Rajapaksa wins, troops ring Fonseka hotel

Colombo : Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa won a second term in office today, defeating joint opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka, the army chief who helped him crush the LTTE. Gen Fonseka rejected the outcome, and had not, till late evening, emerged from his central Colombo hotel, which was surrounded by heavily armed soldiers.

From the hotel, the 59-year-old former general said he feared he would be arrested by the government. Outside, one of his key aides spoke of seeking protection from “a neighbouring country”, apparently India. The government rejected suggestions that it might target Fonseka.

From New Delhi, President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sent separate congratulatory messages to Rajapaksa on his re-election. The PM also rang the Sri Lankan President to wish him personally.

Rajapaksa, 64, won 60,15,934 votes or 57.88 per cent of the total, while Fonseka got 41,73,185 or 40.15 per cent, Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake told reporters. Fonseka quit as army chief late last year following differences with Rajapaksa, with both claiming credit for eliminating the Tigers.

Fonseka accused the government of violating election rules and misleading the people, and said he would move the courts against the result. He claimed there was a threat to his life, and said he might leave the country for a short time if required.

Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said troops had been deployed outside Fonseka’s hotel following information that suspected army deserters were among the 400 people present inside.

“We don’t know what is their motive... whether these are suspected army deserters providing security and whether they are associated with Gen (retd) Sarath Fonseka,” Nanayakkara said.

Fonseka wrote to the Election Commission saying attempts were being made to arrest him, and demanding steps to ensure his security. He said he had moved to the hotel after his office was surrounded and 10 of his guards were taken into custody. These men were part of the security contingent provided to Fonseka by the Election Commission, aides of the former general said.

Mano Ganesan, one of Fonseka’s aides, said, “We want Sarath Fonseka safe... I am going to meet a diplomat of a neighbouring country to seek assurances of Fonseka’s safety.” Ganesan did not mention the “country” but apparently meant India.

Rajapaksa said he humbly accepted the results, and thanked voters for an “excellent victory and one that reflected the choice of the people.” He said the result vindicated his belief that all citizens of the country were equal, and that he was now President of the whole of Sri Lanka, including those who had not voted for him.

The President’s supporters came out on the streets in several parts of the country, bursting crackers to celebrate his victory. Observers attributed the result to Rajapaksa’s success in eating into the vote share of the main Opposition United National Party and the Marxist JVP, which had put up a united front against him.

 

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rajapaksa-wins-troops-ring-fonseka-hotel/572349/