Samaraweera entangled in poster campaign against Rajapaksa - Dinamina

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 September 2010, 11:09 GMT]
Sri Lankan police have uncovered a 'clandestine' move to print several 'mudslinging' posters targeting Sri Lanka' President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Dinamina newspaper said in its lead story. Quoting police investigators, the article claimed that the group behind this attempt was opposition parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera. The order to print the posters has allegedly being given to a printing press with links to the Janatha Simukthi Peramuna.

“Secretary to Mangala Samaraweera and opposition leader Ranil Wcikremesinghe, Sudath Chandrasekara has paid an advance of Rs. 55,000 to print the mudslinging posters targeting the President,” the article claimed.

The printing press is located at Delkanda.

According to police, the posters have already been distributed across the country and all respective police stations and divisions have been informed of this and advised to apprehend all these posters.

A large number of these posters have also been stacked in two houses located in Maharagama and Chitra Lane in Narahenpita.

The houses were searched and subsequently it was revealed that one of the houses belonged to JVP MP Sunil Handunneththi.

Following the arrest of several persons working at the printing press, the newspaper article claimed that UNP MPs Mangala Samaraweera, Dayasiri Jayasekara, John Amaratunga, Jayalath Jayawardena and Karu Jayasuriya had visited the Mirihana police station and demanded that the suspects be released.

The suspects were however not released.

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