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Summary
Sri Lanka's top general, Sarath Fonseka, who engineered the defeat of the Tamil Tigers after a 25-year war, signed his last document as chief of defence staff in Colombo on Monday. He said he would make a major announcement on his future within two to three days, amid speculation he may run for president.I will reveal my future plans in two or three days. I will serve the country. I will continue to serve the country to the best of my ability in any position, General S. Fonseka told journalists soon after signing his last document as the CDS.Fonseka submitted his resignation on Thursday amid speculation he will challenge his commander in chief, President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the presidency. If Fonseka enters the race, he is expected to weaken Rajapaksa's core voter base and erode the incumbent's present monopoly on claiming political capital from the war victory. President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Sunday postponed the expected announcement of dates for early presidential and parliamentary elections due by April without giving a reason.The main opposition United National Party and the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna have united in fanning rampant speculation saying they would back Fonseka as a common candidate to run against President Rajapaksa. In a letter to the president, Fonseka described how he had felt sidelined with his appointment to the newly created post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), which many analysts saw as a hollow promotion to diminish the general's power. The 39-year army veteran was given nearly unbridled power as he prosecuted the war with his former comrade-in-arms, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the president's brother in defeating separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in 34-months.
