It was censorship of a different sort. Though it is not clear who ordered it, it fell on the Police to enforce it when Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera was presenting his first budget.
Photographers who were assigned for coverage inside the Parliament gallery during the presentation on Thursday were in for a rude shock.
Once inside, they were told they could be restricted to a vantage point from where they could only get a frontal view of Government MPs. Despite efforts by them to get to the opposite side so that they could capture some on the opposition benches, they were prevented by the Police personnel on duty saying they had been instructed not to allow them to move to the other side.
It seems a new rule because just last month, when Parliament marked its 70th anniversary, photographers were allowed free movement inside the upper floor of the gallery so they could capture MPs on all sides. So much for parliamentary democracy.
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament today that the suspect in the rape of a lady doctor at the Anuradhapura teaching hospital has been identified as an army deserter and he will be apprehended shortly.
Police have arrested the suspect connected to the sexual assault on a female doctor at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital today morning in Galnewa.
The Dutch Public Prosecutor suspects two companies of paying bribes in the construction of hospitals in Sri Lanka, according to an investigation by FD, the Dutch financial newspaper.
The Government today tabled in the House the Report of the Commission to Inquiry into the Establishment and Maintenance of Unlawful Places of Detention and Torture Chambers in the Batalanda Housing Scheme.
The Minister of Power, Kumara Jayakody, stated that in the future, internationally funded projects, such as power projects, will only be carried out through government-to-government (G2G) agreements and competitive procurement.
Three persons arrested on Saturday close to the Thalawila St Anne’s Church have been held under detention orders for questioning.
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