Cellphone jamming equipment for Parliament

Uditha Kumarasinghe, Irangika Range and Sandasen Marasinghe

Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara yesterday told Parliament that jamming equipment will be installed within the Chamber to prevent MPs taking mobile phone calls within the Chamber.

The Speaker referred this statement after the Chief Government Whip Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle pointed out that MP Ravi Karunanayake had taken a mobile phone call within the Chamber.

The Speaker requested the MPs not to take phone calls within the Chamber. Chief Opposition Whip, Joseph Michael Perera said special jamming equipment has been installed within the Chamber to jam the mobile phones from being used in the Chamber. Minister Fernandopulle said that jamming equipment is out of order now.

UNP MP John Amaratunga said the quality of some of the jamming equipment imported was of a very low standard.