Fonseka's wife concerned about arrest

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Anoma Fonseka, wife of Sri Lanka's former army chief, Gen. Sarath Fonseka, says she is concerned about her husband's arrest by the military.

She told CNN she learned about the Monday arrest from her nephew, who attended a meeting the retired general was holding with opposition leaders at the time of the arrest. She said she is concerned about her husband's safety and health.

Fonseka, who lost to incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa in last month's election, was arrested for "military offenses" but the military gave no details.

Both Fonseka and Rajapaksa are regarded as heroes after the military defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels last May, ending the 26-year-old civil war for a separate homeland for the minority Tamils. But the two fell out after the victory and became the main contenders in the presidential elections.

Mano Ganeshan, head of one of the opposition parties that supported Fonseka, said the general was "physically dragged" from his office by heavily armed military police, CNN reported.

Opposition Parliament member Jayalath Jayawardena said a group of about 150 soldiers stormed the meeting and asked everyone other than Fonseka to leave.

The Times of London reported Fonseka, although routed in the election, is still admired within the 200,000-strong armed forces for his leadership in the campaign against the Tamil rebels.

The report said while the top military officers allied to Fonseka have been replaced, he still remains very popular among the rank and file. It said what the future holds will depend much on how the general is treated by the military court that will try him.

Time magazine said Fonseka's arrest is likely to fuel opposition protests.