“I’m Prageeth. I was sent France by Arundhika” – the French Prageeth says
Sunday, 09 June 2013
A person from France who telephoned a member of our editorial has said, “I’m Prageeth. I’m now in France. I’m from Wennapuwa and I was sent to France by MP Arundhika. Four others were sent along with me. Each person had to pay Rs. 650,000. Since I’m not big made, I was asked to grow a beard and seek asylum as Prageeth Ekanligoda. I did what MP Arnudhika asked me to do, but my asylum application is still pending. When I told this to MP Arundhika, I was told ‘I will play game and you will be fine’.”
The person also said, “MP Arundhika has been involved in sending people overseas. After the President assigned him to monitor the Customs he has now stopped sending people overseas since he can earn money through work at the Customs. He has known me from the time was the head of the SLFP union in the airport. I was a porter at the airport at the time. I can now get my asylum application with the MP’s help.”
MP Arundhika Fernando told parliament during the debate on the amendments to the Press Council Act that missing journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda was living in France. We now request our readers to compare this persons; comment with that made by Arundhika to parliament and decide the truth.
Exiled Sri Lankan journalist, Manjula Wediwardene, has denied meeting ruling party politician Arundika Fernando, who earlier caused a sensation when he said in Parliament that he met missing cartoonist, Prageeth Ekneligoda, at the residence of Manjula Wediwardene in France.
Journo denies meeting MP
By Ranga Jayasuriya
2013-06-09
Exiled Sri Lankan journalist, Manjula Wediwardene, has denied meeting ruling party politician Arundika Fernando, who earlier caused a sensation when he said in Parliament that he met missing cartoonist, Prageeth Ekneligoda, at the residence of Manjula Wediwardene in France.
“I never met him (Arundika) in France, nor did he ever visit me at my house,” Wediwardene told in a telephone interview with Ceylon Today.
He said Arundika Fernando, MP, who he acknowledged was his classmate, was ‘lying through his teeth.’
He said he had no idea of the purported meeting that MP Fernando claimed to have taken place at his residence.
Wediwardene also said he suspected that MP Fernando had been under pressure from ‘a powerful person in the ruling party’to fabricate the story.
Meanwhile, Arundika Fernando, MP, who stands by his story, said a Sri Lankan national, who accompanied him to Wediwardene’s residence was ready to substantiate his version of the story.
He says he would go before any court, either local or international, should he be summoned over his revelations of Ekneligoda’s whereabouts.
Posted by Thavam
