The distributor of The Economist magazine in Sri Lanka Vijitha Yapa Book Stores says that the latest issue of the magazine has been detained by the Customs Department.
The distributor says that the Customs Department officials have not given a clarification for the move. This is the second time the authorities banned the magazine entry to Sri Lanka.
This month's The Economist carries an article titled "Eighteenth time unlucky" that says the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's new powers are unnecessary and dangerous.
The Economist, which writes blunt articles, discussing the impact of the 18th Amendment to Sri Lanka Constitution concludes that the President "has preferred to put the consolidation of his family's power ahead of a sorely needed national reconciliation with an aggrieved Tamil minority," a decision "Sri Lanka will repent at leisure."
Last month as well, The Economist which carried an article titled 'Sri Lanka's post-war recovery - Rebuilding, but at a cost - Sri Lanka is developing again. But not all can celebrate' was suspended entry to Sri Lanka.
However, the head of the Government Information Department Prof. Ariyaratne Athugala has told the BBC that he had not heard about the hold-up and no ban was in force.
A Tamil Nadu based magazine Ananda Vikatan was also banned a year ago since it carried a photo of the slain Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. The manager of the Poobalasingham Bookshop that distributed the magazine in the island was detained and later released.
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