Political complacency will hasten plunge into autocracy: Australian media

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 February 2010, 01:58 GMT]
Australia’s nonchalant approach to Sri Lanka’s rapid decline into a full-blown autocracy would be a betrayal of the inhabitants of the land “should Australia be seen to abandon support for democracy in order to preserve relations with an increasingly authoritarian ruler” warned The Age in an editorial on Friday. Citing the alleged slaughter of thousands of Tamil civilians, the abduction of journalists and the recent arrest of presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka, all under the gaze of the current administration, the paper urged the Rudd Government to take a pro-active stance as it has done to sanction other pacific nations that have defied the frameworks of democracy or risk failing its vested responsibilities as a regional power.
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Fonseka files election petition challenging Rajapakse’s second term

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 February 2010, 13:05 GMT]
General (retd) Sarath Fonseka filed a petition Tuesday morning in the Supreme Court challenging the election of incumbent President Mahinda Rajapakse for a second term in the presidential election held on January 26 this year. General Sarath Fonseka in his petition cited several malpractices including the misuse of State media, electronic and print, misuse of the State machinery and other election malpractices at polling booths and counting centres, legal sources said.
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Theological premises of Maha Sangha raise questions

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 February 2010, 10:24 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government should overlook the alleged crimes committed by General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, as the government has taken in its fold 'criminals' such as Karuna and Pillayan, who 'massacred' Bhikus at Aranthalawa, launched a bomb attack on Dalada Maligawa and killed Sinhalese civilians and military personnel. Hence the government should overlook the alleged offences committed by the Sri Lankan Genreal (retd) Sarath Fonseka, who almost lost his life to 'safeguard the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka' and so it surely can overlook the alleged offences committed by him, said a statement signed by the chief prelates of the four chapters of the Buddhist Maha Sangha. Tamil circles question whether the statment outlines the principles of 'practical theology' of the Maha Sangha in the island.
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Mixed responses from Buddhist prelates on Fonseka arrest

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 February 2010, 05:12 GMT]
Buddhist Chief Prelates (Mahanayakas) of Asgiriya and Malwatte Chapters have come out with mixed responses on Fonseka's arrest. While the Mahanayaka of Malwatte Chapter has said that he was awaiting response from the Sri Lankan president, saying that Mr. Rajapaksa "could have been in dark" while the arrest took place, the Mahanayaka of Asgiriya Chapter has deplored the sudden arrest of Sarath Fonseka. In the meantime, Sri Lankan opposition sources said they were awaiting a joint written statement from the main prelates. The Buddhist prelates exercise a dominant influence on the Sri Lankan regime. The prelates of four chapters will be meeting on 18 February to discuss Fonseka's arrest.
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SL Supreme Court decides to hold inquiry into Fonseka FR petition

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 February 2010, 04:07 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court Friday has granted leave to proceed in a controversial Fundamental Rights (FR) petition filed by Anoma Fonseka on behalf of her husband General Sarath Fonseka who has been detained by the Military police. The FR petition has been listed for inquiry on February 23 and on that date the Supreme Court will consider granting interim relief in the Sarath Fonseka FR case, legal sources said.
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Magistrate takes tough stand on police

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 February 2010, 11:42 GMT]
Colombo Chief Magistrate, Ms Champa Janaki Rajaratne, Thursday reprimanded the Police for the failure to arrest armed men who are believed to be supporters of the ruling party when they attacked civilian protestors during their peaceful march condemning the arrest and detention of General Fonseka held on Wednesday in Colombo, legal sources said.
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Police use tear gas, water cannons to break up protests

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 February 2010, 02:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police Thursday used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protests launched by opposition parties demanding the unconditional release of General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, in Maharagama, Kandy and other parts of the south, according to media reports.
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Proving geopolitical strength, antidote to international injustice to Tamils

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 February 2010, 21:20 GMT]
In whatever ways Eezham Tamils may express aspiration for their national liberation, India and Rajapaksa government will quietly go ahead with their agenda of what they understand by ‘reconciliation,’ is the response that comes from the circles of the Indian Establishment. Informed Tamil political circles say there is a ‘high level’ understanding among all powers of geopolitical competition to negate Tamil independence. How to achieve the goal when all are against and what is the point in claiming freedom outside when people are subjugated inside are questions of those who are disillusioned by the psychological war. If crimes against Tamil nation are committed due to geopolitics the antidote is nothing but Tamil uprising to prove geopolitical superiority and the responsibility lies with Tamil Nadu.
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Violence erupts in protest against Fonseka arrest, police fire tear gas

