Army Chief sues two newspapers for slander

24 November 2012 05:30 am

Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya yesterday filed action in the Jaffna District Court against the Uthayan and Valampuri Newspapers that are published in Jaffna, claiming Rs 100 Million from each of the two entities as damages for publishing what he called highly defamatory articles concerning him in their July 11 issue

The army in a statement had stated that the Uthayan and Valampuri newspapers regularly published highly defamatory articles ridiculing the Sri Lanka Army and Senior Army officers, For instance, it said even if a suicide takes place in Jaffna, the two newspapers make it a point to refer to the existence of an Army Camp in the area, thus casting aspersions on the army in an unnecessary manner.

The statement quoting Director Legal, Army Brigadier Ranjith Rajapathirana, added that the Army would continue to file defamation cases against whosoever defamed the Army in the future. He had stated, “Just as much the Army was not above the law, we are not below the law either, and we will fight vigorously to protect the good name of the Army and our heroic soldiers.”