Sri Lanka president vows to free ex-army chief: wife

Anoma Fonseka, the wife of detained former Army chief Sarath Fonseka, speaks to reporters outside a private hospital in Colombo, on May 16. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has held talks about releasing jailed ex-army chief after 19 months in jail, according to a member of Fonseka's party. © AFP Lakruwan Wanniarachchi

COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s president has promised to free jailed former army chief Sarath Fonseka unconditionally and at the earliest opportunity, the ex-general’s wife said on Thursday.

Anoma Fonseka said she met President Mahinda Rajapakse on Wednesday night and that he assured her that her husband would be freed as soon as possible.

“I was promised that my husband will be cleared of all charges and released unconditionally,” she told AFP.

There was no comment from Rajapakse’s office, but an official confirmed on Wednesday that the retired four-star general, who unsuccessfully challenged Rajapakse in January 2010 elections, would be released “within days”.

Fonseka fell out with the government over who should take credit for winning the separatist war against the Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009. He challenged Rajapakse after quitting the army.

Two weeks after his election defeat, Fonseka was detained on a charge of corruption relating to military procurements. He was given a 30-month jail sentence in September 2010.

Earlier Wednesday, Rajapakse met members of Fonseka’s Democratic National Alliance (DNA) party to discuss the terms of his release, DNA legislator Tiran Alles told reporters.

The moves come ahead of talks later this week between Sri Lanka’s foreign minister G. L. Peiris and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington.

The United States has been critical of Sri Lanka’s rights record during the final stages of the civil war, which ended with victory for government forces in May 2009. Washington has repeatedly urged Colombo to release Fonseka.

In November, Fonseka was sentenced to three more years in jail for saying that Tiger rebels who surrendered had been killed on the orders of the president’s brother Gotabhaya Rajapakse, who is defence secretary.

Fonseka has also angered the government by saying he would testify before any international tribunal probing possible war crimes charges after the United Nations said thousands of civilians were killed in the last months of fighting.