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Wednesday, November 4 2026
Wednesday, November 4 2026
The main opposition SJB party questioned the basis on which the government granted the sponsorship funds to MTV Sri Lanka, a private broadcaster that the ABU listed as the official host of its 63rd General Assembly.
Government spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa defended funding the regional event and said no taxpayers’ money was used. Instead, he said, money from a tourism promotion fund run by the state’s Tourist Board had been used.
Official records show that the tourism authority paid 104.63 million rupees to MTV Channel (Private) Limited to host the event, which was inaugurated by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
Media Minister Jayatissa’s remarks that the promotional fund did not hold taxpayers’ money drew sharp criticism.
The tourism promotion fund is financed by taxes imposed on tourists entering the country. Although the tourist tax collected does not go directly to the Treasury, it is nevertheless state property, according to official sources.
They note that former Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa was prosecuted for misusing the Tourist Board’s promotional fund to buy 12,000 “tourism-promoting” T-shirts ahead of the Uva Provincial Council election in 2014.
Current tourism officials argue that they have funded many promotional activities and point out that they also funded MTV’s rival Derana to host a kite festival. The Tourist Board also sponsors journalists overseas and so-called social media influencers as part of its promotional work.
In a statement, Sri Lanka Tourism said it hoped to gain substantial international exposure from the ABU meeting in Colombo. (Colombo/Nov4/2026)
| 3 month bill | 9.26% | 1bp ▲ |
| 12-m bill | 9.95% | 2bp - |
| Gold (Ounce) | $4015 | - ▼ |
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