Feb 10 (PTI) Sri Lanka today claimed that charges against defeated opposition presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka were “serious enough” to warrant his arrest, raising a question mark on his participation in the forthcoming Parliamentary elections. “The gravity of his offences will flow from the summary of evidence collected against the former general,” senior cabinet minister Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters. more..

Feb 10 (CNN) As the Sri Lankan government declared it would court-martial its most decorated former soldier on conspiracy charges, main opposition parties said they would stage nationwide protests over his arrest. Retired Gen. Sarath Fonseka, who ran against President Mahinda Rajapaksa in January, was arrested Monday at his Colombo offices by heavily-armed military officials. more..

Feb 9 (DBS) In a disturbing turn of events, retired four star General Sarath Fonseka was taken into custody by a contingent of military police on the night of Monday, February 8th 2010. General Fonseka a widely regarded as the most successful army commander in post-Independence Sri Lanka was roughly manhandled, assaulted and forcibly dragged away by military personnel who had saluted him with respect only a more..

Feb 9 (IPS) Sri Lankan journalists, for whom intimidation, threats, assault and killings seem to have become unavoidable professional hazards, are bracing themselves for a fresh confrontation with the government as curbs on reporting intensify. In recent weeks, one journalist has disappeared, a newspaper has been sealed, only to be forced open by a court order while a few journalists and media workers have been in hiding since more..

Feb 9 (NYT) Angry supporters of the retired Sri Lankan general who was arrested Monday night after his unsuccessful run for president accused the government on Tuesday of assaulting him and said they were worried about his safety while in government custody. Anoma Fonseka, the wife of the retired general and losing presidential candidate, Sarath Fonseka, said that she has not been able to find her husband since more..

Feb 9 (IE) Sri Lanka's government on Tuesday said defeated presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka was "hell-bent" on betrayal and would be court-martialled on charges of conspiring against the president. Fonseka lost by an 18 percentage point margin to President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a Jan. 26 election, after which he accused his former commander-in-chief of vote-rigging, more..

Feb 9 (CT) Namal Rajapakse, the eldest son of president Mahinda Rajapaksa, is intending to contest the upcoming parliamentary polls from Hambantota district. The 24-year-old today handed in his application of candidacy to the UPFA nomination board. He is presently leading the 'Tharunyata Hetak' organization. A past student of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, more..

Feb 9 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's former army chief General Sarath Fonseka is in army custody, facing a court-martial on charges he conspired against President Mahinda Rajapaksa before unsuccessfully vying for his job in a Jan. 26 poll. Here are some questions and answers about what's next: WHY WAS FONSEKA ARRESTED? The government says Fonseka planned his presidential bid while he was still serving in the army, more..

Feb 9 (PTI) Sri Lankan authorities are likely to question several media persons, who were present at a Colombo hotel during defeated opposition presidential candidate Gen Sartah Fonseka's stay there, over the alleged plot by him to stage a coup and assassinate incumbent Mahinada Rajapaksa. "The purpose is to get information as to what (former army chief) Sarath Fonseka's officials planned by detaining them within the hotel rooms," more..

Feb 9 (EB) The UNHRC which is to meet in Geneva from March 1, might gloss over the war crimes allegedly committed by the Sri Lankan armed forces in the final phase of the war against the LTTE in 2009, a top Lankan official told Express here on Monday. The Secretary to the Ministry of Human Rights Dr Rajiva Wijesinha said that the alleged war crimes were unlikely to be a significant issue at the meet though, in the past, more..

Feb 9 (SMH) sarath Fonseka's arrest was not unexpected, but it was swift. The former military chief, who lost to the President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, in elections two weeks ago, was hauled from the offices of the main opposition alliance by military police about 9.20pm on Monday and taken away in a van. Mano Ganesan, a Tamil-speaking MP who was with him at the time, said the general had been dragged away "like a dog" and assaulted. more..

