The former military boss who broke with the president after last year's victory against the Tamil Tiger rebels, calls the soldiers surrounding his hotel an ominous sign his personal safety is in danger.

"Now they will try to do something, use the force and try to assassinate me and put the blame on somebody else," he said.

Government officials deny wanting to arrest the losing candidate, but say his personal security detail is mostly composed of army deserters who should be detained.

Asked by VOA News whether a deal, through diplomatic intermediaries, has been struck for him to leave Sri Lanka, Mr. Fonseka denied any such agreement. But he said he must make his top priority his survival for the sake of his supporters.

"If they are going to assassinate me, to escape that I will take precautions. If the best option is to leave the country for a short period, temporarily I might have to do that," he said.

He declined to comment on speculation that the United States is a likely destination.

Both the President and the former General have been hailed as war heroes for the vanquishing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who for decades waged war and a terror campaign to try to create an independent homeland in the North and East.