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Dinakara newspaper sealed

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party's official newspaper "Dinakara" was sealed on Wednesday night in the wake of a large-scale financial scandal involving the management, informed sources said yesterday.

These sources said the decision was taken at the highest level of the party after certain financial improprieties in the circulation arm of the newspaper had come to light.

The full details of the alleged financial dealings are yet not known.

The "Dinakara" press is located at the SLFP Head office at Darley Road in Colombo.

Contacted by the Daily News, Director General of the President's Media Unit Janadasa Peiris confirmed reports of financial irregularities. However, he denied that the President- who is also the leader of the SLFP- was involved in the sealing of the publication."

This is purely a party matter" he said.

The sealing of Dinakara comes hot on the heels of a major controversy stirred by another PA publication "Lakmina" which reported of an internal plot to assassinate the President.

PA insiders told the Daily News that the news report published in the Lakmina has drawn criticism from party stalwarts who claimed that the paper is delebarately attempting to create an internal dispute in the party.

Opposition leader and the SLFP's Vice President Mahinda Rajapakse is reported to have told a close associate that the controversial newspaper "Lakmina" does not have even basic qualities of a newspaper.

"It is more or less a "Kele Pattaraya" (unlicensed rag)," he had said.

Rajapaksa's strong criticism had been directed at the publisher of the paper whom, the sources said, had joined the party in recent times and has been creating problems with a clear and vicious intention of ruining the SLFP.

Already, the CID has launched an investigation into the news report of the alleged plot to assassinate the President. "CID Director SSP Lionel Gunathilake on Wednesday visited the residence of the Opposition Leader and recorded a statement from him after the latter lodged a complaint with CID on the news item," his Co-ordinating Secretary told the Daily News yesterday.

Rajapaksa has urged the CID to conduct a full scale inquiry into this issue as the matter concerned the Head of State.

"The Opposition Leader has urged for the toughest penalty to those involved in the plot if the story was genuine. If false he had also called for the sternest of action against those responsible for publishing the news item," he had stressed.

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