Sri Lanka's detained general pays tribute to war heros (2)

Fonseka said he still recalled that how the people celebrated the achievement jubilantly but today the victory was commemorated without mentioning his name.

Sunil Handunneththi, a legislator from the opposition Democratic National Alliance (DNA) told the parliament that the government could not hold its grand war victory celebration as Mother nature was grieving on Fonseka's name being erased from the victory.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's brother, Defense Secretary Gotabhya Rajapaksa said Fonseka would be tried for treason and politicizing the Army. "He betrayed our national cause for his personal ambition. From the day he decided to enter politics he began projecting the military campaign in such a manner so as to get public sympathy," Gotabhya told an Indian magazine.

As the island's Army Commander from December 2005 to July 2009, Fonseka played a key role in defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which had been fighting for an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east since the 1980s.

Fonseka shed the uniforms in November 2009 and decided to contest the January 26 presidential polls as the common candidate of the opposition parties.

But after a tiring election campaign, President Rajapaksa got reelected for his second term defeating Fonseka by about 1.8 million votes.

The once war-hero was arrested on February 8 over plotting to overthrow the government while in uniform. Since then he is under military custody and faced two court martials.

While in military custody, he contested the parliamentary polls from the DNA and secured a seat at the new parliament.

Source: Xinhua
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