Feb 9 (Island) The loose Opposition Alliance that the UNF and the JVP cobbled together to field Gen (Retd) Sarath Fonseka under the Swan symbol has collapsed because of the UNP’s decision to contest the forthcoming parliamentary polls under the Elephant symbol. Deprived of the Swan symbol of the National Democratic Front (NDF), Fonseka and the JVP have decided to more..

Feb 9 (AP) Sri Lanka's opposition called Tuesday for countrywide protests after its defeated presidential candidate was arrested for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government while serving as army commander. The threat follows Monday's dramatic arrest of former army chief Gen. Sarath Fonseka, the opposition's leading figure, who last year led government troops in their crushing defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels. more..

Feb 9 (DM) M.N. Naufer alias Potta Naufer, a notorious underworld figure, who has been sentenced to death for the murder of High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitiya, has now been made a defendant in a civil suit. M.N. Naufer is the party defendant in an action for damages amounting to Rs 50 million for demolishing a business premises at Moulana building, second cross street, Pettah, Colombo. more..

Feb 9 (DM) President Mahinda Rajapaksa is expected to dissolve parliament tonight with the general election likely on April 8, sources close to the government said yesterday. The term of the present parliament ends on April 22 but the President can with a presidential proclamation end its term earlier and he is expected to do so when he returns to Sri Lanka today. more..

Feb 9 (DM) Eight former armed services personnel who were actively engaged in ensuring the safety and security of common opposition candidate General Sarath Fonseka yesterday filed fundamental rights petitions challenging their arrest and detention which they claimed was arbitrary. In their petitions to the Supreme Court they claimed they were subjected to unlawful arrest and detention, for the only reason that they held a political opinion which was different to that of the incumbent administration. more..

Feb 9 (DM) With Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka yesterday announcing his bid for Colombo thus joining his Cabinet Colleagues Susil Premajayantha, Dinesh Gunawardena, Bandula Gunawardena, Rohitha Bogollagama, Milinda Moragoda, Gamini Lokuge, A.H.M. Fowzie, Jeevan Kumaratunga and Achala Jagoda to battle it out in the district, Colombo is assured of one of the most closely contested polls this time. more..

Feb 9 (DM) The JHU yesterday announced that it would field Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka to contest the Colombo district at the parliamentary polls from the UPFA. A statement issued by the JHU said the decision to field Minister Ranawaka from Colombo was based on a wide variety of reasons including his unwavering commitment to national integration over the past twenty five years, more..

Feb 9 (Island) Eight security officers of Sarath Fonseka have complained to the Supreme Court of illegal arrest and illegal detention by the CID. They have said that while serving at Fonseka’s office at the Rajakeeya Mawatha, Colombo 7, office, they were arrested arbitrarily on January 29, 2010 and detained at the Terrorist Investigations Unit. They are being detained in a small room where about 40 persons are held, they have complained. more..

Feb 9 (Island) The steeply rising cost of living since last year, continues to be a big burden on the lives of the ordinary citizens of this country. They complain that the government does not show any interest in bringing down the prices of essential consumer items such as rice, vegetables, fish, chicken, etc. Numerous consumers pose just one question. Who manipulates the prices of consumer goods in the open market? more..

Feb 9 (Island) The Government on February 2 continued the re-settlement of all IDPs from the districts of Killinochchi, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya North in the Northern Province in a big way, Governor of the Northern Province (Retd) Maj Gen. G. A.Chandrasiri said yesterday. The Governor said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had directed all Government authorities to provide the necessary assistance required to more..

Feb 9 (Island) Former Presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka yesterday challenged President Mahinda Rajapaksa to arrest him if there were any valid charges without using Emergency Regulations to lock up his security personnel on baseless allegations. Addressing the relatives of 32 of his body guards who had been arrested by the CID for allegedly assisting him (Fonseka) to stage a coup on January 26 and 27, more..

Feb 9 (DN) The Government will get two thirds majority at the forthcoming Parliamentary Election. The polling of the Presidential Election stands to prove that politics of bargaining with “block votes” have ended, said Minister Champika Ranawaka. He was speaking at the Lahugala National Park where he opened a new Park Office of the Wildlife Department. The Lahugala National Park was closed from 2006 due to terrorist problems until it was opened recently more..

