2ND LEAD

Fonseka to contest presidential election on swan symbol

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 November 2009, 12:42 GMT]
Former Sri Lanka Army Commander General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, the common opposition candidate for the Sri Lankan presidential election, which is scheduled to be held on January 26 is to contest on the symbol swan and on the ticket of a newly registered political party. He held the first press briefing Sunday morning at Jaica Hotel in Colombo.

“We defeated the LTTE in the war not to hand over the country to a dictator. One family is thriving in the aftermath of military victory over the LTTE,” says the former SLA commander who served under Mahinda Rajapaksa, the SL president and commander-in-chief of the Sri Lankan forces.

Fonseka was critical of the manner in which President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s administration has handled the situation in the country after the war.

"I am here to clean up the garbage and I know my hands will get directly when I do that but I am willing to face all the mud slinging bravery," he said.

The General also condemned the manner in which his government is politicising its military. ”The military personnel in uniform are being used in the most unethical manner to sling mud at me. This is unprecedented and unethical,” Fonseka said.

He also said that there were attempts to pass the blame for all the unlawful incidents of the past. ”We all know that those behind the unlawful activities are thugs and hooligans .They are trying to bring disrespect to the military by pointing the finger at me,” the former SLA commander said.