Colombo, Jan. 29: A Sri Lankan Special Task Force on Friday raided the office of ex-general Sarath Fonseka here amid confusion over his political future and concern for his safety. The STF said they were looking for Army deserters and weapons, Karu Jayasuriya, deputy leader of the United National Party, an ally in Gen. Fonseka’s failed presidential bid, told reporters at the premises during the raid. A lawyer representing Gen. Fonseka said the STF took 15 workers into custody.
Speculation about Gen. Fonseka’s arrest grew stronger when Mr Lakshman Hulugalle, chief of the Media Centre for National Security, told the media that about 30 Army deserters were taken into custody on Thursday in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate President Mahinda Rajapakse. They were being questioned and should there be evidence of Gen. Fonseka’s involvement, he too would be picked up, Mr Hulugalle said.
Earlier, 10 “deserters” were taken into custody at the five-star hotel where Gen. Fonseka was holed up for a day alleging that his life was under threat from the government. He drove out late Wednesday night in a motorcade of just five cars loaded with personal bodyguards after the military withdrew its personnel from his security, and moved into a house on posh Queens Road. The Army had told him to vacate his official bungalow, which he continued to occupy even after premature retirement last November. He had also sought retention of his full contingent of military security of some 600 armed men and 27 vehicles, including a bullet-proof Mercedes, pointing out that Indian general A.S. Vaidya was assassinated two years after he had led Operation Bluestar, and that he too could meet a similar fate at the hands of the LTTE.
While Gen. Fonseka said his life was under threat, top government officials and ministers, including President Rajapakse’s brother, defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, alleged that he had plotted to use Army deserters to assassinate the President and his family. The President himself spoke of the vicious campaign from the Opposition camp during the election. “They were on record that they would send me to Bogambara (jail), shoot Gotabhaya and set (brother) Basil on fire in the event of them grabbing power,” said the President during his interaction with media heads on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Gen. Fonseka has said he was in touch with the US and UK missions in Colombo for political asylum, but the government had put his name on the “blacklist” to prevent him from leaving the country. In the same breath, the ex-general also said he would contest the parliament polls, expected in April, if only to “keep the promise to the people of bringing positive change”. It is not clear whether his allies of the presidential campaign will stay with him for these general elections.
Adding to the confusion, Gen. Fonseka said he would contest on his “swan” symbol, used in the January 26 poll, during the parliamentary election as well. However, the “swan” belongs to the New Democratic Front, which has never contested an election. His allies, the UNP, JVP and Tamil National Alliance, can hardly be expected to hoist him over their own leaders to head the battle for Parliament.
R. Bhagwan Singh
