By IANS,
Colombo : Heavily armed soldiers surrounded a hotel here where the main challenger in the presidential election, General Sarath Fonseka, is staying, a media report said Wednesday.
Votes were being counted in Sri Lanka’s first presidential election since Tamil Tiger rebels were defeated after over 25 years of war.
BBC reported that armed troops are stationed outside the Cinnamon Lakeside hotel, searching every vehicle that enters.
Fonseka is quoted as saying the troops plan to arrest him if he wins the election. A military spokesman has denied these claims.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has taken an early lead over his main rival, former army commander Fonseka, as the votes were being counted Wednesday.
With over 700,000 votes counted by 5 a.m Rajapaksa had taken a lead of over 179,000 over Fonseka who had 278,000 to the incumbent’s 458,000 votes, Xinhua news agency reported.