Fonseka's wife accuses govt of abducting her husband

Sri Lankan opposition leader Sarath Fonseka's wife, Anoma, accused the government of abducting her husband and asked for help to trace his whereabouts.

With tears in her eyes, Anoma Fonseka told reporters from her residence, on Tuesday, that she did not know where her husband had been taken on Monday night."He was not involved in politics while he was in the army. He only took to politics only after he retired from the army. In normal circumstances he should have been taken into custody only by senior officer if government had thought it proper to arrest him. Officers who came to take him into custody were junior officers," Anoma said.

"They came to his office last night dragged him by force and abducted him when he was having meeting with political leaders," she narrated. Anoma said her husband was a civilian and if at all they had to arrest him it should be done by police with a proper warrant.

"Please help me find my husband. I have not heard anything from him. I hope I am able to hear something from him," she said. Asked whether she would appeal for Fonseka's release, his wife said "they should be reasonable" "They did not tell anybody and came without informing," she said.

Many of the political leaders who were present when Fonseka was arrested charged that he had been taken away forcibly. Sri Lankan Muslim Congress leader Rauf Hakim told reporters that he was a witness to the whole episode of the arrest of former Army Chief. "They asked me, Manu Ganeshan and other leaders to leave and asked Fonseka to come with them." Rauf said. Fonseka asked the officials who came to arrest him where the police was.

They said, "The military police  was down stairs. Please come down." When Fonseka asked what were the charges they read out a piece of paper and said this was regarding conspiracy. "We condemn the act unequivocally. It is a vendetta and witch-hunting," Rauf said. Before Fonseka's arrest we were discussing about forthcoming parliamentary elections and alleged malpractice in the Presidential elections, he said.