Sri Lanka's former army chief Sarath Fonseka will appeal against a court martial conviction that stripped him of his rank, pension and prestige. Fonseka' political party, the Democratic National Alliance, announced the decision in Colombo today. A spokesman for DNA, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, said the government was trying to destroy the political career of Fonseka, who attained national hero status for the military victory over Tamil Tiger rebels in May last year. President Mahinda Rajapakse formally removed Fonseka'srank and medals and stopped his pension on Saturday, a day aftera court martial found him guilty of engaging in politics whilein uniform.