Sri Lanka's former army chief and defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka is to be court-martialled, officials said Tuesday, a day after he was hauled away from his office by armed troops.

Hours before his dramatic arrest, Fonseka told reporters he would face any international probe into alleged war crimes committed by Sri Lankan troops last year in the final stages of the conflict with Tamil Tiger rebels.

Fonseka has been moved to an undisclosed military establishment ahead of disciplinary proceedings, a military official said.

"He will face a court martial even though he is not a serving officer," said the official, who declined to be named.

Fonseka, 59, the only four star general in the army, quit in November after falling out with his commander-in-chief, President Mahinda Rajapakse, whom he later challenged in January's presidential election.

In a brief statement posted on its website, the defence ministry said Fonseka would be charged with "certain fraudulent acts and other military offences".

Shortly after the January 26 poll, which Rajapakse won comfortably, the government had accused Fonseka of plotting a coup to overthrow the president and assassinate his family members.

And earlier this month, Rajapakse sacked a dozen senior military officers who the defence ministry said were a threat to national security.

National security concerns
The government is also concerned about Fonseka's apparent willingness to testify before any war crimes probe relating to the defeat of the Tamil Tigers.

Just prior to his arrest, Fonseka had said: "I am not prepared to protect anyone, if they have committed war crimes."

The government has resisted international calls for an investigation amid charges that a senior defence official ordered the killing of surrendering rebel leaders.

The United Nations says 7,000 civilians died during the final stages of fighting.

In November, Fonseka, who holds a US "green card", cut short a visit to the United States to avoid questioning by the authorities there on the war crimes issue.

Fonseka had initially agreed to be questioned, but was pressured to leave by the Sri Lankan government which feared he would be asked to provide evidence against Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the president's brother.

Fonseka's arrest caps a dramatic fall from grace for a man who, eight months ago, was regarded by many as a national hero.

Legacy secured
As the battlefield architect of the victory over the Tigers last May, Fonseka had seemingly secured his legacy as the commander who finally crushed their 37 year campaign for an independent Tamil homeland.

But his bid to translate that success into political power proved his undoing when Rajapakse saw off his ballot-box challenge in January.

The two men had fallen out soon after the Tigers' defeat, and both sought to take credit for the victory, in an acrimonious battle for the presidency.

Fonseka was holding meetings at the offices of the opposition parties that had supported his candidacy when military police came for him on Monday night.

"They grabbed him and virtually carried him away," a spokesman for the People's Liberation Front told AFP. "There must have been over 100 soldiers."

Fonseka's wife, Anoma, gave a tearful press briefing Tuesday, saying her husband had been kidnapped by the state.

Arrest contested
"This is not an arrest. It is an abduction," she said, adding that she was concerned about his health.

"I don't know where he's being kept. I don't know his condition. He needs regular medication," she said.

Fonseka had vowed to challenge the result of the January poll in the Supreme Court, and also said he was keen to contest parliamentary elections, which the government is expected to call within days.

His detention prompted concern from the United States, which said it could worsen divisions as the island recovers from war.

"There is a tremendous need for the government of Sri Lanka to work to overcome the fissures that exist within its society," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told AFP.

"It has to be very cautious that any actions it takes are designed to heal the split within Sri Lankan society, not to exacerbate it," he said.

Source: AFP