Fonseka denies coup attempt to unseat Rajapaksa

Defeated opposition candidate General Sarath Fonseka says he never tried to stage a coup to unseat president Mahinda Rajapaksa, a day after Sri Lanka sacked 12 senior military officers, reportedly loyal to the former army chief, for hatching a "political conspiracy" during the polls.

Fonseka denied he ever tried to stage a coup saying, he just had a couple of police personnel protecting him.

"After election the government is saying that we are trying to stage a coup which is a total deliberate lie," he told reporters.

"We all went to the hotel (on January 26) of the second floor because we got the copies of the assassination plan which was planned by the army headquarters operation branch and we got the copies," he said.

"And according to that they (the army headquarters) were to surround my house, Opposition leader's house, my office on night of January 26, take all of us into custody and assassinate, Fonseka said last evening.

When we heard about this all of us decided to go to one stay in one place. We put all the security personnel together for enhanced security arrangements, he said.

Sri Lanka had sacked 12 senior military officers for being a "threat to national security" and hatching "political conspiracy" during the just-concluded presidential polls.

Rajapaksa is also understood to have transferred several senior military officers loyal to the former army general who he defeated in elections.

Meanwhile, Fonseka said, the opposition combine found the only place where "all of us could stay together was the second floor of the hotel we occupied.

They are misleading and saying we were planning a coup in that floor. Imagine we planning a coup with this elderly gentleman," Fonseka said pointing out the person seated near him during the press conference.

"So with this gentleman they say we planned a coup from the second floor of the hotel. We were there for our own safety," he said.

Fonseka made it clear that he will not leave the country and fight for his rights. He said over four million people had reposed by voting for him and he would not like to let them down. Rajapaksa sent the officers on compulsory retirement
for hatching a political conspiracy during the January 26 presidential polls that saw incumbent Rajapaksa convincingly
defeating Sarath Fonseka. Rajapaksa trounced Fonseka by over 1.8 million votes in the January 26 polls.

The officers included three major generals and two brigadiers and are accused of interfering in politics during the polls.

In reply to another query, Fonseka said how could he plan a coup to oust the incumbent government, with a set of seasoned politicians who had always appeared for a democratic way of governance.

"I was staying in the second floor of a hotel along with the political party leaders who supported  me on the night of the Election day. It was due to security reasons," he said.