Dayasiri assaults Harin
July 10, 2014
A brawl between Wayamba Chief Minister (CM), Dayasiri Jayasekara, and UNP Badulla District MP, Harin Fernando, on Wednesday, forced the organizers of Derana TV's Waada Pitiya, which was to be telecast on Tuesday, to cancel the programme.
At the beginning of the programme, Fernando referred to Jayasekara as "I say" and "eunuch". These derogatory words irked Jayasekera, leading to a situation, where the organizers were unable to control the explosive situation which transpired as a result.
The situation got out of hand when Jayasekara told Fernando, that he was heaping conditions on the UNP leadership if he was to be considered as their Chief Ministerial candidate for the forthcoming Uva Provincial Council elections.
The confrontation between the two was provoked after Jayasekara said a condition laid down by Fernando to contest the election was that the parliamentary seat, which would thereby fall vacant, be filled by his nominee. Jayasekara based his accusations on media reports.
The Wayamba CM, citing media reports, said Fernando had requested from the UNP leadership that after the Uva Provincial Council elections, he be transferred out of Badulla, and be provided with nominations to either Gampaha or Negombo.
Jayasekara had further said though Fernando speaks disparagingly of the President and the government during the day, at night he fellowships with the President's eldest son Namal.
After these accusations were made, Fernando, instead of engaging in a healthy debate with Jayasekara, called him names and addressed him as "I say, you eunuch," which in Sinhala, means thamuse napunsakaya. He had made similar disparaging remarks to Jayasekara, unbecoming of an MP.
To diffuse the tension, the organizers of the programme had called for a brief interlude but no avail. They had been virtually going after each other's throat and in the heat of the moment had begun raising their voices and were also shouting at each other.
Harin had started shouting obscenities at Jayasekara and had stood up from his chair to attack him. Jayasekara in the meantime had warded off Harin's attack and punched him on his face. Harin's lip had started to bleed and he in turn had tried to punch Jayasekara.
The organizers of the show Waada Pitiya and other MPs had then intervened to stop the fight but they too could not stop it. The fight had lasted for about five minutes.
By that time, the studio was in complete disarray, the producers of the show at Derana compelling to put an end to the live show.
Sunil Handunetti, was then seen escorting Harin out of the studio, while Jayasekara too left soon afterwards.
Sunil Handunetti, later confirmed that the fight did indeed take place and that he had escorted an injured Harin Fernando out of the studio. Handunetti added that Harin's face was bloody from the fight.
Arundika Fernando meanwhile, was saddened by the manner in which politicians behaved. He added, he did not approve of the behaviour of Harin nor the manner in which he spoke during the intermission. Fernando added that he had requested the Derana producers not to telecast the fight to the public and that they should refrain from speaking about it in public.
July 10, 2014
A brawl between Wayamba Chief Minister (CM), Dayasiri Jayasekara, and UNP Badulla District MP, Harin Fernando, on Wednesday, forced the organizers of Derana TV's Waada Pitiya, which was to be telecast on Tuesday, to cancel the programme.
At the beginning of the programme, Fernando referred to Jayasekara as "I say" and "eunuch". These derogatory words irked Jayasekera, leading to a situation, where the organizers were unable to control the explosive situation which transpired as a result.
The situation got out of hand when Jayasekara told Fernando, that he was heaping conditions on the UNP leadership if he was to be considered as their Chief Ministerial candidate for the forthcoming Uva Provincial Council elections.
The confrontation between the two was provoked after Jayasekara said a condition laid down by Fernando to contest the election was that the parliamentary seat, which would thereby fall vacant, be filled by his nominee. Jayasekara based his accusations on media reports.
The Wayamba CM, citing media reports, said Fernando had requested from the UNP leadership that after the Uva Provincial Council elections, he be transferred out of Badulla, and be provided with nominations to either Gampaha or Negombo.
Jayasekara had further said though Fernando speaks disparagingly of the President and the government during the day, at night he fellowships with the President's eldest son Namal.
After these accusations were made, Fernando, instead of engaging in a healthy debate with Jayasekara, called him names and addressed him as "I say, you eunuch," which in Sinhala, means thamuse napunsakaya. He had made similar disparaging remarks to Jayasekara, unbecoming of an MP.
To diffuse the tension, the organizers of the programme had called for a brief interlude but no avail. They had been virtually going after each other's throat and in the heat of the moment had begun raising their voices and were also shouting at each other.
Harin had started shouting obscenities at Jayasekara and had stood up from his chair to attack him. Jayasekara in the meantime had warded off Harin's attack and punched him on his face. Harin's lip had started to bleed and he in turn had tried to punch Jayasekara.
The organizers of the show Waada Pitiya and other MPs had then intervened to stop the fight but they too could not stop it. The fight had lasted for about five minutes.
By that time, the studio was in complete disarray, the producers of the show at Derana compelling to put an end to the live show.
Sunil Handunetti, was then seen escorting Harin out of the studio, while Jayasekara too left soon afterwards.
Sunil Handunetti, later confirmed that the fight did indeed take place and that he had escorted an injured Harin Fernando out of the studio. Handunetti added that Harin's face was bloody from the fight.
Arundika Fernando meanwhile, was saddened by the manner in which politicians behaved. He added, he did not approve of the behaviour of Harin nor the manner in which he spoke during the intermission. Fernando added that he had requested the Derana producers not to telecast the fight to the public and that they should refrain from speaking about it in public.
