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Rajapakshe takes on Lake House, Silumina Editor
By Stanley Samarasinghe
National list MP and President’s Counsel Wijayadasa Rajapakshe
yesterday sent two letters of demand to Associate Newspapers Ltd.
(Lake House) and the Silumina Editor claiming Rs. 500 million as
defamation charges.
In the letter of demand send through his lawyer, G.G. Arulpragasam,
he noted that the article published in the November 18, 2007 issue
of Silumina under the heading ‘Wijayadasa gets lost inside
Chief Justice Palace dream,’ was a malicious attempt to defame
him.The article published in the Silumina compared Rajapakshe to
a lizard wearing a gold necklace and very proudly nodding his head
until he fell in danger.
“To him, the Committee of Public Enterprise (COPE) was a gold
necklace and he came to Colombo bypassing the paddy fields of Beliatta
and Walasmulla.
COPE is a body comprising members of Parliament of various political
parties appointed by the speaker. Wijeyadasa, after becoming chairman
of COPE, acted to fulfill the desire of outsiders who were responsible
for elevating him as President’s Counsel,” the article
published in the Silumina newspaper stated.
Taking the contents of the article into consideration, Rajapakshe
in his letter of demand has demanded Rs. 500 million separately
from Lake House and the Silumina Editor.
The letter warned that if Lake House and the Silumina Editor refuse
to pay Rajapakshe within 14 days of the letter being sent, legal
action against the organisation and the editor will be instituted.
The letter added that certain matters mentioned in the article are
in contempt of court and violate the privileges of Parliament and
that he would take step to file action with regard to contempt and
violation of privileges.
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