4 M. SMS from President – TI writes to Dialoge GSM and chairman TRC.

04.01.2010
Chief Executive Officer
Dialog Telekom
Dear Sir,
IN RE THE PRESIDENT’S NEW YEAR SMS
The Programme for the Protection of Public Resources of Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL)
is engaged in monitoring the use of public property by the candidates of Presidential Election 2010.
On January 1, 2010 citizens of Sri Lanka received an SMS from their respective mobile service
providers from President Mahinda Rajapakse. On the 2nd January 2010 Daily Financial Times (FT) has
reported that your company, Dialog Telekom, has transmitted the President’s New Year message
based on instructions received from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka.
We would like to know whether you can further corroborate what is reported in Daily Financial
Times and whether we can get a copy of the direction/instruction given by the Telecommunication
Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka. We also wish to know whether you as a service provider have
been paid for this transmission and if so by whom.
Thank You
Yours Faithfully
Rukshana Nanayakkara
Deputy Executive Director

04.01.2010
Mr. Lalith Weeratunga,
Chairman,
Telecom Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka,
276, Elvitigala Mawatha,
Colombo 08
Dear Sir,
IN RE THE PRESIDENT’S NEW YEAR SMS
The Programme for the Protection of Public Resources of Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL)
is engaged in monitoring the use of public property by the candidates of Presidential Election 2010.
On January 1, 2010 citizens of Sri Lanka received an SMS from their respective mobile service
providers from President Mahinda Rajapakse. On the 2nd January 2010 Daily Financial Times (FT) has
reported that one of the biggest telecommunication providers in Sri Lanka, Dialog Telekom, has
transmitted the President’s New Year message based on instructions received from the
Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka.
In this context we wish to know whether there was such a directive/instruction from the TRC to the
mobile service providers to transmit this message and if so, under which provision of the law.
Further, in the event of there being a directive/instruction from the TRC kindly let us know who has
met the cost of the transmission and whether the government or any institution under the
government made such payments to mobile operators/service providers.
An early reply will be appreciated.
Thank You
Yours Faithfully
Rukshana Nanayakkara
Deputy Executive Director
CC: Director General of the TRCSL