The first victim of this deal was Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP). He was sent to the UK on a false diplomatic passport after running a scandalous campaign against him in the Asian Tribune for asking the editor K T Rajasingam to return the money taken to register the TMVP. Asian Tribune was the first media to report the departure of Karuna Amman from Katunayake airport.

The Asian Tribune editor wanted the President to remove the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in London for not listening to his advice. K T Rajasingam had demanded the removal of both the ambassador in Paris and the High Commissioner in London when he had a meeting with the President Mahinda Rajapakse in Geneva in July 2007. Sri Lankan ambassador for France was removed soon after the meeting.

Sources associated with the Asian Tribune confirm the appointment of Walter Jayawardena, a non career diplomat is to pave the way for the High Commissioner Mrs Senuka Seneviratne to relinquish her duties in London.

The sequence of events following the meeting the Asian Tribune editor had with the President confirms to the extent his role is been recongnised by the government. The Asian Tribune has transformed itself into a pro-Sri Lankan government web media since its editors meeting with the President.




Photo : Spin doctoring Guru Walter Jayawardena