Sri Lanka's imprisoned ex-Army Commander refuses to plead mercy

Sri Lanka's former Army Commander retired General Sarath Fonseka who was convicted by a court martial to serve a 30-month sentence has told the prison officials that he was not ready to beg pardon.

The Sinhala daily The Divaina reported today that Fonseka had worn white sarong instead of the prison jumper and ate rice with coconut sambol, a humble prison breakfast.
Fonseka's fellow Democratic National Alliance parliamentarian Tiran Alles told the media that Fonseka slept on the floor on a mat and ate supporting the plate on hand sitting on a low bench.
Fonseka, a cashiered four star general, who miraculously survived a suicide attack by the Tamil Tiger rebels, led the Army to annihilate the Tigers. He later defected from the ruling elite and bid unsuccessfully for the Presidency against his former boss, President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Immediately after the presidential election in January this year he was arrested on conspiracy charges against the government but won a parliamentary seat at the general election in April 2010.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa said to a group of Buddhist monks yesterday that he was ready to pardon Fonseka if he would plead mercy. The President said he had to approve the verdict of the court martial he appointed.
Fonseka's family also has ruled out an appeal for pardon.
"We have no plans to appeal to the president for a pardon. He has not committed an offence," his wife Anoma Fonseka has told the reporters.