Janarala newspaper under threat

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda

The editor of the Janarala newspaper said yesterday that the Janarala newspaper and its journalists are under threat over the articles published in it. Addressing a media conference convened to inform journalists of an attempt made to kidnap its news editor near Seeduwa recently, Chandana Sirimalwatta, the editor of the newspaper, revealed that security personnel might have involved in the incident.

Expressing his views regarding the incident, Janarala news editor Priyasantha Fernando stated that on last Thursday (30), he was standing near a bus stop in Ekala when a man on a motorbike offered to take him to Kotugoda. The man who arrived on the motorbike told him that he was a police officer on duty.  

Priyasantha further said that the stranger showed him a pistol asking to see his national identity card as well as his mobile phone number. The Janarala news editor told that he refused to offer his identity card and his mobile phone number due to his suspicious behaviour. He further said when the motorbike was stopped at the Kotugoda junction, he saw a white van was slowly moving towards him and subsequently, he walked into a byroad.

The Janarala editor Chandana Sirimalwatta said an article published in the newspaper on 12 May titled ‘A lady behind the gold racket’ might have lead to this incident and further said police had questioned him over the same news article on 17 May. Sirimalwatta added that his news editor had made a complaint with the Seeduwa police in this regard.