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War hero takes on war leader in Sri Lanka
Malaysian Insider,
Nov 25.
COLOMBO, Nov 25 — Ten days ago, at the end of a national security council meeting in Colombo, Sri Lankan war hero Sarath Fonseka quietly told President Mahinda Rajapakse that he intended to quit the army at the end of the month as he was considering a presidential run.
Rajapakse showed no surprise, said people with knowledge of the event.
Instead, he thanked the nation’s first four-star general for his services, particularly his role as the army commander who supervised the military conquest of the Tamil Tigers, thus ending a quarter-century-long separatist war on the island.
Rather than wait till the end of the month, he could go immediately, the President told his putative challenger, graciously wishing him well in his political career.
Many had thought the war hero’s challenge would halt Rajapakse’s plans to hold a snap presidential poll that would ride on his overwhelming popularity to give him another eight years in office, including two unfinished years of the current presidency.
Instead, Rajapakse, a politician from Sri Lanka’s Sinhala-dominated south, chose to tackle the challenge head-on.
Two days ago, he announced that presidential polls would be held in January, followed by parliamentary elections later in the year.
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Published: Tue Nov 24 22:07:16 EST 2009
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