Former Sri Lankan Army chief arrested

COLOMBO - Former Sri Lankan Army chief and defeated presidential poll candidate Sarath Fonseka has been arrested, his family told reporters here Monday.

Fonseka was arrested by the military police, sources said.

Fonseka’s media secretary Senaka de Silva was also arrested, the Daily Mirror of Sri Lanka reported on its website.

Weekend newspapers had speculated that Fonseka would be arrested and hauled before a military court for several allegations against him, including a conspiracy to assassinate Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

He was the main challenger to Rajapaksa in the country’s sixth presidential election Jan 26, in which Rajapaksa defeated him by 1.8 million votes.

Fonseka was a key figure in the government’s military offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels between 2006 and 2009.

He resigned from the military in November 2009 and ran for the presidency as the common candidate of the opposition parties.