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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| S Lanka military chiefs dismissed | S Lanka military chiefs dismissed |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A group of senior Sri Lankan military officers have been dismissed for what defence officials called being a "threat to national security". | A group of senior Sri Lankan military officers have been dismissed for what defence officials called being a "threat to national security". |
| The defence ministry said the officers had been "sent on compulsory retirement". | The defence ministry said the officers had been "sent on compulsory retirement". |
| The move follows a bitter general election campaign in which incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa defeated former army chief Gen Sarath Fonseka. | The move follows a bitter general election campaign in which incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa defeated former army chief Gen Sarath Fonseka. |
| Both have claimed there have been assassination plots against them. | Both have claimed there have been assassination plots against them. |
| Gen Fonseka has refused to accept his election defeat, saying his supporters had been intimidated and the result fixed. | |
| A military source told AFP news agency the officers had been sacked to thwart any attempted coup by Gen Fonseka's supporters inside the military. | |
| In a statement, the defence ministry said an undisclosed number had been "sent on compulsory retirement" because they were considered a "direct threat to national security". | |
| Before falling out, President Rajapaksa and Gen Fonseka were close allies in the military offensive that defeated the separatist Tamil Tigers in May. |