The Prime Ministerial Security Division officials yesterday humiliated journalists who were covering the inauguration of the Sectoral Oversight Committees workshop, where British Labour MP Fiona Mactaggart happened to say that Sri Lankan journalists were very powerful and would not toe the line of the rulers of the country.
The three-day workshop for MPs commenced at the Committee Room I of the Parliament Complex with the participation of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Journalists had been invited to cover the event.
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dassanayake welcomed the journalists.
During the tea break of the inaugural session all journalists were invited to join participants at the tea party hosted in the MPs restaurant.
However, when the journalists went to the restaurant they were turned back by security officials of the PMSD saying that they were not permitted to enter the MPs restaurant.
Later the journalists proceeded to the restaurant allocated to parliamentary correspondents but found that tea had not been prepared for them as yesterday was not a sitting day. Seeing the PMSD officials harassing the journalists, parliament staff members took them to another location in the parliamentary complex and prepared tea for them.
By Ajith Alahakoon