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COLOMBO: The defeated candidate in Sri Lanka's presidential vote, former army chief Sarath Fonseka, was arrested on Monday hours after vowing to give evidence before any war crimes tribunal.
State media said Fonseka, who led the army to victory over Tamil Tiger rebels last year, ending a bloody 37-year insurgency, was taken into custody by the military police to be charged with unspecified "military offences".
The 59-year-old retired four-star general, who lost to President Mahinda Rajapakse in the January 26 election, was seized by troops who stormed the offices of the main opposition alliance which had backed his candidacy.
"They forcibly took away General Fonseka while he was having a discussion with three other senior opposition leaders," a spokesman for the People's Liberation Front (JVP) told AFP.
"The general refused to be taken away. They grabbed him and virtually carried him away after threatening the others," the spokesman said. "There must have been over 100 soldiers."
The office was cordoned off by heavily armed troops who blocked reporters and photographers from entering the building and taking pictures.
Fonseka's campaign manager, Senaka de Silva, was also taken away, witnesses said.
Fonseka's arrest prompted concern from the United States, which said it could worsen divisions as the island recovers from war.
"We are following the situation closely and we have concerns that any action be in accord with Sri Lankan law," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told AFP.
"There is a tremendous need for the government of Sri Lanka to work to overcome the fissures that exist within its society," he said.
"It has to be very cautious that any actions it takes are designed to heal the split within Sri Lankan society, not to exacerbate it," he said.
Hours before the dramatic arrest, Fonseka told reporters at the same office that he would face any international probe into alleged war crimes committed by Sri Lankan troops in the final stages of battling Tamil rebels last year.
In contrast, the government has resisted international calls for an investigation amid charges that a senior defence official ordered the killing of surrendering rebel leaders in cold blood.
"I am prepared to go before any investigation and give evidence," Fonseka said. "I am not prepared to protect anyone, if they have committed war crimes. It is unpatriotic to protect anyone who has committed war crimes."
Fonseka has also said that he fears assassination.
Official sources confirmed that Fonseka was seized by the military police who took him before a doctor to check his medical condition before formally placing him under arrest.
The dramatic arrest came a day after a private newspaper said Fonseka could be court martialled on charges of plotting a coup to topple the government.
Earlier this month, Rajapakse sacked a dozen senior military officers whom the defence ministry said were a "direct threat" to national security.
The government has sought legal advice on using a military court to fast-track proceedings against Fonseka who was hailed as a national hero after the defeat of the Tamil Tigers in May.
During their head-to-head at the ballot box, both Fonseka and Rajapakse had sought to take credit for the spectacular military success that ended the Tigers' armed campaign for an independent Tamil homeland.
The United Nations says 7,000 civilians died during the final stages of fighting and the world body has also called on Sri Lanka to account for alleged extra-judicial killings of Tamil prisoners, a demand rejected by Colombo.
Rajapakse won last month's election easily but Fonseka vowed to challenge the result in the Supreme Court.
While the government insisted the election was free and fair, the United States and the European Commission have pressed for a probe into allegations of vote fraud.
Fonseka had been keen to contest parliamentary elections, which political sources say the government is expected to call within days - two months ahead of schedule.
Fonseka has alleged that the government had already arrested more than 50 people from his office in what he described as a bid to prevent evidence being collected to support his challenge to the presidential poll result. - AFP/de
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