Feb 9 (DN) Russia has agreed to start oil and gas exploration in the seas off Mannar after President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited the Russian Gas and Oil company Gazprom, Moscow yesterday. The President held talks with the Chief Executive of the company Alexei B. Miller at their head office in Moscow. The Russian company also agreed to give Sri Lanka concessions in the purchase of refined and crude oil. more..

Feb 9 (DN) Sri Lanka will produce its entire requirement of Thyroxine tablets from next month. The State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation (SPMC) will produce the first consignment of Thyroxine tablets which will be distributed among all State hospitals and to the market, a Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry spokesman said. The total annual Thyroxine requirement of Sri Lanka is 24 million tablets. more..

Feb 9 (DN) Panadura Provincial High Court Judge Malanee Gunaratne postponed the sentence for February 18 on the accused in the Film Star Dhammi Fonseka murder case. The accused Wickramage Padmasiri alias Tanthuwa of Kahatuduwa was found guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The accused was acquitted on the second count as he was not found guilty of committing the robbery of jewellery and cash from the actress’s possession. more..

Feb 9 (UCAN) A group of bishops have urged politicians to stop politics-related violence in the country so as to further lasting peace and democracy. “It is quite normal for people to side with a candidate before and during a democratic election, but it is unacceptable for them to be victims of reprisals once the election is over,” Anglican Bishop Kumara Illangasinghe of Kurunegala told UCA News. more..

Feb 9 (PSM) The Presidential Election result shows that it has created a win-win situation to all three communities - Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. Majority Sinhalese feel that they have won by re-electing President Mahinda Rajapaksha and majority Tamils and Muslims feel that they have shown their protest to the President by voting for opposition common candidate Sarath Fonseka. Some people argue that this voting pattern has created polarization of ethnic communities. more..

Feb 9 (LNP) The January 26 Presidential election is the most free and fair election held in Sri Lanka in recent times where there was no impersonation or stuffing of ballot boxes said Udunuwara SLFP Organiser l S.B. Dissanayake. Dissanayake said so addressing a meeting of the Yatinuwara SLFP Central Organisation at Urapola Sri Abhayaraja Piriven Viharaya, Pilimatalawa. more..

Feb 9 (LNP) Political violence naturally disturbs us and the media are full of reports of threats and actual incidents of such atrocities. We are not short of people to take them up and stage protests. But, sadly, we have turned a blind eye to the danger posed by an insidious killer on the prowl preying as it does on innocent men, women and children almost daily. Drunk driving is the name of this monster at large. more..

Feb 9 (TC) In the context of a presidential election just concluded and a general election in the offing, there lies a great challenge before the Tamils. Throwing up a leadership enlightened in every respect and sensitive to what the Tamils look forward to, is the immediate imperative. Their political ideas are crystallising in a situation totally without precedent. The future will be distinctly different from the past. more..

Feb 9 (LT) Speaking at a media briefing held at their official residence, Mrs Anoma Fonseka, wife of General Sarath Fonseka, said that General Fonseka was not arrested but virtually kidnapped by the Government– “ this is the gift he got for finishing the 30 year old war” a tearful Mrs Fonseka said. “ The army came to arrest him last night at around 9.30 pm. more..

Feb 9 (LG) Thus begins the Rajapakse era, with the arrest of Gen. Sarath Fonseka. I did not and do not consider Sarath Fonseka to be a hero, any more than I consider Mahinda Rajapakse and Gotabhaya Rajapakse to be heroes. Still I believe Fonseka’s arrest should be a matter of gravest and most intimate concern to all those who value democratic freedoms, because it symbolises the conclusive triumph of a new political commonsense more..

Feb 9 (LG) The retired army commander, General Sarath Fonseka, was arrested yesterday in the presence of several leading politicians in Sri Lanka by the Military Police and is being held in their custody. It is reported that, he will be charged with some military offenses. The entire process of the arrest of the most popular opposition leader in Sri Lanka at the moment by the Military Police is to prevent him being brought before the courts and more..