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| Sri Lanka | |
| Beaten Sri Lankan general considers asylum in Australia | |
| 2010-01-29 | |
General Fonseka fears for his safety and his officials have already approached several embassies in Colombo about possible asylum. He says he would also consider seeking asylum in Australia, but Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith says there has been no official request as yet. "No such approach has been made," he said. "I think it is very important that General Fonseka be provided with two things - that he be provided with freedom of movement and he be provided with security, personal security in the circumstances that he is in." The Sri Lankan Government is accusing General Fonseka of planning to assassinate the President Mahinda Rajapakse. Government spokesman Lakshman Hullugale says General Fonseka and several former army officers were involved in the plot "to assassinate his excellency the President Mahinda Rajapakse and his family members, and also to enter into the Defence Ministry and assassinate Defence Secretary." General Fonseka has rejected the allegation, which came only a day after he labelled members of the government as murderers and said they were trying to assassinate him. Centre for Policy Alternatives executive director Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu says it is unclear whether General Fonseka should stays and fight, or flee abroad. "I suppose General Fonseka has to consider whether he wants to continue in a political career and if he's going to do that, the general election is the next sort of watershed event," he said. "Is he going to come forward as a candidate and if so, on which party's platform?" Mr Rajapakse is expected to dissolve parliament and hold the general election before it is due in April. He is still celebrating his strong win in the presidential poll, and says it is an answer to his critics. As for opposition activists, they are looking for answers of their own as to why General Fonseka lost. Liberal Party deputy federal director James McGrath, has been in Sri Lanka as a special adviser to the opposition and General Fonseka's campaign. "He lost for a variety of reasons - he lost because of the abuse of government resources, he lost because of voter fraud and intimidation, and he lost because the Tamils in the north were unable to vote," he said. As the post mortem continues, Mr Rajapakse is settling in for another term in office. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |