Since the winner, common opposition’s Maithripala Sirisena, could not be traced, Rajapaksa said he met the then opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and discussed matters, including his security, the former president has told BBC Sandeshaya.

Rajapaksa was responding to remarks by president Sirisena that he had allowed his predecessor to arrange his own security and had given him helicopters to travel to his hometown.

When he had been travelling by helicopter, the final results were not yet out, he said.

Rajapaksa refuted charges by Mangala Samaraweera that he had tried to remain in power despite the election defeat, noting that the chiefs of armed forces, police and other gave evidence to nullify the allegations.

Now an MP, he said he knew he lost the election when the turnout in northern province was 89 per cent, and asked as to whether he meant he had not the support of the minority communities, Rajapaksa said he did not believe such a high turnout was possible.

However, it is pointless to elaborate on that further, he added.

Military security since J.R.’s time

He went onto say that he had raised the issue of his security when he met, along with MP Dinesh Gunawardena, PM Wickremesinghe prior to the latter’s China visit.

He said the then president J.R. Jayewardene had instructed minister Ranjan Wijeratne to provide him military protection in the late 1980s due to threats to his life, even through he had not been an MP at the time, and successive governments continued with that practice.

Asked as to whether he did not trust the police, which have replaced his military security contingent, Rajapaksa said he had military men especially trained for VIP security.

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