Opposition Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe charges that President Mahinda Rajapakse and his government is responsible for the assassination of Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickramathunga.
He said that the killing was a part of a conspiracy to paralyze the democracy and the entire civilian life of the country.
The Opposition Leader made this statement addressing a joint opposition press briefing held last evening (08) to deny the assassination of the journalist and to protest the government.
He says that this assassination signals that the government is eliminating all the opponents like clergy and layman politicians and trade unionists in the same way the LTTE did. Wickramasinghe said that the government had attempted to influence media to minimize the publicity for the news of the attack at Sirasa Media Network saying it was an internal work. Dallus Alahapperuma’s and other persons’ Ministries tried to prompt media not to point finger to the government regarding Sirasa attack. Wickramasinghe said that this spate of killing was commenced after President Rajapakse became the Media Minister. He added that there should be an end to this approach.
