Lanka’s ex-army chief Fonseka joins govt

Jaswinder Singh Baidwan

Akhran da mureed
Staff member
Sarath Fonseka, former chief of the Sri Lankan army who vanquished the LTTE, today joined the ruling coalition amid indications that he may be inducted as a minister soon.
Fonseka, 65, whose Democratic Party signed an agreement to join the ruling United National Front for Good Governance, said he had "nothing to hide" and was willing to face a war crimes inquiry.
"I have always said that I am ready to face any inquiry," Fonseka said, adding: "We have nothing to hide. I feel that the allegations must be investigated." The country's first five-star Field Marshal, Fonseka, is expected to become a Member of Parliament next week and a minister, sources said.
The development comes within a year of the change in government in Sri Lanka that was earlier ruled by former strongman Mahinda Rajapkasa, with whom Fonseka had a fall-out.
The UNHRC has asked for an investigation into human rights abuses by Fonseka's troops and the LTTE during the final phase of the three-decade war that ended in 2009. Sri Lanka has opted for a domestic inquiry, while the UNHRC has sought an international probe.
Fonseka, who was nearly assassinated by a LTTE suicide bomber in 2006, was pardoned by Maithripala Sirisena days after he assumed office as the President last year.
 
Top