''Iruresa'' is a

Sinhala language Sinhala ( ; Sinhala: , , ), sometimes called Sinhalese ( ), is an 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 million. It is also the first ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n weekly

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, 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 poli ...

published by Lithira Publications (Private) Limited, part of

Leader Publications ''Leader Publications'' is a Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Benga ...

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

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

. 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 d ...

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

Lal Wickrematunge Lal Wickrematunge is a Sri Lankan business man, media mogul and chairman of Leader Publications which he co-founded with brother Lasantha Wickrematunge. Wickrematunge is the son of Harris Wickrematunge former deputy mayor of Colombo. Life an ...

, 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 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 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Mahinda Rajapaksa had misappropriated

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from , ) 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 underwater explosions (including detonations, ...

relief funds. The printing press of Leader Publications in Ratmalana 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'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 people, Sinhalese and Tamils. There are a ...

. After Lasantha Wickrematunge's assassination in 2009 Ladduwahetty demanded Rs. 3 million from

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 Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka on 30 June 1975 as a national ...

. He is also president of Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union and controversially appointed President Rajapaksa's son Yoshitha Rajapaksa as captain of the Sri Lanka national rugby union team. ''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 Newspapers established in 1994 Sinhala-language newspapers published in Sri Lanka Weekly newspapers published in Sri Lanka Mass media in Colombo