Audio of alleged telephone conversation between MR and Lasantha goes viral

An audio said to be of a conversation between former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickramatunga is circulating in websites and the social media.

Lasantha Wickramatunga was assassinated in January 2009 and the audio has been released after eight years.

When asked about the audio, Mr. Rajapaksa’s media secretary Rohan Welivita said it could not be completely believed as such audios could be modulated with the modern technology.

He said it could be an edited version of a long conversation.

Mahinda Lasantha phone Dialogue

Operator : Wait a moment, sir needs to speak to you

Mahinda: Hello

Lasntha: Hello

M: Hi, how are you?

L: Hi, how are you?

L: What is happening? (giggles)

M: Now it’s okay…now the matter is over…. (both laugh)

L: Now what will happen hereafter?

M: This will move as it is…we have to see what we have to do…

L: Is it that LTTE items are coming or…there’s a rumour that another Provincial Council election is coming up?... Is there no decision like that?

M: It has not been decided yet…some are saying let’s have an election but some are saying just let it go as it is…it’s not an easy thing…lot of money is also required….

L: True…true….

M: after all we have to find money from various places and give for these… (both giggle)

L: Finally the economic crisis will be an impact on the country… need to find a solution to that, I guess…Today a barrel of oil has risen up to…. (audio hissing)

M: Now they say it will go up to 200…

L: But in the coming two months it will go up to 150….

M: That is the thing…

L: Hmm…

M: Can’t even hedge it now…

L: no… no… you can’t… the way it is going up…

M: At least the cultivation is on… so that the meals could be arranged with difficulty…

L: Yes true….at least people in villages can survive as they grow crops…it’s difficult to survive in cities… the industries in cities face great difficulty as everything goes up with the increasing of oil prices… let’s see….

M: I also visited Oxford last week…

L: ah yes you went and came…. (both giggle for long) next time you can visit the Cambridge… (both giggle)

M: No… no…. visiting one is enough… (both giggle)

L: I must tell one more thing… maybe would not like to hear this…. But try to look into corruption committed by various persons…thing about you is if someone helped you once, you will protect that person if he even commits a murder… it’s a good virtue on one hand…. But as the President one must have control over certain things…

M: No matter how much I tell they don’t listen… I even tell in public not to commit cheap deeds but they wouldn’t listen…

L: No but if you took over their portfolios and push them aside they will learn a lesson…

M: Why…that you have once published… (deep audio hissing)

L: yes…yes…

M: Don’t record this…

L: No …. No….

M: (audio hissing) Commander did something like this…. He did it through a different company…(deep audio hissing)

L: Yes…that’s what we even said…

M: (audio hissing) Yes… he had done underhand without informing anyone… we did not have a single clue until he comes and tell us…

L: So the agent is Lalin’s brother? (audio hissing)…

M: Maybe…who knows? He’s still not admitting that he brought them… he’s still covering it up…

L: Well this is the thing…we also can’t write everything… don’t tell anyone…but several messages were sent yesterday through various people that there is a campaign by Sarath Fonseka and (audio hissing) to attack him… (both giggle).... but there is no relevance to that… because this did not come from the army….

M: Even when I asked him he didn’t tell me… (audio hissing) but army commander is saying he followed the procedures… that the purchase was done between two governments…(audio hissing) and that they can’t select companies here and there… and that he would be responsible at the end…

L: We called them before writing this… then they should reply and clarify in this… but they didn’t do that… then after we wrote it they complain…

M: This is the thing noh…. (both giggle) that’s their fault… next time if there’s anything that you need to know from them call me and tell… so that I can direct them to talk to the paper and clarify… if you talk they will respond… but if someone else talk they hesitate to talk….

L: Well the reporter who writes the story has to contact them for comment… I cannot call everyone to get a comment right? Then the reporter has to take the responsibility of the story….

M: Next time when you tell me in advance… send me a message through someone… I will tell them to speak if a reporter would speak…

L: yes…

M: That is better…otherwise if things are going to expose like this it would be harassment to us also….

Audio curteacy srilankamirror.com