President uses Dombe to hit out at Maithri

Monday, 10 June 2013 

The President it is learnt has personally given information to the Sunday Lankadeepa Editor Ariyananda Dombagahawatte to publish a story targeting SLFP General Secretary and Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena. Sources from the newspaper said that the story against Sirisena was published on the Sunday Lankadeepa accordingly.

The President has told the Sunday Lankadeepa editor that one of the Health Minster Sirisena’s brothers had changed the report submitted by the intellectual committee that studied the kidney diseases prevalent in the North Central Province. The President has then asked the editor to publish the story to hot out at Sirisena.

Instead of the report agreed on May 7th at the Environment Ministry, the altered report was presented to the ministry secretaries on May 20th and to the discussion headed by Senior Minister Athauda Seneviratne on May 28th.

The President has noted that it was a serious issue and asked the Presidential Media Unit to give publicity to the story and attack Sirisena. When inquired from a senior official from the President’s Media Unit, he said that the President has decided to slash power vested with five ministers including Minister Maithripala Sirisena.

The official further said that the ministerial powers would be reduced following a report submitted by SLFP National Organizer, Minister Basil Rajapaksa.