SLRC Additional Director General suspended

Additional Director General of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, Dewapriya Abeysinghe has been suspended with immediate effect, reports say.
This step comes after MP Wijayadasa Rajapakse was given a DVD copy of the SLRC footage done on his “Hiru Sandu Arana” variety show by Abeysinghe.
The show marked the launch of eight books, the audio CD “Hiru Sandu Arana”, the short film ‘Agnidesh’ and the personal website of Wijayadasa Rajapaksha.
“Hiru Sandu Arana” was held with the presence of distinguished invitees at the Water’s Edge on February 06th 2008
Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickremanayake, Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, SLFP (M) leader Mangala Samaraweera, MP R. Sampanthan, ,dignitaries of the judiciary, ambassadors, artistes, heads of media institutions and journalists graced the event.
MP Rajapaksa and the SLRC had signed a pact to broadcast the event, which was set for two hours and was paid a sum of Rs. 6,32,000 in return.
Accordingly, the event was broadcasted on March 01st.
Despite being paid for two hours of airtime, the SLRC Chairman has edited the programme, reducing it to 1 ½ hours, which included advertisements for nearly 15 minutes.
Two days before the program was scheduled to be aired, over 20 telephone calls by Wijayadasa Rajapaksa, requesting to see the edited copy was left unanswered.
No media institution airs an edited version of a program without the approval their client.