“I cannot say exactly that they do not have any interest in him. But, they no longer inquire about the wellbeing of him and we also do not expect such from them. They used to call me earlier and inquire about General Fonseka. Besides, everyone is busy at the moment and we do not have any hard feelings about it,” Mrs. Fonseka said.

General Secretary of the United National Party (UNP) Tissa Attanayake said, “It is very clear that the UPFA government is not going to let him go free. The only way that he can be freed is UNF coming into power.”

Asked about the current state of the protests and fast-unto-death campaigns conducted by the UNF demanding the release of General Fonseka over his arrest, Attanayaka said, “We are not conducting those protests or fasts anymore. You have to think about it reasonably. General Fonseka is contesting from a different party now, so if we continue to hold protests on his behalf in times of an election, it is the equivalent of campaigning for him. We can’t do that.”

However, Attanayake stressed that the current stance of the UNF does not reflect any change in their respect for General Fonseka. “We have no problem with the General, and we will continue to fight for his release after the election,” he said.

Furthermore, Attanayake added, “For the moment the best we can do in favour of General Fonseka is to campaign hard for our party and win this election. Only if we come to power will General Fonseka get a chance of being treated justly.”

Courtesy: Nation