Dalada Maligawa buys ‘Asian Mirror’!
- Tuesday, 20 May 2014
At the request of the president, Diyawadana Nilame of Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy, Pradeep Nilanga Dela Bandara, has bought the Asian Mirror website, through media director of the Dalada Maligawa, Krishantha Hiswella, known among journalists as ‘Sulu Diyawadana Nilame’, reports say.
Media director of the Dalada Maligawa, Krishantha Hiswella has reportedly paid Rs. 15 million in this transaction.
The Asian Mirror website was founded and maintained by Subhashini Gamage, the wife of State Trading Corporation chairman Pradeep Gunawardena, with the assistance of minister Bandula Gunawaredena. The main task of this website was to respond to allegations in the media against minister Gunwardena. At that time, the website had around 20 employees.
Rasika Jayakody is the English editor of the website, bought indirectly from money belonging to the Dalada Maligawa, while the Sinhala editor is Sugath Dharmapriya, formerly of Sirasa Media Network.
The media coordination of this website with the President’s Media Unit is being done by its new owner Krishantha Hiswella.
Through the PMU, the president has instructed Hiswella to attack government politicians more, rather than opposition figures. Special targets of this website will be SLFP general secretary Maithripala Sirisena, ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, John Seneviratne, Duminda Dissanayake, Mervyn Silva and former prime minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, all considered future threats to the president.
Accordingly, the website carried an article today (20) targeting and belittling SLFP general secretary Sirisena, saying ‘Minister Maithripala’s position a fake – WHO says.’ Another article says minister Mervyn Silva had met opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe in the US and discussed their future political action.
Plans have been made to carry various media campaigns through this website to target the next presidential election, reports say.
