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Message: <blockquote data-quote="nismok" data-source="post: 6547237" data-attributes="member: 109094">Australia says no asylum request from S.Lanka's Fonseka - AFPSYDNEY — Sri Lanka's defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka  has not sought asylum from Australia, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith  said as he urged the government ensure the retired general's safety.Australian  media reported that Fonseka was considering seeking temporary asylum in  Australia following his defeat in Tuesday's polls, which the former  army chief says were won fraudulently by President Mahinda Rajapakse.But  Smith, speaking to reporters in London on Thursday, said the Australian  embassy in Colombo had not received any request from Fonseka."My  advice is that no such approach has been made so we're not in receipt  of any such approach from General Fonseka," Smith said, according to the  Australian Associated Press."I think that it is very important  that General Fonseka be provided with two things: that he be provided  with freedom of movement, and he be provided with security, personal  security in the circumstances that he is in."Fonseka said  Thursday he would ask the Supreme Court to annul this week's election  result, alleging huge fraud, and that he feared arrest.He said  his security team of 80 troops had been withdrawn and replaced by four  plain-clothed police officers, depriving him of the security needed to  guard against potential attacks from remnants of the Tamil Tiger rebels.The  former four-star general, who along with Rajapakse crushed the  separatist rebels last year, said Wednesday he had "no intention" of  leaving Sri Lanka, but conceded this might be "the best option".The  Australian newspaper said Fonseka had spoken to the US and British  embassies in Sri Lanka and was planning to contact the Australian High  Commission.Smith would not comment on whether Australia would  assist Fonseka."On matters of asylum and refugee protection, if  that is what he has indicated, I don't make comments or judgments in the  hypothetical," he said.Fonseka holds permanent US residency. But  in November, he cut short a US visit to avoid questioning by the  Department of Homeland Security over alleged war crimes against Tamil  civilians.Fonseka had earlier agreed to be questioned, but the  Sri Lankan government said it feared he would be asked to provide  evidence against Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the president's  younger brother.</blockquote>

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