Sri Lankan police disperse protesters as detained opposition leader appeals for calm

Sri Lankan police disperse pro-opposition protest

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankan police swinging batons dispersed a crowd Thursday protesting the detention of the defeated opposition presidential candidate, former army chief Sarath Fonseka, who appealed to his supporters for calm.

Police arrested at least eight people, including a Buddhist monk, during the protest in Maharagama, a suburb of Colombo, according to an Associated Press photographer.

Military police arrested Fonseka on Monday on charges he plotted a coup while still in control of the armed forces.

Fonseka’s followers say the move is revenge against him for daring to challenge President Mahinda Rajapaksa in last month’s election and is meant to prevent him from contesting April parliamentary elections. A day after Fonseka was dragged from his office, the president dissolved parliament, setting the stage for April 8 polls, when the ruling coalition is determined to cement its grip on power.

Fonseka’s wife Anoma said her husband told her to ask his supporters to “remain calm.”

“His moral is very high, higher than what it was,” she told reporters after visiting Fonseka at the naval base where he is being held.

On Wednesday, government backers hurled stones at supporters of Fonseka who were protesting his arrest in Colombo, sparking a clash that was broken up by police with tear gas.

Six people including two policemen were injured.

Fonseka’s lawyers have filed an appeal against his detention, saying his rights were violated.

Rajapaksa and Fonseka were close allies in the government’s victory last year against Tamil Tiger rebels, who fought for 25 years for an independent state. But Fonseka resigned after a fallout and contested the presidency, losing to Rajapaksa by 17 percentage points.

Meanwhile, the United States urged Sri Lanka to protect the rights of opposition supporters and ensure the safety of journalists.

“The free expression of opinion and peaceful participation in the political process are fundamental democratic rights, which all citizens of Sri Lanka should enjoy,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.

P.J. Crowley, a U.S. State Department spokesman, added that Washington has talked with the Sri Lankan ambassador to the U.S. and is looking for authorities to announce a legal basis for Fonseka’s detention.

A reporter with a pro-opposition newspaper went missing days before the election and a newspaper editor has been detained under the country’s wartime emergency laws.

Associated Press writer Foster Klug contributed to this report from Washington.