Colombo: Sri Lanka`s former Army Chief and
newly-elected opposition MP Sarath Fonseka on Thursday said he was a
victim of "illegal" detention and sought the "rule of law",
shortly after being taken to Parliament from custody for its
inaugural session.
"The nation requires democracy, rule of law, personal
freedom and freedom for the media," 59-year-old Fonseka, who
is being court-martialled on charges of indulging in illegal
defence deals and politics while in uniform, said in his first
public remarks since his February 8 arrest.
Attired in the national dress -- a white collarless
`kurta` and `dhoti`, the former top General said he would
support any move to protect the democratic rights of the
people.
Fonseka, the leader of the opposition Democratic National
Alliance (DNA), arrived in Parliament under tight security and
was seated in the front row along side senior JVP member and
ally Anura Kumara Dissanayake. He also greeted Chamal
Rajapaksa, the new Speaker and brother of Sri Lankan President
Mahinda Rajapaksa, on the opening day of Parliament.
The former Army Chief was elected from the Colombo
District constituency as his DNA managed to bag only seven
seats in the April 8 Parliamentary polls while the main
Opposition United National Party secured 60 against the ruling
UPFA`s 144.
The UPFA fell short of a two-third majority by six seats
in the unicameral 225-member Parliament.
"The democratic right of the people should be
safeguarded. The freedom of expression should be protected.
The people should be protected from illegal arrest. I am one
of them who is undergoing illegal arrest," Fonseka said in his
address to Parliament.
Fonseka, who was instrumental in the defeat of the LTTE
last year, had also unsuccessfully contested the January 26
Presidential polls, in which incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa had
secured another six-year term in office.
In his address to Parliament, R Sampanthan, the
newly-elected chief of the Pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance,
said his 14 party members were ready to support any
arrangement for solving problems of the people, an apparent
reference to the political solution for the Tamil-dominated
Northern region.
His remarks came after new Prime Minister D M Jayaratne
said that Sri Lanka was undergoing a new beginning after the
end of the three-decade conflict, with the defeat of the LTTE
in May last year.
PTI
