retired General Sarath Fonseka said today (8) that the government has failed to address the expectations of the people in its 2010 budget.

Sri Lanka's detained former Army Commander to register new political party

Sri Lanka's former Army Commander and Democratic National Alliance parliamentarian retired General Sarath Fonseka has handed an application today to the Elections Commissioner to register a new political party under his leadership.
The new political party under General Fonseka is to be called the Democratic Party (DP).

Court orders Private TV station in Sri Lanka to submit tapes on General Fonseka's "white flag" story

A Sri Lankan court today (22) ordered a private TV station to hand over the tapes of speeches made by former Army Commander and Democratic National Alliance (DNA) parliamentarian retried General Sarath Fonseka to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

Fonseka backs UN probe

                                                                                                    

Detained former Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka says he is ready to testify before a war crimes probe if there are allegations backed by evidence and even supported a UN investigation on Sri Lanka in order to clear the country's name.

Speaking exclusively to Daily Mirror online via telephone from Parliament this evening, the General insisted that the army as a unit did not commit any war crimes but added that if any individual was involved then it should be investigated.

Sri Lanka ex-Army Commander strongly rejects war crimes claims

Sri Lanka's former Army Commander retired General Sarath Fonseka today strongly rejected the recent claims by the British newscaster Channel 4 and the International Crisis Group that the military committed war crimes during the last stages of the war against Tamil Tigers last year.

Detained Sri Lankan general on hunger strike

Colombo - Sarath Fonseka, the former Sri Lankan army commander and presidential candidate now being detained in a navy facility, has begun a hunger strike to protest against his lack of access to a telephone.

Anoma Fonseka, the wife of the ousted general, said on Sunday that he was prepared to fast to the death.

Sarath Fonseka was taken into custody in February after his failed attempt to challenge incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa for the presidency in January. He has been accused of trying to topple the government.

His wife said his decision to launch a hunger strike had come after the mobile phone service he used to communicate with his family was discontinued.Chief Military spokesman Major General Prasad Samarasinghe said that the use of the phone had been a courtesy extended to Fonseka and was not a requirement.

"We can withdraw the facility (phone) at any time. There is no requirement that he should be given a phone," Samarasinghe said.

Fonseka receives daily food deliveries from his wife.

Meanwhile, Samarasinghe said evidence against Fonseka had been collected as part of the military court proceedings against him and was due to be handed over to current army commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya next week.

Fonseka was arrested after he fell out with Rajapaksa and contested the January 26 presidential election. Fonseka received only 40 per cent of the vote, versus Rajapaksa's 58 per cent, clearing the way for the incumbent to start a second term.

Fonseka, who spearheaded the military campaign to defeat the Tamil rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to end a 26-year-old war in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka in May last year, was called a hero by the government when the war ended.

Fonseka is contesting the April 8 parliamentary election as a member of the opposition Democratic National Alliance, which is being backed by a Marxist party. His wife is campaigning on his behalf. - Sapa-DPA

Supreme Court allows further detention of Sarath Fonseka

The Supreme Court today refused to release General Sarath Fonseka from custody but allowed access to him to his immediate family and lawyers.

This followed the hearing of the Fundamental Rights petition filed by him through his wife Anoma Fonseka.

The Supreme Court Bench comprising Actg. Chief Justice Shiranee Bandaranayake and Justices Jagatha Balapatabendi and K Sripavan examined the petition.

The petitioners, wife of the General, Anoma Fonseka, and Attorney at law Sharmila Perera in their petition claimed that the General was forcibly and wrongly arrested under the military laws when he is now not in Army service, and requested the Court to release him.

Further hearing will take place on 26th April 2010.

