After his retirement Sarath Fonseka announced his candidacy to contest the presidential election in January 2010 and he was installed as the common candidate by a coalition of political parties consisting mainly of the United National Party and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and had the support of former president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. General Fonseka however contested as a non-party, common opposition candidate. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) also endorsed Fonseka.
After a controversial election in 2010 January 26th, Sarath fonseka was declared defeated and he was arrested at his office in Colombo on 8 February 2010 by the military police and taken into military custody. Sarath Fonseka became a political prisoner after running as a presidential candidate against President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
A midst local and international pressure president Mahinda Rajapaksa signed the order documents for the release of Fonseka during May 2012. After the release from prison sarath fonseka started a new political party to contest provincial council elections in 2014 and secured 3 & 2 seats of North western and Central Provincial councils obtaining 46,114 and 45,239 votes form respective provinces and emerged as third in both councils over JVP. Democratic Party contested for provincial council elections held on 29 March 2014 and secured 12 seats of two councils. In Southern council 75,532 votes obtaining 3 seats while in western province they got 203,767 votes obtaining 9 seats.
In 2015 Presidential election Field marshal sarth fonseka led democratic party supported the common opposition candidate maithreepala Sirisena and later that year contested alone for the parliamentary Election.
In February 2016, Sarath Fonseka signed a collective agreement between the Democratic Party (DP) and the ruling United National Party (UNP). The MoU was signed by Fonseka as the leader of the Democratic Party and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the UNP leader. The two leaders exchanged agreements for the Democratic Party to join the United National Front (UNF), the coalition led by the UNP and entered the parliament as a National list MP. He was appointed as Cabinet Minister of Regional Development and in 2018 appointed as Cabinet Minister of Wildlife and Sustainable Development.
In 2020 parlamentry election Field marshal sarath fonseka contested under Samagi Jana Balawegaya and entered parlament securing the highest preferential votes from Gampaha district.
He is currently the chairman of Samagi jana balawegaya.
Awards and decorations
During his military career, sarath Fonseka received the gallantry medals Rana Wickrama Padakkama with two bars and Rana Sura Padakkama with four bars; the service medals Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya, Uttama Seva Padakkama and the Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal with a clasp; wound medal Desha Putra Sammanaya with bar; the campaign medals Eastern Humanitarian Operations Medal, Northern Humanitarian Operations Medal, Purna Bhumi Padakkama, North and East Operations Medal with two clasps, Vadamarachchi Operation Medal, and the Riviresa Campaign Services Medal with clasp; and the commemorative medals Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services Medal, 50th Independence Anniversary Commemoration Medal, Sri Lanka Army 50th Anniversary Medal, President’s Inauguration Medal.
Gardihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka was born on 18 December 1950 in Ambalangoda a coastal town in Sri Lanka. His father was Peter Fonseka, a school principal and his mother Egodage Piyawathie De Silva was a teacher. He initially attended Madawalalanda Maha Vidyalaya (1955–1957) in Ampara,and then admitted to Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda (1958–1965) and Ananda College, Colombo (1966–1969). Fonseka represented his alma mater in cadeting, swimming and water polo events. He was the college swimming and water polo captain in 1969 at Ananda college and later represented the defence services and the country in these sports. He was a sergeant of the Ananda College Cadet Platoon.
Fonseka joined the Ceylon Army on 5 February 1970 as a cadet officer and after completing his basic officer training at the Army Training Centre in Diyatalawa, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 1st Battalion, Ceylon Sinha Regiment on 1 June 1971 during the 1971 Insurrection.
Serving with as platoon commander in the Sinha Regiment, he was promoted to lieutenant in 1973 and was promoted to the rank of captain in 1976. During this time he underwent the Commando Officers Course (1973), Battalion Support Weapons Course (1976) and Counter Insurgency Jungle Warfare Course (1978) in India. In 1980 he was promoted to the rank of major and in 1981 he attend the Company Commanders Course in Pakistan. In the next few years he served as an instructor at the Sri Lanka Military Academy, Ampara Combat Training School and Infantry Training Centre, and later as the Chief Instructor and Deputy Commandant in the same training institutes.
In 1987, he graduated from Defence Services Command and Staff College, Mirpur in Bangladesh. On his return was appointed commanding officer, 4th Sri Lanka Light Infantry and participated in the Vadamarachchi Operation. The following year he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment in 1989.
With the onset of the 1987–89 JVP Insurrection, he was appointed as military coordinating officer for Gampaha District. Fonseka reputedly devised the plan which led to the capture of Premakumar Gunaratnam and gained a reputation for his humane treatment of detainees.
