By Dilanka Gunathilake Courtesy Ceylon Today

Rohan Welivita, the Channel Chief of CSN and media spokesman of former President says Mahinda Rajapaksa always encouraged them and did not let them suffer from low morale.
Excerpts:

?Who areyou now?
A: I am the Channel Chief and Director of CSN and also the media secretary of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

?What is happening now?
A: Our culture, values, religion, rights and the economy are collapsing.

?Is it because a group including you was remanded?
A: No. But I think so when I see what is happening in the country. That is because the things that do not belong to people are owned by them.

?What do you mean by things that do not belong?
A: Jesus asked to give what was Satan’s to Satan and God’s to God.

?What do you think about the past few weeks?
A: I cannot speak about a case which is before Court. But there must be a proper way for remanding or punishing a person.

?What do you think about the days you were in remand?
A: I am worried about the process until we were remanded. I am depressed.

?Why do you say so?
A: I was director of CSN only for three weeks after its opening. I have not participated in a single board meeting during this period. I have not signed a single board decision.

?Why were you accused then?
A: That is the problem.

?Were you and Yoshitha together in remand?
A: Yes. We were in the same prison cell.

?What did Yoshitha say as soon as he went in?
A: Nothing special was said. We were not in a frame of mind to discuss anything. We were tired.

?Didn’t he tell anything?
A: He said I had not done anything for myself.

?What did he say about remanding him?
A: He did not say anything special. But I understood that he was self-confident.

?What did he tell about remanding him?
A: He did not speak anything about it those days.

? Do you remember the first day Mahinda and Shiranthi came to visit Yoshitha?
A: We were remanded on a Saturday and on Sunday Mahinda Rajapaksa visited us at 9.30 in the morning.

?What did Rajapaksa say to Yoshitha then?
A: Mahinda always encouraged us. He did not let our morale sag.

?What did Shiranthi say to Yoshitha?
A: She visited only Yoshitha. She encouraged us when we met. She praised our self-confidence.

?What did Mahinda tell you first?
A: He said it was a political reprisal.

? What did you discuss in the remand?
A: It was about 9.30 p.m. when we were remanded. We slept on the floor and did not speak anything.

?How was the first night?
A: We slept like logs and woke up when the prison bell rang the next morning.

?How was the food in the prison?
A: We had only four, five meals. It is said that the best coconut sambol is served in prison.

?Who visited you most when you were in remand?

A: Former President Rajapaksa visited mostly. He did not visit us only for a couple of days for the entire 45 days.

?Where did you go after you were released on bail?
A: We visited CSN first, and then went to Mahinda Rajapaksa’s meeting in Battaramulla.

?What did Mahinda tell you after you were released?
A: I met him after a day I was released. He said it was good experience like graduation.

?What did you do mostly when you were in prison?
A: Nishantha Ranathunga and I studied the case files.

?What else did you do?
A: I wrote a book, three songs and a movie screenplay.

? Do you think the time you were in prison was useful?
A: Yes. I get it as graduation and will use it for my future success.