S.Lanka opposition file court challenge to premier

Sri Lanka's former army chief and defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka on Tuesday petitioned the Supreme Court challenging incumbent Mahinda Rajapakse's re-election, his lawyer said.
Fonseka, who lost a January 26 vote, alleged that he was robbed of victory because of rigging, electoral malpractice and undue influence on the 14 million electorate, lawyer Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe told AFP.
"We are presenting a 40-page complaint to the Supreme Court on bribery, corruption, the use of undue influence and vote rigging at the election," Rajapakshe said.
Fonseka received 40.15 percent of the popular vote compared to 57.88 for Rajapakse at an election many had expected to be a close fight. Two weeks after his defeat, Fonseka was arrested and placed in indefinite detention.
Rajapakshe said he had earlier obtained permission from the Supreme Court for Fonseka to sign his election petition while he was being held by the military pending court martial proceedings on unspecified charges.
The country's defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapakse, who is the president's younger brother, has said that Fonseka was plotting a coup, a charge rejected by the ex-army chief.
Fonseka's arrest has sparked protests and an outcry abroad with the United States, the European Union and the United Nations expressing concern that democracy should not be undermined in a country emerging from a 37-year-old separatist war.
Leaders of Sri Lanka's influential Buddhist clergy have scheduled a meeting Thursday to press their demand for the immediate release of Fonseka, the country's only four-star general who served in the military.
Top monks of all key sects as well as the guardians of the island's holiest shrine, the Temple of The Tooth, have made a joint appeal to the President to free Fonseka who is mounting a separate legal challenge over his arrest.
Fonseka was the battlefield architect of the government's victory over Tamil Tiger rebels last May, which ended their 37-year old fight for an independent Tamil homeland that cost an estimated 80,000-100,000 lives.
However, he fell out with Rajapakse and quit in November and ran against the president in January's elections.
The president has denied any link between the arrest and the presidential polls, and stressed that "no one was above the law".

Tamil group backs former general

A key Sri Lankan Tamil political group has said that it will support former army chief Sarath Fonseka in forthcoming presidential elections.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said it could not back incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa because of alleged human rights abuses by the government.
The TNA, an alliance of ethnic Tamil parties, also said Mr Rajapaksa had not secured national reconciliation.
Some 20 candidates are contesting the elections to be held on 26 January.
TNA leader Sambanthan said Sarath Fonseka had given "satisfactory" assurances about finding a political resolution to Sri Lanka's ethnic question.
He said the former army chief had promised to consider Tamil demands for a meaningful devolution of power to the provinces.
"The Tamil people have been itching for a change of regime and the Tamil National Alliance decision is reflective of that desire," Mr Sambanthan told BBC Tamil.
Sarath Fonseka is at odds with the government over who should take credit for the army's final victory over Tamil Tiger rebels last May.
Earlier this week the former general said that if he became president all militants still held in detention would either be charged or freed within a month, and the state of emergency would be lifted.
The government insists it is too early to terminate emergency regulations, arguing that the threat posed by Tamil rebels is still active.

Sarath Fonseka visits Jaffna seeking Tamils' votes

Main opposition presidential candidate and former Chief of Sri Lanka Armed Forces and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Jaffna Commander, Major General (retd) Sarath Fonseka arrived in Jaffna Saturday morning accompanied by the Leader of Opposition, Ranil Wickremasainghe, Parliamentarians Mano Ganeshan, Jayalath Jayawardene, JVP Samaraweera Amarasinghe, Anurakumara Disanayake, Hakeem and several other political personalities to engage in election campaign in Jaffna peninsula.

Sarath Fonseka and his team made it a point to first visit Saiva temples in the peninsula before meeting the public and other important persons. Sarath Fonseka and his associates also visited Jaffna Bishop, Rt. Rev. Thomas Soundaranayagam at his residence where they spoke with the representatives of civil organizations in the peninsula, sources in Jaffna said.

Sarath Fonseka and his team of political leaders from the South arrived around 9:00 a.m Saturday at Palaali and straight away went to Nalloor Kanthasuvami Koayil where they worshipped.

Their next place of visit was Kaarainakar where they met the public at the Memorial monument of Late. Maheswaran who was a cabinet member in United National Party government earlier.

The team later went to Ma'natkaadu Muththumaariamman Koayil, Kaarainakar Aiyan Koayil and Kaarainakar Sivan Koayil where they also met and spoke with local people.

Jaffna University was their next place of visit where they met the Vice-chancellor, Deans of Faculties, lecturers and Jaffna University Student Union members.

Finally Sarath Fonseka and his associates met the members of Jaffna Tarders' Union in Jaffna town.

An office for election campaign was opened on Maanippaay Road in Jaffna.

Several political leaders from the South visiting Jaffna together is something which had not happened for a long time, the sources added.

Ex-General to vacate official army Commander's residence by 21st

Colombo: The former military chief and main opposition candidate General Sarath Fonseka will vacate the official residence of the Army Commander by the 21st of this month.

When the Supreme Court heard a petition filed by an attorney asking General Fonseka to vacate his military residence which is in a high security zone since he has engaged in politics, lawyers appearing on behalf of the General agreed to vacate the residence by December 21st.