In 1991, he was promoted to colonel and served as a brigade commander, 3rd Brigade during Operation Balavegaya and distinguished himself as a Brigade Commander. In the First Battle of Elephant Pass, the Sri Lankan armed forces were able to beat back the LTTE owing to the tenacity of the besieged troops led by Fonseka and the grit with which they held on despite the overwhelming odds. Thereafter he was appointed as centre Commandant, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment at Ambepussa and next served as Staff Officer I at the Directorate of Operations at the Army Headquarters.
In 1993, the Jaffna Fort was under siege by Tamil Tiger rebels. Then Colonel Fonseka led troops in the daring Midnight Express operation to relieve besieged troops. Several hundred soldiers were saved due to the operation. Colonel Fonseka was wounded that year in the Yaldevi operation, having been shot through the lung. At the time Fonseka was commanding the 23 Division. After recovering, he was promoted to brigadier in December 1993 and was appointed to the Operational Headquarters in Colombo
Brigadier Fonseka was soon deployed to operational areas serving as Commander – Area Headquarters, Mannar; General Officer Commanding, 5 Division in Mannar; General Officer Commanding, 21 Division; Deputy Commander, Task Force I; General Officer Commanding, 3 Division in Batticaloa; General Officer Commanding, 27 Division in Kilinochchi; Coordinating Officer for Kayts and Mandattivu, Deputy General Officer Commanding, 51 Division in Jaffna, General Officer Commanding, 23 Division in Polonnaruwa; Overlooking General Officer Commanding Vavuniya Task Force – 2; General Officer Commanding, 55 Division at Mirusuvil.
In 1995, Brigadier Fonseka won widespread plaudits for his role in Operation Riviresa – the army’s operation to capture Jaffna town from the Tamil Tigers. He played a major role in Operation Jayasikurui. In 1998, he was promoted to the rank of major general. He was appointed Colonel of the Regiment of the Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment. Serving as General Officer Commanding, 22 Division and Director General, General Staff at the Army Headquarters.
In 2000, with the imminent fall of Elephant Pass, Major General Fonseka was rushed in as Commander, Security Forces Headquarters – Jaffna and successfully defended the Jaffna peninsula from the massive offensive Operation Unceasing Waves III launched by the LTTE. Thereafter he served as Commander, Security Forces Headquarters – Wanni. From May 2002 to November 2003 after he was again appointed the Commander, Security Forces Headquarters – Jaffna, Fonseka strengthened the defences of Jaffna and launched a new training programme for the infantry.
Thereafter he attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in London and on his return he was appointed Commandant, Defence Services Command and Staff College. In 2003, he was appointed Commandant, Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force and in 2004 he was appointed Director Infantry, Deputy Chief of Staff and then Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army. In December 2005 he was appointed Commander of the Army by president Mahinda Rajapaksa and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.
Fonseka changed the reactionary nature of the Army and formulated a plan that would end the war in a time frame of three years. The aim was shifted from capturing ground to destroying the enemy. He reduced operations conducted along the main roads and expanded the battlefront in order to disperse the enemy manpower and firepower. To this end he devised the strategy of introducing large numbers of four-man teams to the theatre of war, thereby reducing military and civilian casualties through dispersion, stealth and precision in operations and fought the war on multiple fronts. He inaugurated the northern campaign before the conclusion of the eastern campaign, thereby making it difficult for political intrusion to halt the war.
General Fonseka opted instead to attack the LTTE’s strongest areas and opted for performance over seniority and selected officers with experience in the field. He restructured the Army Intelligence Units which proved vital for the Navy and the Air Force to destroy LTTE ships, commanders and other targets. Fonseka implemented strong measures to improve the discipline in the army, eradicate corruption and wastage. He also reduced the burden on the government and the citizen by the effective management of the resources at his disposal and personally ensured the unimpeded supply of ammunition. In January 2009, he was described as the best army commander in the world by India’s National Security Advisor.
On 18 May 2009, the Sri Lankan military completely defeated the LTTE after 26 years of civil war. Fonseka played a key role as Commander of the Army, and is considered as a national hero by the majority of Sri Lankans due to this achievement. He was soon after promoted to general, becoming the first army commander to hold a full general rank, since it was traditionally awarded to retiring Commanders of the Army.
Fonseka was appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) by President Rajapaksa effective 15 July 2009. He was the first person appointed CDS under the newly approved Chief of Defence Staff Act, which was supposed to give the CDS more responsibilities in co-ordinating the armed forces.
Fonseka officially handed over his letter of resignation to the President through the Defence secretary on 12 November 2009. He requested to serve as CDS until the end of the month since he resigned to compete as a candidate for the presidential election which was held in January 2010. He left office on 16 November 2009, President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force Air Marshal Roshan Goonatilake to succeed Fonseka on 16 November 2009.
On 22 March 2015, Fonseka was promoted to the newly created rank of Field Marshal by President Maithripala Sirisena.
