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'Raid' on Sri Lanka candidate HQ 'Raid' on Sri Lanka candidate HQ
(about 3 hours later)
The Colombo campaign office of defeated Sri Lankan presidential candidate Gen Sarath Fonseka has been raided, his supporters say. The Colombo campaign office of defeated Sri Lankan presidential candidate Gen Sarath Fonseka has been raided by 40 policemen, his supporters say.
One of the general's aides told the BBC that he believed special forces were engaged in the operation. The say that Criminal Investigation Department (CID) personnel arrested 13 people in the raid.
Another said that he believed that the raid was being carried out with the aim of breaking links between Gen Fonseka and those who worked with him. The government has given almost no information on the operation, which saw a street in Colombo cordoned off.
The military excluded all journalists from the leafy street where the general's campaign office is situated.
Gen Fonseka has refused to accept his defeat in the elections.Gen Fonseka has refused to accept his defeat in the elections.
He argues that his supporters were intimidated and the result was fixed.He argues that his supporters were intimidated and the result was fixed.
On Thursday the general told the BBC Sinhala service that he wanted to leave the country because of death threats. 'Coup plan'
As votes were being counted on Wednesday, troops surrounded him inside the hotel where his campaign was based on suspicion he was plotting a coup. The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says that dozens of security forces were seen arriving in the street where Gen Fonseka ran his office from his home.
Acrimonious class="" href="/2/hi/south_asia/8487405.stm">What now for Sri Lanka? class="" href="/2/hi/south_asia/8484216.stm">Hotel stand-off class="" href="/2/hi/south_asia/8483873.stm">Sri Lankan views on election
A senior government official, Laxman Hulugalle, would only say that "a process of investigations is going on" in relation to Gen Fonseka. "They want to take all [my] people into custody and take them to the police station, saying that we had been planning a coup from that office," Gen Fonseka told the BBC Tamil service.
class="" href="/2/hi/south_asia/8484216.stm">Winning formula class="" href="/2/hi/south_asia/8484216.stm">Hotel stand-off class="" href="/2/hi/south_asia/8483873.stm">Sri Lankan views on election "All nonsense. Right now they are packing up all our computers, all our equipment, and they are trying to take all the staff to police station."
He would not confirm a raid was in progress or say what was being investigated. On Thursday the general said that he wanted to leave the country because of death threats.
All journalists have been stopped from entering the street where the campaign office is situated. As votes were being counted on Wednesday, troops surrounded him inside the hotel, where his campaign was based, on suspicion he was plotting a coup.
But reporters in the area say they believe up to 100 special forces entered the site. 'Falsified'
The government denies Gen Fonseka is being investigated because of his decision to stand in the acrimoniously fought elections. Opposition lawyer Shiral Lakthilaka said that dozens of CID officers escorted by commandos arrested 13 men who had been involved in the general's election campaign, all of them retired soldiers or officers.
On Thursday Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, said the government was considering taking action against him. He said they were now being held incommunicado even though police found none of the weapons or explosives that they said they were looking for.
Mr Rajapaksa said Gen Fonseka had allegedly divulged sensitive information to the public. No senior police officials were able to provide information to the BBC - one said he knew nothing, others were unavailable by telephone.
He told BBC News he was angry with Gen Fonseka for making false allegations against him in public. A defence official would only say an investigation was going on.
Mr Rajapaksa said Gen Fonseka had been wrong to tell a newspaper the defence secretary had ordered the killings of three senior Tamil Tiger rebels as they had tried to surrender in the final stages of the conflict last May. The government had earlier accused the general of planning to assassinate his victorious rival, President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Gen Fonseka later retracted his statement and said his words had been taken out of context.
But Mr Rajapaksa told BBC News the retraction was not enough.
'Many mistakes'
"He accused me of saying that I gave wrong orders. It came out in the newspapers. So we will follow legal procedures. If he has violated certain laws then we will take action.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa (left) is a close confidant of the presidentGotabaya Rajapaksa (left) is a close confidant of the president
"He had done many mistakes, remember. He was a member of the security council. He only left three months ago. He divulged certain security information to the public. He did a wrong thing there. On Thursday Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the brother of President Rajapaksa, said the government was considering taking action against Gen Fonseka.
"But we will not arrest him because he was the opposition candidate." He denied that the opposition leader was being investigated because of his decision to stand in the acrimoniously fought elections.
The president won six million votes compared with the four million cast for Gen Fonseka in the vote held earlier this week. Mr Rajapaksa said Gen Fonseka had wrongly accused him of ordering the killings of three senior Tamil Tiger rebels as they had tried to surrender in the final stages of the conflict last May.
Analysts had predicted a closely fought contest between the two architects of the government's victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels. President Rajapaksa won six million votes compared with the four million cast for Gen Fonseka in the vote held earlier this week.
But President Rajapaksa captured 57% of the vote in Tuesday's polling, while Sarath Fonseka won 40%, according to the election commission.
The independent Centre for Monitoring Election Violence said there were reports of irregularities but no evidence to suggest large-scale fraud.The independent Centre for Monitoring Election Violence said there were reports of irregularities but no evidence to suggest large-scale fraud.
Some 70% of Sri Lanka's 14 million-strong electorate voted. However, turnout in the Tamil areas in the North East, where the fiercest fighting occurred during the conflict, was less than 30%.