''Iruresa'' is a

Sinhala language Sinhala ( ; , ''siṁhala'', ), sometimes called Sinhalese (), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka, who make up the largest ethnic group on the island, numbering about 16 milli ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

n weekly

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

published by Lithira Publications (Private) Limited, part of

Leader Publications ''Leader Publications'' is a Sri Lankan newspaper publisher. Its publications are The Sunday Leader, Morning Leader and Iruresa It was founded by Lal Wickrematunge and Lasantha Wickrematunge Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge ( si, ලසන� ...

(Private) Limited. It was founded in 1994 and is published from

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

. Its sister newspapers are ''

The Sunday Leader ''The Sunday Leader'' was an English-language Sri Lankan weekly newspaper published by Leader Publications (Private) Limited. It was founded in 1994 and is published from Colombo. Its sister newspapers are the '' Iruresa'' ('' Irudina'') and the ...

'' and the defunct '' The Morning Leader''. Founded by brothers

Lasantha Wickrematunge Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge ( si, ලසන්ත වික්‍රමතුංග, ta, லசந்த விக்கிரமதுங்க; 5 April 1958 – 8 January 2009) was a high-profile Sri Lankan journalist, politician, br ...

and Lal Wickrematunge, the newspaper is known for its outspoken and controversial news coverage. ''Iruresa'' was founded under the ''Irudina'' name. The ''Irudina'' name was registered by

President's Counsel President's Counsel (postnominal PC) is an eminent lawyer who is appointed by the President of Sri Lanka to be one of the "President's Counsel learned in the law". The term is also recognized as an honorific which replaced the practice of appoint ...

Nalin Ladduwahetty. On the night of 16 October 2005 armed men entered the printing press of Leader Publications, threatened the manager with "dire consequences" if the newspapers continued to be printed and then set fire to bundles of newspapers. The attack came after ''The Sunday Leader'' had published an article which alleged that

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Mahinda Rajapaksa had misappropriated

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...

relief funds. The printing press of Leader Publications in

Ratmalana Ratmalana is a suburb in Colombo District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is inside the administration boundary of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council. Ratmalana is situated 14.6 km south of Colombo city centre. Ratmalana Airport locat ...

was burnt down on 21 November 2007 by a group of armed masked men who entered the building, poured petrol on the printing machines and set fire to them. The attack came after ''The Morning Leader'' had been critical of the

Asian Tribune The ''Asian Tribune'' is an online newspaper. Their funding is unknown, and critics, such as the Sri Lanka Guardian, consider their journalism to be of poor quality. The publication is owned by K.T. Rajasingham, who is also a writer for the publ ...

's relationship with a government backed paramilitary group. ''Irudina'' journalist Dileesha Abeysundera was the target of a kidnapping attempt on 28 September 2009 when a group of unidentified men tried to force their way into her home in

Borella Borella is the largest suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka represented by divisional code 8. Demographic Borella is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic area. The major ethnic communities in Borella are Sinhalese and Tamils. There are also various other ...

. After Lasantha Wickrematunge's assassination in 2009 Ladduwahetty demanded Rs. 3 million from Lal Wickrematunge for use of the ''Irudina'' name. Lal Wickrematunge renamed the newspaper ''Iruresa''. In September 2012 Asanga Seneviratne, an ally of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, bought a 72% stake in the ''Iruresa'' and its sister newspaper ''The Sunday Leader''. Seneviratne is managing director of Asia Fort Asset Management (Pvt) Ltd and vice president of

Sri Lanka Cricket Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is the governing body for cricket in Sri Lanka. It was first registered with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Sports (Sri Lanka), Ministry of Sports as the Board of Cricket for Sri Lanka (BCCSL) on 30 June 1975 as a national spo ...

. He is also president of

Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union Sri Lanka Rugby is the governing body for rugby union in Sri Lanka. It is one of the oldest governing bodies in the world, being founded as the Ceylon Rugby Football Union in 1908. History The Ceylon Rugby Football Union was founded in 1908. T ...

and controversially appointed President Rajapaksa's son Yoshitha Rajapaksa as captain of the

Sri Lanka national rugby union team The Sri Lanka national rugby union team, known as the Tuskers, represents Sri Lanka in men's international rugby union. The team has yet to make their debut at the Rugby World Cup. They have the longest tradition of organised club rugby in Asia, d ...

. ''The Sunday Leader'' had published a number of reports exposing Seneviratne's property developments and investment deals. After buying the ''Iruresa'', Seneviratne bought the ''Irudina'' name from Ladduwahetty for Rs. 2 million. The ''Iruresa'' is to be renamed ''Irudina''.

References

{{Media of Sri Lanka Leader Publications Publications established in 1994 Sinhala-language newspapers published in Sri Lanka Weekly newspapers published in Sri Lanka Mass media in Colombo