Rajapaske and Fonseka
Democracy brings out the worst in some people. We’ve all heard of sore losers. Well, it seems that some are better at winning than others. Take, for example, the recent victor in the Sri Lankan Presidential elections.
No sooner had the last ballot paper been counted than the re-elected President Mahinda Rajapakse sent round his military to arrest the runner up, former General Sarath Fonseka.
The row stems from who took credit for defeating the Tamil Tigers in 2009. Fonseka was declared a national hero after crushing the rebels last May. A further clue to his treatment today is that Fonseka then put himself up against his former Commander in Chief in the January 24th 2010 Presidential Election.
Full Story Here
17. March 2010 at 10:14 am
The second of two courts martial set up to try Sri Lanka’s ex-army chief, Sarath Fonseka, has abruptly adjourned.
The three-judges said they wanted to clarify whether they could conduct both sets of proceedings, a defence lawyer told the BBC.
Wednesday’s trial was to have heard charges that Gen Fonseka broke procedure on military procurement.
Gen Fonseka says all the charges are politically motivated and an attempt to bar him from forthcoming elections.
He was arrested by the army last month, after losing presidential elections to incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa in January.
Gen Fonseka led Sri Lanka’s army when it defeated Tamil Tiger rebels last year but he and President Rajapaksa later fell out.
‘Delaying tactic’
On Tuesday the general appeared before the court on charges of participating in politics while in uniform.
The trial was adjourned to 6 April after defence objections. Wednesday’s hearing was adjourned indefinitely.
The army said the tribunal wanted to be reconvened to ensure transparency and a lack of prejudice.
A spokesman for the genenal said it was a delaying tactic aimed at preventing him from campaigning for 8 April general elections.
“The army judges did not wake up this morning and discover that they have been appointed to both courts,” the spokesman, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, said. “They knew it from the day they were appointed.”
Separately, two other cases are pending at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, both petitioning for the general’s release.
18. March 2010 at 12:33 pm
http://www.rsf.org/Anti-terrorist-police-arrest.html
18 March 2010
Reporters Without Borders condemns the arrest of a journalist close to Sarath Fonseka, the former armed forces chief who was President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s main challenger in January’s election, and calls on the authorities to release him at once.
“We are outraged by Ruwan Weerakoon’s arrest,” Reporters Without Borders said. “What we feared has come about. The decision to prosecute him is part of a witch-hunt against the relatives and supporters of Gen. Fonseka, who is himself under arrest. The police and judicial authorities have again abused their powers in order to silence an opposition journalist.”
The press freedom organisation added: “Just a month ago, President Rajapaksa ordered the police to personally inform him before any arrest of media personnel. We would like to know if presidential consent was obtained before this journalist’s arrest.”
Weerakoon, who was arrested earlier this week, writes regularly on defence issues for two newspapers, the Nation and Bottom Line, and the Asia Tribune website. It was as a defence correspondent that he became close to Gen. Fonseka when the latter was in command of the army during the final stage of the war against the Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009.
Five media organisation issued a joint statement today condemning his arrest. “We ask the inspector general of police to disclose the reasons behind his arrest and detention and make arrangements for him to receive legal aid immediately,” the statement said.
Prior to being arrested, Weerakoon was hospitalised under a police guard after suffering a heart attack brought on by the pressure he has been under for several weeks.
22. April 2010 at 12:02 am
Sarath Fonseka has been released though under what conditions is not known as yet.
7. June 2010 at 12:57 am
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/06/sri-lanka-sarath-fonseka
Fonseka threatened with execution. An article from The Guardian in the UK.