Sri Lanka's Fonseka attends parliament opening
Useful Links
» A new way to read online, exact replica of your daily and magazine
» For all you tweety fans out there!
» Allows you to find only those news from any date you choose!
» Search any news/ articles by author/ category/ date/ keyword
COLOMBO , APR 22 -
Sri Lanka's detained former army chief briefly emerged from custody Thursday for the opening of parliament and accused the government of planning to silence his "fight for democracy."
Sarath Fonseka last year led troops to victory over Tamil Tiger rebels after decades of ethnic conflict on the island, but he later fell out with President Mahinda Rajapakse and unsuccessfully tried to unseat him in January elections.
He was arrested shortly afterwards and is being tried at a court martial for allegedly engaging in politics while in uniform and making corrupt arms procurement deals -- charges he says are politically motivated.
Fonseka was allowed out of custody to attend parliament, in which he won a seat in parliamentary elections two weeks ago, making a muted performance in which he said he would campaign for democracy and the rule of law.
Speaking to AFP afterwards by telephone, he threatened to escalate his criticism of Rajapakse from the floor of the house but predicted the government would soon force through his conviction to muzzle him.
"Today I was restrained because of the ceremonial occasion, but I will make use of the parliament to fight for democracy and to protect the constitution," he said.
"They are determined to give a judgement and convict me. They want to convict me and send me to jail because that is the only way to stop me from coming to parliament."
Rajapakse has been accused by political opponents and international human rights groups of suppressing dissent and critical media coverage, though Fonseka is also a divisive figure in the eyes of many.
A fierce nationalist, he commanded troops during last year's massive military offensive that was dogged by war crime allegations.
Rajapakse's ruling parliamentary coalition is just short of the two-thirds majority required for the government to rewrite the constitution, which at present prevents the president from standing again when his second term ends in 2016.
Both the presidential and parliamentary elections tightened Rajapakse's grip on power, but analysts say he faces serious challenges in uniting the Indian Ocean island, especially when it comes to its large Tamil minority.
Chamal Rajapakse, the elder brother of the president, was on Thursday elected uncontested as parliamentary speaker. Other Rajapakse brothers occupy key positions in government.
When campaigning for the parliamentary election, Rajapakse asked the electorate to grant him an unequivocal mandate that would put aside political divisions in the pursuit of economic growth after decades of bloodshed.
Fonseka's leftist Democratic National Alliance (DNA) party is a minor force in the 225-member assembly with just seven seats, while the main opposition United National Party has 60 seats and the biggest Tamil party 14.
After appearing in parliament, Fonseka, who complained his health was deteriorating in military custody, was escorted back to the naval base in Colombo where he is being held, a military official said.
The 59-year-old had accused Rajapakse of sleeping at national security council meetings, failing to grasp military strategy and profiting from arms purchases -- allegations rejected by Rajapakse.
The president and his family were particularly angered by Fonseka's announcement that he would testify before any international probe into war crimes allegations linked to last year's victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels.
The United Nations says 7,000 civilians died during the final stages of the fighting with the Tigers and asked Colombo to account for alleged extrajudicial killings of Tamil prisoners. The government has denied any abuses.
The United States on Wednesday called on the new government to use its mandate to pursue a "healing process" as the island recovers from the conflict.
Fighting ended in May with the wiping out of the Tiger leadership after fighting in which the UN estimated 100,000 people died.
Posted on: 2010-04-22 09:53
Post Your Comment