News

President as god or Idi Amin: CID summons Mangala

The United National Party’s new media head Mangala Samaraweera has been summoned to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters on Tuesday.

“They want to record a statement from me regarding some posters that were put up by the party to protest against the 18th Amendment to the Constitution,” he told the Sunday Times. He said a CID Inspector had gone to Siri Kotha, the UNP headquarters and left a message. Thereafter, he had contacted Mr. Samaraweera and asked him to come to the CID headquarters.

The case was earlier investigated by the Mirihana Police. Mr. Samaraweera claimed responsibility for designing the posters and placing an order to print them at a press at Delkanda in Nugegoda. Nine employees of the printing press are being detained under the Emergency Regulations after police found posters depicting President Mahinda Rajapaksa as Idi Amin, the former military dictator of Uganda, and a god with six heads stamped with images of the President’s brothers and sons.

Mr. Samaraweera said he was expressing his thoughts in a democratic way. “I do not think there was anything defamatory in the posters.” But, Police claimed that the posters could have provoked the public.
Meanwhile, a fundamental rights petition has been filed by the owner of the printing press claiming that he was unlawfully arrested and detained.

The petitioner B.J. Bulathsinhala said that on September 9, he was approached by Mr. Samaraweera to print some posters against the implementation of the 18th Amendment and that as he was not in a position to print the said posters he gave the job to another press.

Top to the page  |  E-mail  |  views[1]
SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend
 
Other News Articles
More powers for Basil and Wimal
UN chief reiterates accountability issue
Speaker, Ranil clash over PAC
President as god or Idi Amin: CID summons Mangala
The End-Game
UNP Youth Front gets new boost
Familiar sight in Wattala
IMF Executive Board approves another $212.5 mln to Sri Lanka
UNP urges Govt. not to scrap CMC
SWRD’s 51st death anniversary
Ariyawathie is mentally stable; FEB to push for compensation
New regulations to crack down on noise-makers
Fonseka wants court martial findings quashed
SLMA backs exam to test foreign qualified docs
President defends his brand of politics at UN
Treasure hunting group remanded till Oct. 4
The magnetism of a media magnate
LLRC hearings: Missing kith and kin main concern of northern civilians
One 5 Star hotel fails ‘Crowns’ test for food hygiene
Mervyn Silva named in AGA liquor licence complaint
Navy doc sacked while harassment case continued in Appeal Court
Anti-vice squad raids Kandy casino
The 70 million-rupee question: Why did vehicle take lonely route?

 

 
Reproduction of articles permitted when used without any alterations to contents and a link to the source page.
© Copyright 2010 | Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.Colombo. Sri Lanka. All Rights Reserved.| Site best viewed in IE ver 6.0 @ 1024 x 768 resolution