by Shamindra Ferdinando - Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena declined to comment on the attack. Claiming that he had been busy campaigning in Matara for the forthcoming General Election, Yapa urged the media to direct their questions to police headquarters.
Despite the Tourism Ministry denying its involvement with the now cancelled Akon concert, following last Monday’s attack on the MTV/MBC head office at Braybrook Place for being the sponsor of the event, it has come to light the MTV/MBC had only been the media sponsor, whereas the Sri Lankan Airlines, the Cinnamon Grand and Dialog Telecom PLC, too, threw their weight behind the controversial project.
A spokesman for MTV/MBC told The Island that the government and a section of the State-run and the privately-owned media had justified the attack on MTV/MBC on the grounds that they organized the event.
Tourism Minister Achala Jagoda on Thursday (March 25) made an abortive bid to distance his ministry from the Akon show, though Dileep Mudadeniya, the Managing Director of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said this would contribute immensely towards promoting tourism and make Colombo a popular venue in global entertainment. He said that the Akon show was in line with their campaign ‘Visit Sri Lanka 2011’ to attract tourists.
The Sirasa official said that they didn’t organize or fund the project, though an attempt was being made to blame the MTV/MBC management for inviting a foreign artiste, who had ridiculed Buddhism.
Nothing could be far from the truth, he said, emphasizing that they were only the media sponsor. He said that the print and electronic media reported on the Akon show in the recent past. Platinum Entertainment Private Limited is the main organizer of the event, in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.
The Jathika Sanga Sammelanaya on Thursday denied allegations that its members had been at the scene of the attack. Ven. Hadigalle Wimalasara Thera said that an attempt was being made to blame it on the Jathika Sanga Sammelanaya, though they were not involved in the incident. The denial followed a statement issued by the Media Centre for National Security that members of the JSS had protested outside MTV/MBC offices shortly before the attack.
JHU spokesman Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe said that those who promote tourism should be careful to ensure that they did not cause unnecessary problems.
Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena declined to comment on the attack. Claiming that he had been busy campaigning in Matara for the forthcoming General Election, Yapa urged the media to direct their questions to police headquarters.
He was responding to queries at the weekly media briefing at his ministry. But Cabinet spokesman Minister G. L. Peiris assured that the party would take disciplinary action against any party member if found guilty of attacking Sirasa. Addressing the post-Cabinet press briefing on Thursday, Peiris said that the President had directed the police to take action against the attackers. He was responding to a query whether any UPFA local government politicians had been involved in the incident.
Sirasa pointed out that the State media had accused Sirasa employees of attacking a group of protestors without any provocation. They were quoted as saying that Sirasa employees fired water cannon and pelted stones at them causing mayhem. Sirasa said that they could have deceived people with their lies if they did not capture them on video. Sirasa showed the presence of a police jeep at the scene of the attack, calling on people to help identify persons involved in the attack.
Sirasa went to the extent of offering Rs. 50,000 each to anyone helping the station identify each attacker.
© The Island
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