‘Rivira’ penniless: Mahinda gives cash to pay salaries!
Wednesday, 29 April 2015
‘Rivira’ and ‘The Nation’ newspapers that had been run with state advertisements and Ravi Wijeratne’s contributions during the Rajapaksa regime as it had a very low circulation have now come to a state in which it is unable to pay even the employees’ salaries, say sources at these newspapers.
Although the real owners of this newspaper are the Rajapaksa family, it had namesake directors in Nilanka Rajapaksa and Prasanna Wickramasuriya, about whom there is no news now. With the new government taking office, Wickramasuriya fled to the US, and has changed residence from Atlanta to Seattle. Wijeratne has refused to fund the payment of the salaries as his businesses have suffered a setback.
Meeting the former president, ‘Rivira’ editor Sisira Paranatantri explained the situation to him and told him about the disadvantage of closing a pro-Rajapaksa newspaper. Rajapaksa has promised Paranatantri that he would help him to pay the salaries.
Accordingly, an agent of the Rajapaksas had gone to the Meegoda home of Paranatantri and handed him over cash to pay the salaries for this month. Since Rajapaksa is giving money only to pay the salaries, all the overtime has been curtailed. The management has also decided to suspend payment of commission money to its agents.
Wednesday, 29 April 2015
‘Rivira’ and ‘The Nation’ newspapers that had been run with state advertisements and Ravi Wijeratne’s contributions during the Rajapaksa regime as it had a very low circulation have now come to a state in which it is unable to pay even the employees’ salaries, say sources at these newspapers.
Although the real owners of this newspaper are the Rajapaksa family, it had namesake directors in Nilanka Rajapaksa and Prasanna Wickramasuriya, about whom there is no news now. With the new government taking office, Wickramasuriya fled to the US, and has changed residence from Atlanta to Seattle. Wijeratne has refused to fund the payment of the salaries as his businesses have suffered a setback.
Meeting the former president, ‘Rivira’ editor Sisira Paranatantri explained the situation to him and told him about the disadvantage of closing a pro-Rajapaksa newspaper. Rajapaksa has promised Paranatantri that he would help him to pay the salaries.
Accordingly, an agent of the Rajapaksas had gone to the Meegoda home of Paranatantri and handed him over cash to pay the salaries for this month. Since Rajapaksa is giving money only to pay the salaries, all the overtime has been curtailed. The management has also decided to suspend payment of commission money to its agents.
