The United National Party (UNP) today called for the questioning of UPFA MP Arundika Fernando, regarding his statement on the whereabouts of missing journalist Pagaeeth Eknaligoda, and requested the government to carry out its duty by obtaining information of the matter.

Making a revelation in Parliament yesterday, the Puttalam District MP had declared that Eknaligoda is currently living in France.

This same parliamentarian had stated, when the impeachment motion was brought against former Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, that “the government has the right to remove any Chief Justice, who does not work the way the government wants them to,” UNP MP Harin Fernando said today.

“Yesterday Arundika Fernando clearly stated that Prageeth Eknaligoda is alive and living in France and that he had met Eknaligoda,” Harin told reporters in Colombo.

Recalling the incident where the Sri Lanka representative of Friedrich Naumann Foundation was taken in for questioning by the CID on “concocted charges” of helping the UNP with LTTE funds, Harin stated if a government MP claims to know the whereabouts of Pageeth Eknaligoda “he should be brought in for questioning by the CID.”

“We are now asking the government that if a parliamentarian of the ruling party says he has met, talked to Prageeth Eknaligoda and knows where, with whom he currently lives, please take him in for questioning by the CID and obtain all the information regarding the disappearance of Eknaligoda in detail from him,” the UNP Badulla District parliamentarian said.

Harin Fernando sated that this is a serious situation as there is a massive controversy surrounding the disappearance of the veteran cartoonist and that they are awaiting the government’s reply on the matter.

“The United National Party requests the government to carry out its duty if they know the location of Prageeth Eknaligoda,” he said.