Following controversy over an article critical of Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister Jayalalithaa and an accompanying graphic published on its
website, Sri Lanka’s Defence Ministry issued an “unqualified apology” on
Friday.
“The article which had been published without appropriate authorisation
and not reflecting any official position of the Government of Sri Lanka
or Ministry of Defence and Urban Development has since been removed. We
extend an unqualified apology to the Hon. Prime Minister of India and
Hon Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,” said the statement on the home page
of the Defence Ministry’s official website.
The article was published on the Defence Ministry website, accompanied
by a graphic representation of Mr. Modi and Ms. Jayalalithaa. “It was a
lapse of editorial judgment on the part of the officer who was
in-charge. We take full responsibility for it and deeply regret it,”
Army spokesperson Ruwan Wanigasooriya told
Terming the visual "inappropriate", he said: "We are not a newspaper, we
are a government website. This is totally unacceptable."
The views of the writer Shenali D. Waduge, a regular columnist with the state-run Daily News
in Colombo, did not reflect the views of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya
Rajapaksa, or of the government, he said. “We have enormous respect for
heads of state,” Army spokesperson Ruwan Wanigasooriya said.
The piece, critical of Tamil Nadu fishermen and of claims made by Tamil
Nadu to Kachchatheevu, comes at a time when fishermen of both countries
are expressing serious concern over the absence of a sustainable
solution to the Palk Bay crisis.
Note
Political parties in Tamil Nadu, including AIADMK’s arch-rival the DMK, Congress, NDA allies such as the MDMK and the PMK, termed the article atrocious.
Burying personal differences, DMK president M Karunanidhi came out in support of her over the issue saying the Centre should treat it as an insult not only to Jayalalitha but also to Modi, interfere and register its strong condemnation.
MDMK leader Vaiko said, “Jayalalitha’s letters to Modi were not mere communication, but her struggle to ensure the welfare of the Sri Lankan Tamils.”
PMK founder Ramadoss said the title of the article degrades Modi and Jayalalitha, and it is not acceptable
Note
Political parties in Tamil Nadu, including AIADMK’s arch-rival the DMK, Congress, NDA allies such as the MDMK and the PMK, termed the article atrocious.
Burying personal differences, DMK president M Karunanidhi came out in support of her over the issue saying the Centre should treat it as an insult not only to Jayalalitha but also to Modi, interfere and register its strong condemnation.
MDMK leader Vaiko said, “Jayalalitha’s letters to Modi were not mere communication, but her struggle to ensure the welfare of the Sri Lankan Tamils.”
PMK founder Ramadoss said the title of the article degrades Modi and Jayalalitha, and it is not acceptable
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