Upali Premalal Jayamanne, an Attorney-at-Law petitioned the Supreme Court that General Sarath Fonseka, who has retired from service, should vacate the official residence of the Army Commander to make it available to the present Army commander.

The Supreme Court will take up the issue on the 11th of January to ascertain whether General Fonseka had vacated the official Army Commander's residence by that time.

Sri Lankan former Army chief denies violating humanitarian law

Sri Lanka's former Army Chief Sarath Fonseka who is now contesting presidency on behalf of the opposition parties said on Tuesday that the Army never violated humanitarian law in the process of crushing Tamil Tiger rebels.

"I ordered the soldiers to kill all terrorists and they acted on those instructions," Fonseka told reporters.

He said no human rights violations were taken place and no innocent was killed in the final battle between the government troops and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

However, Fonseka said if any accusation of humanitarian law violation is proved, he will be ready to answer before the law -- locally or internationally.

His remarks came as the government and the opposition are arguing who should be responsible from any possible humanitarian law violation.

It was reported that some LTTE rebels including some senior leaders were killed when they came to surrender on the night of May 17 in northern Sri Lanka.

Former Sri Lankan general fears assassination

Sri Lanka's former military chief who led troops to victory over Tamil separatists in May said he fears fugitive rebels will try to assassinate him during his presidential election campaign. Sarath Fonseka, who is trying to unseat President Mahinda Rajapakse in the January 26 elections, said that about 1,000 Tamil Tiger fighters may have survived the end of the decades-long war.
Fonseka said that although the Tiger leaders had all been killed, renegade suicide bombers remained a serious risk."The Tigers still have an international network and about 1,000 cadres who are mingling with the IDPs (internally displaced people)," he said.
"I know my life is in danger, but many people and those in the military and the police believe that I am the one who led them to victory."
Fonseka, who was badly wounded when targeted by a suicide attacker in 2006, said the Rajapakse administration had cut his security protection despite his vulnerability on the campaign trail.
"My security unit had 25 vehicles when I was in the army, now it is reduced to two or three," he said. "But the risk is now even greater because I am contesting elections."
Presidential elections in Sri Lanka have often been violent. In 1994, the Tigers were accused of assassinating a top contender. In 1999, president Chandrika Kumaratunga survived a suicide bombing during her re-election bid.
Fonseka, speaking at his busy election office in Colombo's fashionable Cinnamon Garden quarter, promised that he would curb the authority of the all-powerful president and make parliament more assertive if elected.
"I will not be a dictator. The powers of the executive presidency are abused today and democracy is in decline," he said. "I want to be the man to bring change."
Sri Lanka's president, who is also the defence minister and commander-in-chief, is not answerable to parliament.
All presidents since 1994 have pledged to reform the presidency and revert to a British-style parliamentary democracy, but failed to deliver.
"I will not be like them," Fonseka said.
"I have a track record of keeping my promises. I promised to crush the Tigers this year and I did it ahead of schedule. My first priority, if elected, is to deliver on my political promise.
"If I can't do that with the parliament I get (following parliamentary elections sometime after April), then there is no point in my hanging around."
A member of the majority Sinhalese community, Fonseka, 58, is seen as sharing a similar hardline nationalist platform as Rajapakse.
The two men fell out over who should take credit for defeating the Tamil Tigers, and their clash raised fears of a rift between the political establishment and the military.
Fonseka said Rajapakse had suspected him of plotting a coup against the government after the military's massive offensive finally brought victory over the Tigers in the north-east of the island seven months ago.
"They (the government) did not treat me properly and they suspected the army of trying to seize power. That is an insult to the professional and disciplined army that defeated the world's most ruthless terrorist outfit," he said.
The former general added that his latest career move had taken even him by surprise.
"The decision to enter politics was a very sudden one," he said. "It was a bold decision and a very courageous decision. From the military to politics is a big transition.
"I wanted to spend more time with my wife and two daughters, but I see less of them now. The first few days (in politics), I felt jittery, but now I am adjusting well and getting used to this new role."
Fonseka has the support of the two main opposition parties, which had criticised the government's handling of the Tiger war, but observers say major ideological differences exist within the alliance.
Fonseka surprised his critics last week by agreeing to a possible war crimes investigation into allegations of human rights abuses in the last months of fighting - a move that Rajapakse has always refused.