OCTOBER 19, 2012

More than the launderer, Asanga Seneviratne, Lal Wickremetunga should be absolutely ashamed of himself for his ACTIVE participation in this travesty of justice.
What is he going to do next? Apologise for the death of his brother? That is certainly a logical next step for this man. These people will do ANYTHING for money!

Beyond surprised - October 19, 2012

Bowed And Afraid: The Sunday Leader To Apologize To Gota For Calling Former Editor “A Fucking Pig Who Eats Shit”

By Colombo Telegraph -October 19, 2012

In an astounding turn of events The Sunday Leader newspaper has agreed to carry a published apology to Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa in relation to an article carried on July 8, this year titled, ‘Gota Goes Berserk.’

Lal Wickramatunga - Chairman, The Sunday Leader

In a hearing conducted at the Government run Sri Lanka Press Council on Thursday October 18, lawyers representing the newspaper agreed with the complainant namely, Gotabaya Rajapaksa who was also present at the hearing that the newspaper had agreed to settle the matter by way of a published apology.

Attorney-At-Law and MP, M. A. Sumanthiran appearing for and on behalf of former Editor-in-Chief Frederica Jansz insisted the apology must not in any form have an adverse effect on Ms. Jansz.  Sumanthiran maintained that the former editor is not a party to this apology.  A position accepted by the Press Council.

At the time the article was published Ms. Jansz was not only Editor of the newspaper but also authored the said story carrying it under her byline.

Subsequently, Ms. Jansz has in a letter to the Press Council in August denied charges brought against her as Editor and the newspaper by the Defense Secretary, insisting the newspaper had not committed an offence in publishing a story involving the Defense Secretary, a plane switch at SriLankan Airlines and a puppy dog.  The article also published excerpts of a conversation between Ms. Jansz and Gotabaya Rajapaksa that has been described by civil society and international media organizations as shocking and shameful.

In this conversation which Rajapaksa has not denied to date he used foul language on Ms. Jansz calling her a, “A shit, shit journalist. A fucking shit. A pig who eats shit!’

In the same conversation in response to a question posed by Ms. Jansz asking if he was threatening her, Rajapaksa replied, “ Yes I threatened you. Your type of journalists are pigs who eat shit! Pigs who eat shit! Shit, Shit, Shit journalists!!! Ninety percent of the people in this country hate you! They hate you!!! You come for a function where I am and I will tell people this is the Editor of The Sunday Leader and ninety percent there will show that they hate you.’

He added that those ninety percent of the people would also try kill her.

Two months later after having published this story Frederica Jansz was sacked as Editor –in-Chief of The Sunday Leader.  Rumour had it that the sale of the newspaper was accelerated with the government using as its front man a shady businessman, Asanga Seneviratne.  Whose profession is mainly that of a wheeler dealer.

Seneviratne has now agreed to publish an apology to Gotabaya Rajapaksa in relation to this story and phone conversation where the newspaper’s former Editor was abused and threatened with death by the defense secretary who is widely feared in the country for a man with full access to the State’s machinery and all its powers at his disposal.