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Campaign
nears end: Where's CA? The Sunday Times learns that the appointment of a competent authority to ensure a fair coverage by the state media is also to be discussed, though observers ask whether there would be any purpose in such an appointment for the remaining few days. Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake on Friday dismissed claims by state media bosses that they were not invited for a meeting with him to discuss election coverage following protest from political parties that the state media was biased. The issue was taken up on Friday when the Commissioner met Party Secretaries for the weekly talks. UPFA General Secretary Susil Premjayanth told the commissioner he had been informed that state media bosses had not received a letter from the commissioner calling them for a meeting on March 12. The Commissioner told Mr. Premjayanth he had evidence to show that such a letter was sent to state media bosses. The Commissioner said the head of a state media institution had been quoted in a newspaper as saying that the Commissioner of Elections had no right to summon state media bosses. The Commissioner said this was a virtual acknowledgment of his letter. Meanwhile, responding to last week's Sunday Times lead story headlined, "State media snub Polls Chief", Rupavahini Additional Director General Janaka Ranatunga in a letter to The Sunday Times said, "our records do not indicate the receipt of any request either from the Commissioner of Elections or any other officer of the Elections Secretariat for our participation at a meeting with the Commissioner of Elections, as stated therein". The Sunday Times last week in its lead story quoted the Commissioner of Elections as informing party secretaries that he had called the state media bosses for a meeting with party secretaries. However, as the bosses had not come for the meeting the Commissioner told the party secretaries that he had no power to take further action. |
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