By. S. Udumul
There was a dire need to appoint a new Chairman and three Board members to the Sri Lanka Press Council (SPLC). To solve that problem, a new chairman and three Board members have been appointed to the Sri Lanka Press Council (SLPC) and the ceremony to hand over letters of appointment was held recently at the Health Ministry under the patronage of Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa.
Award-winning writer, critic, and journalist Priyan R. Wijebandara has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Sri Lanka Press Council. Additionally, Dr. Anushka Kahandagamage, attorney-at-law and journalist Maheesha Mudugamuwa, and veteran journalist Devadasan Senthilvelavar have been appointed as Board members.
SLPC Chairman Priyan R. Wijebandara holds a special degree in Political Science from the University of Kelaniya and a master’s degree in media studies from the University of Colombo. He serves as a visiting lecturer at the Universities of Colombo, Sabaragamuwa, and Peradeniya. Additionally, he has worked as a communications specialist and researcher for several World Bank-funded projects and has nearly 25 years of experience in print and digital media as an award-winning writer and critic.
SLPC Board member Dr. Anushka Kahandagamage is a social scientist who earned her PhD in Social Sciences from Otago University. She also holds a master’s degree in social sciences from the University of Colombo and a Master of Philosophy degree in Social Sciences from South Asian University in New Delhi. Dr. Kahandagamage has served as a researcher for the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute and the Open University of Sri Lanka, as well as an advisor for the Sri Lankan Reconciliation Mechanism and Law and Society Trust.