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Former Sri Lankan army chief General Sarath Fonseka has said that he will lead an Arab Spring-style uprising in his country to force the government from office.
Fonseka, who was jailed for running as an opposition candidate, launched a bitter attack on President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whom he accused of persecuting his family and terrorising opponents, and pledged a new campaign to topple his government.
"I am definitely asking people to rise up and overthrow the government by democratic methods," The Telegraph quoted him as saying.
Fonseka, who was released from jail in May following pressure from the United States, denounced his former commander-in-chief as a 'dictator' and called on the international community to 'de-recognise' the government.
Fonseka also slammed British Prime Minister David Cameron for meeting Rajapaksa at a jubilee lunch in London in June and said the international community must instead isolate his government to stop its abuses.
"[They should] derecognise the government and give protection to the people. If there is a dictator violating human rights and the democracy of the people, I think the world will have to take care of that," the paper quoted him as saying.