Lanka opposition lawmaker arrested for possessing firearm with expired license

A parliamentarian of Sri Lanka's main opposition, the United National Party (UNP), was arrested here on Saturday for possessing a firearm with an expired license, police said.

Ranjan Ramanayake is the third opposition leader to be arrested after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa came to power in mid-November last year.

In December, UNP leaders Champika Ranawaka and Rajitha Senaratne, who were ministers before Rajapaksa was elected on November 16, were arrested and later granted bail.

While Ranawaka was arrested over a traffic accident, Senaratne was held for participating in a news conference about abductions of critics during the regime of the current president's brother Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The UNP had termed the arrests as a "witch hunt" and said it was the beginning of "revenge politics" by the Rajapaksa government.

"Ramanayake was arrested from his official residence for possessing a firearm with an expired license," a police official said.

An actor-turned-politician, Ramanayake is critic of the Rajapaksa clan. He is also facing two cases of contempt of court.