Sri Lanka's president Maithripala Sirisena on Friday brought the Department of Government Printing under his power, announcing an extraordinary gazette notice to that effect.
The move came as Sirisena dissolved parliament, sacking all 225 lawmakers and calling fresh parliamentary elections on January 5, 2019.
Despite international criticism and calls to reconvene parliament, Sirisena has vowed not to bow to such pressure.
Journalists in government media centres have already expressed concerns about interference and spoken of quitting following the appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister.
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