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 February 2010, 13:11 GMT]
Opposition protest held Wednesday at Hultsdorf in Colombo against the arrest and detention of General (retd) Sarath Fonseka turned violent when a pro-government group attacked the protestors. Both groups thereafter started attacking each other. Protestors were also seen attacking the police personnel. Both groups used iron rods and clubs. Stones were pelted. Journalists at the scene said they saw clubs being unloaded from a car to attack the protestors.
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SLA arrests TNA supporters in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 February 2010, 03:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers arrested Tuesday morning supporters of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) distributing handbills thanking the people of Jaffna peninsula for casting their votes in large numbers to Sarath Fonseka in the recent presidential election, rejecting President Mahinda Rajapakse, on TNA’s request, sources in Jaffna said. This arrest is seen as a continuation of the attacks on TNA supporters and their properties who openly campaigned for Sarath Fonseka, the sources added.
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Opposition parties to stage protest against Fonseka's arrest

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 February 2010, 18:16 GMT]
United National Party (UNP), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP-M-wing), Democratic Peoples Front (DPF) and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) are to stage protests in key towns in the country Wednesday against the arrest of General (retd) Sarath Fonseka.
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Sarath Fonseka’s wife appeals to ICRC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 February 2010, 14:25 GMT]
As General Fonseka under arrest needs regular medication his wife Anoma Fonseka has appealed to the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) to supply the necessary medicines needed for her husband, Mrs. Fonseka said at a press briefing Tuesday.
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Police arrests 2 ex-SLA officials after intelligence tip-off on Lasantha assasination

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 February 2010, 11:03 GMT]
Sri Lankan Police officials have claimed that they have arrested two former Sri Lanka Army officials in connection with the assassination of Sunday Leader Editor-in-Chief Lasantha Wickremathunge. The arrests were carried out following information provided by the Intelligence Unit of the SLA, police sources claimed Monday, when former Sri Lankan military chief and defeated presidential candidate General (retd) Sarath Fonseka was taken by the Sri Lankan military police for investigations.
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Fonseka beaten, dragged during arrest – report

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 February 2010, 10:47 GMT]
General Sarath Fonseka, the former Sri Lankan military chief and defeated presidential candidate, was punched and dragged along the ground by troops led by a Major General who arrested him as he met political allies last night, the Daily Telegraph said Tuesday. “There was no decorum. To call it an arrest gives dignity and legality to what was a brutal abduction. He was beaten, dragged along the floor and bundled into a van," said opposition politician and Fonseka’s campaign spokesperson Mangala Samaraweera.
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SL military police arrests Fonseka

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 February 2010, 16:28 GMT]
Sri Lankan military police Monday night arrested former commander of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and opposition candidate in the recent presidential elections General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, initial reports from sources close to Fonseka said. The arrest comes after he declared that he was prepared to witness against anyone who had committed war crimes. The military personnel ragged away Fonseka in a very disgraceful manner, according to Rauff Hakeem, the leader of the Muslim Congress, who was with Fonseka while the arrest took place, told Reuters.
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Sri Lanka, acid test for International Law

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 February 2010, 23:15 GMT]
The widespread systematic pattern of crimes committed by the Sri Lankan state against Tamil civilians, particularly during the first five months of 2009 in the Northeast province, constitute violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, legal scholars have said. During this period, indifference exhibited by the international community, including the United Nations, led to the deaths of more than 30,000 Tamils. The strong transnational expatriate Tamil community now has the burden (a) to prevent Sri Lanka from erasing the massacres from historical record, (b) to resist attempts by international powers to persuade Tamils for reconciliation without establishing justice and accountability for the crimes, and (c) to seek justice for tens of thousands of Tamil victims by charging Sri Lanka of war crimes and genocide against Tamils in world courts.
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Lecturer, wife seek anticipatory bail from courts

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 February 2010, 02:07 GMT]
A lecturer and his wife Friday sought anticipatory bail from Colombo Magistrate from being arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department of Sri Lanka Police for supporting General (retd) Sarath Fonseka in the recently held presidential election, legal sources in Colombo said.
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Fonseka had plans to stage Russian style coup, says Rajapaksa government

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 February 2010, 17:08 GMT]
The United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government led by Mahinda Rajapaksa Friday claimed that there was an attempt to stage a Russian style coup in Sri Lanka on the eve of last presidential election. Thirty seven persons including several retired Major Generals and Colonels and Brigadiers have been held in detention over their alleged involvement in the coup attempt, the government said.
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SL parliament extends emergency another month

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 February 2010, 16:57 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s parliament Friday adopted a motion by a majority of eighty seven votes to extend the State of Emergency for another month. One hundred and two MPs of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) voted for the motion and fifteen from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the main opposition United National Party (UNP) voted against. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) parliamentarians did not participate in the voting.
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Gotabhaya outbursts against UN, International investigations

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 February 2010, 23:01 GMT]
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan defence secretary and the brother of the SL president, in an exclusive interview to the BBC on Tuesday, opposed any international investigation on war crimes during the final stage of the war. Meanwhile, the official news website of the Rajapaksa government in its Sinhala and versions has blamed external forces for rejuvenating the claim of Tamil Eelam by backing Sarath Fonseka, citing the pattern of the results of the recent presidential elections. The Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa also warned the politicians not to guide the 'innocent people' in 'wrong path', while he referred to the election participation in North and East in his Tamil version of the February 04 speech.
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