General Fonseka was arrested at his office in Colombo on Monday night.
"He was dragged away in a very disgraceful manner in front of our own eyes," Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem said.
Military spokesman Major-General Prasad Samarasinghe said the arrest related to offences from Fonseka's time in the army, which ended in November when he stepped down and entered the presidential race.
"General Fonseka has been arrested on charges of committing military offences," Samarasinghe said in an official statement broadcast by the government Information Department.
Earlier on Monday it was thought that General Fonseka could face a court martial trial on charges that he plotted a coup and planned to assassinate President Rajapaksa.
A senior Sri Lankan military official told The Daily Telegraph the former army chief was currently under investigation in relation to an alleged coup attempt and that if charged it would be under the Army's code of conduct.
The former army chief resigned last year following a fall out with President Rajapaksa over who deserved the credit for the final defeat of the Tamil Tigers and ending the country's 26-year civil war.
The general pledged to reunite the country and win the peace by drawing Tamils into the political process.
Tensions between the two former colleagues deteriorated during the campaign and pressure on General Fonseka intensified after his defeat when army troops surrounded his hotel.
Twenty-one members of his campaign team, including some senior former army officers, were arrested and campaign computers were seized.
The general blamed wide scale ballot rigging for his defeat.
Both Britain and the United States have registered concerns with senior government officials about the treatment of the general following his presidential campaign defeat.
Western diplomats said the Sri Lankan government has told them it has proof of his involvement in a coup attempt, but it has failed to produce any credible evidence to support its claims.
"We would have expected the evidence to have come out by now," one Colombo-based diplomat said.
Few diplomats believe General Fonseka had planned a coup and regard the allegations as a sign of insecurity in the Rajapaksa camp following the general's claims of ballot-rigging.
Observers had believed the two candidates were neck and neck, but President Rajapaksa won with a 17 per cent margin.
A senior Sri Lankan military official confirmed the coup investigation was progressing and that General Fonseka could face a court martial trial.
"We are inquiring into all the activities of General Fonseka, before and after the election. We are looking for evidence and once we have evidence we will take legal action.
"We have taken some of the military officers involved in the election campaign. If he [General Fonseka] has violated the code of conduct of the army, we will have to take certain action," he said.
Kilde: telegraph.co.uk
Sararth Fonseka var hærsjef da tamilenes motstandskamp ble slått ned i fjor.
Seinere valgte han å utfordre sittende president Mahinda Rajapakse ved valget i januar, men tapte.
Fonseka tapte valget med 18 prosents margin mot Rajapakse. Etterpå har han beskyldt Rajapakse for valgfusk. Myndighetene har på sin side beskyldt Fonseka for å planlegge et kupp.
Fonseka motsatte seg arrestasjonen og ble dratt ut av kontoret sitt på en nedverdigende måte, sier en talsmann for Fonsekas parti.
- Minst 100 soldater var med på arrestasjonen, sier talsmannen.
- Enda større styrker omringet bygningen før de hentet Fonseka.
Den militære talsmannen generalmajor Prasad Samarasinghe sier arrestasjonen skyldes lovbrudd Fonseka begikk mens han var i hæren ved at han konspirerte mot president Rajapakse.
Han la bort uniformen i november i fjor da han tok opp kampen om presidentvervet mot Mahinda Rajapakse.
Kilde: nrk.no
சிறிலங்காவின் முன்னாள் இராணுவத்தளபதியும் ஜனாதிபதி வேட்பாளருமான ஜெனரல் சரத் பொன்சேகா சற்று நேரத்திற்கு முன்னர் இராணுவ காவல்துறையினரினால் கைது செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளதாக இராணுவப் பேச்சாளர் மேஜர் ஜெனரல் பிரசாத் சமரசிங்க தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.
சிறிலங்கா இராணுவத்திற்கு எதிராக செயற்பட்டார் என்ற குற்றத்திற்காகவே ஜெனரல் சரத் பொன்சேகா கைது செய்யப்பட்டார் எனவும் அவர் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளார்.
ராஜகீய மாவத்தையில் அமைந்துள்ள காரியாலயத்தில் வைத்து பொன்சேகா கைது செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளார்.
ஜெனரல் சரத் பொன்சேகாவுடன் அவரது ஊடகப் பேச்சாளர் சேனக சில்வாவும் கைது செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளார்.
சரத்பொன்சேகாவை பிடரியில் பிடித்து மிகக்கேவலமான முறையில் இழுத்துச் சென்றதாக ரவூப் ஹக்கீம் தெரிவித்துள்ளார். தானும் ஏனையோரும் பார்த்திருக்க மிக மோசமான முறையில் இந்த கைது இடம்பெற்றதாக அவர் கூறியுள்ளார்.
போர்க்குற்றச்சாட்டுக்கள் தொடர்பில் சர்வதேச நீதிமன்றில் சாட்சியளிக்க தான் தயார் என அவர் திங்கட்கிழமை பகல் கொழும்பில் செய்தியாளர்களிடம் தெரிவித்திருந்த நிலையில் அன்று இரவே இந்த கைது இடம்பெற்றுள்ளமை பெரும் பரபரப்பை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளது.
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