Former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka told the media yesterday that he along with others ‘imprisoned by the government’ were prepared to break out of prison and protect the people.

A defiant Fonseka said: "The pattern of imprisonment will continue, similar to Ranjan Ramanayake being arrested. There will be hundreds more going to jail. Together, we are prepared to break out from prison to protect democracy and the masses. Once we come out we will provide protection and freedom to the people."

Sunday Leader Editor Frederica Jansz insists that General Sarath Fonseka never contradicted the story written by her under the headline, Gota Ordered Them to be shot, in her newspaper on Dec. 13, 2009, though he he had issued a clarification. While reiterating that the article was factual, Jansz insists even Fonseka’s clarification reiterated the allegation.

At that point prosecutor Deputy Solicitor General Wasantha Nawaratna Bandara objected to the line of cross-examining, but Justice Mrs. Deepali Wijesundera overruled him.

The Elections Commissioner yesterday gazetted the name of Lakshman Nipunaarachchi who was nominated as a member of parliament in place of retired General Sarath Fonseka who is serving a 30-month jail term.

Parliament Deputy Secretary General Dhammika Dasanayake had informed the elections commissioner that General Fonseka was no longer an MP in view of his imprisonment and this led to the elections department nominating Mr. Nipunarachchi who had obtained the next highest number of preferential votes at the April 8 general election. (Read More)

Imprisoned former Army Commander and the leader of the DNA, Sarath Fonseka yesterday filed a writ application in the Appeal Court challenging the move by the Secretary General of Parliament to remove him from his Parliamentary seat.

In his application Sarath Fonseka asked to quash the communications with the decision made by Deputy Secretary General of Parliament, Dhammika Dassanayake to inform the Commissioner of Elections that his seat as a member of parliament had fallen vacant and the direction made by the

Election Commissioner on the Returning Officer to fill the vacancy and decision of the Returning Officer to send the name of Lakshman Nipunarachchi to the Election Commissioner as the Member of Parliament for the Colombo District for the vacancy of Fonseka.

He said that to the best of his knowledge when MP S.B. Dissanayake was convicted by the Supreme Court for Contempt of Court in December 2004 and sentenced to two years imprisonment, the Secretary General of Parliament did not make a similar communication to the Commissioner of Elections.(Read More)

The Elections Commissioner yesterday gazetted the name of Lakshman Nipunaarachchi who was nominated as a member of parliament in place of retired General Sarath Fonseka who is serving a 30-month jail term.

Parliament Deputy Secretary General Dhammika Dasanayake had informed the elections commissioner that General Fonseka was no longer an MP in view of his imprisonment and this led to the elections department nominating Mr. Nipunarachchi (Read More)

The Sunday Leader Editor Federica Jansz giving evidence in the white flag trial-at-bar yesterday said the JVP had carried out a campaign aimed at tarnishing her image claiming that Sarath Fonseka never made such a statement.  Ms. Jansz told the trial-at-bar comprising Judges Deepali Wijesundera, W.M.P.B. Warawewa and M.Z. Razeen that Mr. Fonseka did not deny or withdraw what he said at his first interview but only clarified some of what he had said. She said except for the clarification on the white flag incident nothing about the source of information was mentioned in what was published on December 20.

Ms. Jansz said at the December 8 interview Mr. Fonseka said the forces had detained those who surrendered with white flags but in the clarification he had said the LTTE leaders were killed in battle.

She said Mr. Fonseka did not deny that Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa had given illegal orders to Brigadier Shavindra Silva.

Ms. Jansz said no questions cropped up after she carried the clarification but she alleged that the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) carried out a campaign against her and tarnished her image charging that Mr. Fonseka never made the statement attributed to him. (Read More)

The Acting Secretary General of Parliament has informed the Department of Elections that the Parliamentary seat of DNA Leader Sarath Fonseka had fallen vacant.

The letter informing of the vacancy to the Elections Department had been sent under the signature of Acting Secretary General Dhammika Dassanayake.

A spokesman from the Department of Elections said the Secretary General had notified this as per Section 64 (1) of the Parliamentary Elections Act and the seat had fallen vacant under section 66 (D) of the Parliamentary Elections Act.

Accordingly, the person next in the DNA list will be nominated for the vacancy created. The next in line in the DNA Colombo district list is Lakshman Nipunarachchi. Meanwhile, Parliament Deputy Secretary General had acted according to the Constitution to notify the Elections Commissioner that the seat of jailed DNA Leader Sarath Fonseka’s seat fell vacant, Deputy Speaker Priyankara Jayaratne told Parliament yesterday. (Read More)

He opened the debate on the Provincial Councils Amendment Bill and said he had also requested the president to restore the civil and military status of the former army commander.

Mr. Wickremesinghe, who read out his letter in the House, said he had decided to make a written request to the president to fulfil his duty as opposition leader.

“It is my duty as the opposition leader to act when the parliamentary privileges of an opposition member are violated,” he said.In his letter the opposition leader had recalled that president, at a meeting with the Maha Sangha, stated that he was willing to consider pardoning the former army commander if a proper appeal were made. (Read More)

Opposition and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe said yesterday that he would be filing a report in parliament about the security and other conditions under which Retired General Sarath Fonseka, MP, was being held at the Welikada jail. Speaking to the media after visiting Fonseka, he said that as Opposition Leader, it was his duty to ascertain the conditions under which a former army commander and war hero had been unjustly imprisoned.

Wickremasinghe said that he also intends meeting the Prisons Minister and Commissioner General of Prisons. (Read More)