Sri Lanka's state-run television chief has resigned following allegations that the network was being used for a smear campaign against ruling party opponents ahead of next month's polls.
The chairman of the government's Rupavahini Corporation Television network, Sanath Gunatilleke, quit on Thursday. His departure follows the number two in the company, Vajira Narampanawa who also resigned earlier in the week. The resignation of Gunatilleke, a former media advisor to President Chandrika Kumaratunga and one of her closest confidants, came as the supreme court investigated charges that the network was defaming government rivals.
The Rupavahini Network and other state media organisations have been slapped with law suits claiming billions of rupees in damages in the past month alone.
Gunatilleke was not immediately available for comment. However, officials said that the television boss had also maintained close links with a top dissident who defected from the government and joined the opposition last month, leading to the virtual collapse of the administration. President Kumaratunga was forced to sack Parliament and schedule snap elections for December 5 after mass defections pointed to a humiliating defeat of her government on the floor of the House.
Bureau Report