Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa recently told a talk show that foreign intervention particularly those exerted by the United States through its ambassador Julie Chung intend to bring Ranil to power, failing which they intend to ensure that Anura Kumara Dissanayake becomes the next President of Sri Lanka. The video was taken down hours after the program was telecast live.
(Translation of above text: What happened to Wimal Weerawansa who took part in the Hiru Salakuna program? Hours after it was telecast, it was removed).
Just hours after Sinhala nationalist parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa claimed on a talk show that foreign intervention, particularly by the United States through its ambassador Julie Chung, was afoot in the Sri Lankan presidential polls, the video was mysteriously removed from all online platforms.
Weerawansa claimed that the US and Chung aimed to bring Ranil Wickremesinghe to power in Sri Lanka. If unsuccessful, Weerawansa alleged that the U.S. intends to ensure Anura Kumara Dissanayake becomes the next President. The video of this program was taken down hours after it aired live.
The extremist lawmaker stated, "Julie Chung has been to the National People's Power office several times, and she has posted on X (formerly Twitter) following those meetings. Even Samantha Power, the USAID administrator, met with Harini Amarasuriya during her official visit to the country."
He also mentioned that India’s National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, who was in Sri Lanka last week, was keen on meeting with presidential aspirants. He added, "Recently, Anura Kumara Dissanayake went to India where he met officials. America's first choice is Ranil, followed by Anura Kumara Dissanayake."
Weerawansa claimed that Chung, who has been the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka since February 2022, had her term ended a few months ago, and suggested she was still in Sri Lanka to interfere in the presidential election and its aftermath. He further alleged that she played a role in the Aragalaya protests of 2022 and was attempting to forge alliances between different political parties in the country.
The program was aired on Monday, and by the next morning, the video had been removed from YouTube and other electronic platforms of the television station. Weerawansa took to Facebook to express his views, stating that the video had been taken down due to pressure from various parties. This led to a high demand for the video, and since then, many copies and transcripts of the program have been circulated on various platforms.
One of the transcripts, seen by Tamil Guardian, included Weerawansa's comments on the proposed salary increments for government employees. According to a recently publicized cabinet decision, starting January 1, 2025, the basic salary for public servants will increase by at least 24% for the lowest ranks, with overall increases ranging from 24% to over 50% for all public service professionals. He claimed that this is the plan of both Wickremesinghe and Dissanayake.
Furthermore, he suggested there is a concentrated effort to divide Sri Lanka by creating a separate state for the Tamils, which he compared to creating a second Gaza in South Asia.
Weerawansa again took to Facebook to question why the video was removed by the TV channel and all other platforms. "This is the first time in the history of Sri Lankan media that a live television program has been removed from all the places where it was recorded within a few hours," he said, suggesting that political pressure from other parties may have been the reason for its removal.
This is not the first time Weerawansa has made such statements. He recently told reporters that the proposed Commission for Truth, Unity, and Reconciliation (CTUR) bill, if presented close to the presidential elections, could weaken and demoralize the military.
