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Sri Lanka's new gov't demands police probe of coup allegations

Xinhua, January 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

Sri Lanka's newly appointed Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the police demanding an investigation into allegations of former President Rajapaksa attempting to remain in power by force, an official said.

Samaraweera who took oaths as the country's new foreign minister on Tuesday lodged the complaint at the Criminal Investigation Department.

He had cited former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Chief Justice Mohan Peiris as the main people in the complaint. "We will investigate the complaint,"confirmed police spokesman Ajith Rohana to Xinhua.

Samaraweera and freshly appointed Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne had earlier alleged Rajapaksa had attempted to call out the army and police to stay in power"by force"after he lost his bid for a third term in power.

Rajapaksa, who was in power for over a decade, called for snap presidential polls in November.

His lieutenant and former Cabinet member Maithripala Sirisena then crossed over to the opposition and eventually won the elections last Friday and was sworn in later on the same day.

"I deny in the strongest terms the reports of attempts to use the military to influence election results. During decades in politics, I have always bowed to the people's verdict. Wins and losses are a natural part of political life,"Rajapaksa tweeted on Tuesday in response to the allegations.

His eldest son Namal Rajapaksa who remains a member of parliament also released a statement on Wednesday denying any corruption. "I want to tell all my supporters that these allegations have no basis. More than being angered, I am saddened. While we never claimed to be perfect, we always had the best interest of the country and the Sri Lankan people in mind,"parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa said.

He also insisted acts of political revenge were taking place against the former president's supporters around the country. "I appeal to the new president to take measures to safeguard our supporters around the country and to take action against those who are carrying out this harassment," the statement added. Endi