"Country heading towards dictatorship"

(September 29, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) UNP MP Mangala Samaraweera says the country is heading towards a dictatorship under President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Speaking to the media outside the CID in Colombo, Samaraweera said that the government went to the extent of ordering the police to question him over a political poster. "This is ridiculous," the Matara District MP said adding that he had no problem with the police.

The police questioned Samaraweera over a poster printed for the opposition protest against the 18th Amendment.

"I don’t blame the CID in any way. They treated me well. They gave me Ginger Beer and Welithalapa. They questioned me as to who gave the order for posters to be printed, who printed them," the MP said.