My swearing in a humiliation for the government – Fonseka tells Reuters

Sri Lanka’s former army chief said his swearing-in as a member of parliament on Thursday was a “humiliation” to the government, which he said had jailed him illegally to crush his political career.
It was the second victory for General Sarath Fonseka in 11 months, after he as army commander announced to the nation last May that the separatist Tamil Tigers had been destroyed and the Indian Ocean island nation’s quarter-century war had been won.
Then, he and Rajapaksa had stood together as war heroes, but quickly fell out over what Fonseka said were false coup allegations and his sidelining to a job with no real powers.
That culminated with his quitting the army to challenge Rajapaksa in the Jan. 26 presidential election, which he lost by 1.8 million votes. As votes were being counted, troops surrounded his hotel on suspicion he was plotting a coup.
He was arrested two weeks later and subsequently charged with illegal procurement and politicking in uniform, part of Sri Lanka’s military code taken from British military law that makes it illegal for soldiers to engage in politics.

“They are trying to keep me away from my political activities and since we have managed to come to parliament, overcoming all the barriers, I have recorded a victory here which is of course a humiliation for the government,” Fonseka told Reuters by phone.
The former army commander won a seat in this month’s parliament election while in military custody facing court-martial.

As a parliamentarian, he has the privilege to attend sessions in the legislature and his appearance on Thursday was the first time he has spoken publicly since his arrest in February. He was returned afterward to custody at Navy headquarters.
“We have realised that this government will not look after the interests of the people and the country, violating all the principles of democracy,” he said. “So we are all united to defeat this government.

DEFENDER OF HUMAN RIGHTS ?
Fonseka campaigned as a defender of human rights and joined Western governments and rights groups who routinely criticise the government for arbitrary arrests, rights abuses and failing to prosecuting those who have hurt or killed journalists.

The general was criticised at home and abroad for his policy of win-at-any-cost when he was army commander during an offensive that saw thousands of civilians killed. He was also criticised for branding journalists critical of the war as traitors.
“Certain statements were detrimental to the progress of the war and the security of the country,” he said. “The particular statement made by me at that time was that those statements are traitorous, but I didn’t say or brand everybody as traitor.”
Fonseka won a seat in the capital Colombo as head of the Democratic National Alliance, which includes the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. The wider opposition coalition that backed him for the presidential poll split after his defeat.
Journalists were not allowed to bring their telephones into the parliament nor were they allowed to move freely after the session as is ordinarily the case for accredited media.
Fonseka is Sri Lanka’s only four-star general, after a 40-year career in which he was twice wounded.
In 2006, a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber nearly killed him at army headquarters, but he returned to command three months later and began the offensive that crushed one of the world’s most feared and ruthless armed groups in less than three years.

Reuters

Unfamiliar field, but dreams for the future….

Though veterans in their respective fields of sports, Sanath Jayasuriya, World Cup winning cricketer who entered Parliament from the Matara district and ruggerite Namal Rajapaksa from the adjoining Hambantota district, both are treading on new pitch and field after entering the nation’s supreme legislature. Two among the several new faces elected from the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and attending the inaugural session of the seventh parliament they must be contemplating their future strategies to win in the world of politics. Source By: Ada derana

ALL ISLAND RESULTS - CUMULATIVE

UPFA Won the Election

MTV/MBC attacked by thugs

An armed group believed to be associated with a notorious Deputy Minister attacked the MTV/MBC office at Braybrooke Place a short while ago severely damaging the place, an MBC official told Daily Mirror online.

When asked if the Minister was also present at the scene, the official said that the Minister was not to be seen at the time of the incident.

He also said that the MTV staff members were attacked by stones and the staff had retaliated by throwing the same stones at the gang afterwhich the gang fled the scene.

Police who arrived at the scene made ateleast 16 arrests.

Government and Opposition members also rushed to the scene to see the extent of damage and hold discussions with the MTV/MBC management.

Members of the Special Task Force and the police have been deployed outside the premises.

Meanwhile eye witnesses said that some of the attackers at the scene had held placards against the upcoming concert by popular international artiste Akon for which MTV/MBC is a sponsor. Source By:(Daily Mirror online)

Source By Video : YOUTUBE

Minor quake in South Indian Ocean, no tsunami threat

A minor earthquake has struck the South Indian Ocean on early Monday, seismologist said. According to the Meteorological Department of Sri Lanka the earthquake was below 6.0 magnitude and there is no threat of a tsunami. The earthquake at 02.33 a.m. local time (20.33 UTC Sunday) had a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 and was centered about 1,151 kilometers (716 miles) south-southeast of Colombo,Sri Lanka’s capital, according to the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center. It struck about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake. A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka, according to the United States Geological Survey. The earthquake’s depth was measured at 6.2 miles and was located 710 miles southeast of Colombo and 730 miles southeast of Negombo.

Earthquake Details

Magnitude	6.0
Date-Time	Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 20:33:10 UTC Monday, March 15, 2010 at 02:33:10 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	2.763°S, 83.678°E
Depth	10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region	SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN
Distances	1155 km (710 miles) SSE of COLOMBO, Sri Lanka 1155 km (720 miles) SSE of Kandy, Sri Lanka 1185 km (730 miles) SSE of Negombo, Sri Lanka 1365 km (850 miles) SE of MALE, Maldives
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 8.5 km (5.3 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters	NST= 94, Nph= 95, Dmin=>999 km, Rmss=0.86 sec, Gp= 50°, M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=6
Source	USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID	us2010tvb3

source: US Geological Survey

Government to reform presidency

The government says it will abolish or reform the executive presidency if elected with a two thirds majority at the forthcoming General election. The government says it is also planning to introduce a fresh constitution in the new parliament. Source by: DM

Fonseka supporters tear gassed in Ampara, Galle too

Supporters of retired General Sarath Fonseka who were staging a protest near the clock tower at Ampara town were tear gassed by police, reported the Adaderana correspondent in the area.

Police media spokesman said that the protestors who gathered peacefully later began pelting stones at the Police and tear gas had to be used to bring the situation under control.

Meanwhile, a similar incident where Fonseka supporters were tear gassed was reported from Galleas well. Source By: Ada Derana

General Fonseka arrested

Former army Chief and opposition Presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka and his media secretary Senaka de Silva were arrested by the military police a short while ago, opposition Member of Parliament Mano Ganeshan told Daily Mirror online.

Military spokesman Major Prasad Samarasingha confirmed that the General has been arrested from his Colombo office for committing military offences.

Source By: Daily Mirror.