Journalists locked out of Kandy MC meeting, no reason given

Media personnel were not allowed to enter the Kandy Municipal Council Chamber last Friday even though they had been invited to cover the first meeting of the MC after its Budget.

The business on the agenda was the election of seven committees of the Kandy Municipal Council for the duration of this year. Mayor Kesera Senanayake presided.

For many years, journalists had been invited to cover these meetings. They were of great importance as taxpayers and people were entitled to know who was sitting on these committees. However, the meeting was held behind closed doors this time, and no journalists were permitted inside. Media personnel inquired about the matter from an official who had sent out the invitations to journalists, but they could not obtain a satisfactory answer as to who ordered that they be excluded from the meeting, and why.