BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI
FISNIK ABRASHI
Associated Press Writers
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa won a resounding re-election victory Wednesday, beating back a challenge from his former army chief, who rejected the official results and said he feared arrest as troops surrounded his hotel.
The capital was tense even as people hit the streets in celebration, setting off fireworks, waving Sri Lankan flags and holding up posters of a smiling Rajapaksa. Policemen at intersections smiled and waved at the revelers.