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Leading News from Sri Lanka ::
Defense Secretary's attorney Sanath Wijewardena has sent a letter of demand for one billion rupees to the Sunday Leader newspaper Chairman Lal Wickramatunga and Editor Fredrica Jansz as damages for publishing two articles defamatory of the Defence Secretary on December 6 and December 12, 2009.
The legal counsel in his letter pointed out that the District Court of Mount Lavinia had in two instances earlier restrained the newspaper from publishing such defamatory news against the Defence Secretary.
"The news articles published in collusion with retired General Sarath Fonseka were defamatory of the Defence Secretary. The Sunday Leader had given an undertaking to the District Court but that undertaking had been breached by publishing these two articles," the letter of demand stated.
In an interview to Sunday Leader the former military chief General Sarath Fonseka accused the Defense Secretary of ordering the elimination of surrendering senior LTTE leaders. He later recanted the accusation saying the journalist misinterpreted his story. However, the editor of Sunday Leader, Ms. Fredrica Jansz stood by their version.
The letter demanded the Sunday Leader to withdraw the defamatory articles and issue a public apology displayed prominently in the next issue of the newspaper. Legal actions will be taken to claim one billion rupees in damage if the paper fails to publish an apology, the letter said, adding that the Attorney will institute legal proceedings against the Sunday Leader for defamation of court for breaching the undertaking given to the District court.
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Dec 19, Colombo: Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has taken legal action against two articles published in the Sunday Leader newspaper recently.