Detained Fonseka attends parliament
Defeated Sri Lankan presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka has been released from detention to appear in the opening session of parliament.
The general, who is being court martialled, called for the "rule of law" in an attack on his arch-rival, President Mahinda Rajapakse.
His comments were his first remarks in public since his detention on 8 February on corruption charges.
He travelled under escort from military custody to take up his seat.
Gen Fonseka fell out with the president after the defeat of Tamil Tigers rebels last May.
He was beaten by Rajapakse in presidential elections of January 2010.
JAYARATNE AS PRIME MINISTER
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has appointed one of his party's elder statesmen as prime minister.
DM Jayaratne, a former teacher in his 70s, was sworn in on Wednesday. MPs will choose a new Speaker yesterday.
Rajapakse is working out who will be in his new cabinet after final official results confirmed his alliance had won a landslide in parliamentary elections.
The result was delayed for nearly two weeks because of repolls in some areas hit by violence the first time round.
"What the country needs is democracy, rule of law, personal freedoms and media freedom," Gen Fonseka told members of parliament attending a swearing-in ceremony for the body's 225 lawmakers.
During the ceremony, he and other party heads were permitted to offer congratulations to its new speaker - Chamal Rajapakse, the president's brother.
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