Lasantha Wickrematunge, RIP
Photo from Lasantha’s funeral procession/protest (Set)
Lasantha Wickremetunga died right about now. As I type, they’re holding the memorial in the Sunday Leader office. I am stuck here working on the Kottu supplement for the same. After he died I started working with the Leader. About once a week I drive down the narrow stretch where he was shot. The bloody clothes he died in are in the corner of the Chairman’s office.
It’s there, that blue plastic bag. It’s a bit eerie. Because the Leader is a family. The Chairman is Lasantha’s brother. For whatever his works (commemorated in this Sunday’s Leader), he was a man. Somebody put metal into his skull and he bled out his life on the street. I know his family and it fucking sucks.
Lasantha’s picture hangs above the elevator in the Leader office. When the power goes out we go up to the top floor, via the stairs. You can see the asbestos factory across the street. When it flooded we raced paper boats in the storm drains. It’s a strange place and it’s amazing that anything works, but the people are great. Sometimes the staff will sit around and debate philosophy, but most of the time they talk about food.
I didn’t know Lasantha, but in that office you can’t help but feel that what’s missed is the human being. Everyone at the Leader does crazy, brave and contentious work, but in person they seriously do the most thinking about food. I like it there. They have pretty good short eats at meetings. I wish Lasantha was around.
Despite not knowing the man, I felt his death quite keenly. For one, I started working for the Leader. It also changed me in that I am afraid. I write and speak more cautiously now. I say this is because I value moderation and respect, but a lot is out of fear. Lasantha was connected and he was considered hard to hit. But he was hit, in broad daylight, and they got away. The only people in court are the Sunday Leader management, for the defamation case Gota brought against them.
So I don’t know what the lesson is. The work is important, but it’s also important to not get killed on the way to work. I worry about the people I work with, I worry a lot about the death threats against Frederica, I worry about myself. But the work goes on.
I think it’s just the way the Leader is, it’s constitutional. They piss off everybody, left right and center. They piss off the people they’re trying to expose and they piss off the people they’re trying to help. To quote the Joker, they’re like a dog chasing cars. They wouldn’t know what to do if they caught one. God bless the Leader, and let’s try to sort shit out this year without killing each other. And maybe get some justice for the people that have died. Lasantha Wickremtunga, Rest In Peace.
Amantha’s (Perambara) has an good photo set from after Lasantha died. There’s a public vigil today at 5:30, Alexandra Place, Vihara Mahadevi Park.
The people holding those placards would hardly know who Lasantha was, let alone have read anything he’s written. Why is Lasantha’s death more special than the death of any one of the tens of thousands who’ve died in the course of this war. Lasantha took a side, and he was killed for it. What’s so special about it?
His death in itself was no more special than the tens of thousands who have died, but in murdering him, the perpetrators denied Sri Lanka of a great and valuable mind.
“‘great and valuable mind” – was that a joke, or were you being serious? The truth is, Lasantha engaged in the worst kind of yellow journalism. He used his broadsheet to go on witch hunts against individuals he had a grudge against. His newspaper was totally partial to the UNP, a party which he supported. He wound hound people and if they ended up joining the UNP, he would start singing their praises. Even now, the The Sunday LEader is as unprincipled as it always was with Fredrika Jansz revealing that the management recently took the decision to support a particular political candidate. I don’t think his death is a loss to Sri Lanka at all, besides of course, the sadness of the loss of a human life. This is my personal opinion of course.
Lasantha was obviously effective for some powerful people to want him dead. As Indi says the journalists are scared. The killers have achieved their purpose. I am horrified at some comments. Seems that it’s OK that Lasantha was killed. I feel ashamed to be Sri Lankan.
“Why Lasantha’s death is more special…?” hah. BECAUSE THAT’S DEATH OF FREE SPEECH, AND DEMOCRACY.
Of course Lasantha was partial. But the last time I checked, we all have a constitutional right to be partial. Kill any one who dissents. Hah. Is that what you want? Well then Mahinda Abesekara, Hudson Samarasinghe will be tortured to death under a UNP regime. Is that what you want? Even whimsical, sue, chandana will be killed. Is that what you want? I don’t.
Indi,
I don’t know much about you…i got some google links and stumbled on to you on twitter.
What I read and saw of you, I liked very much.
I’ve been interested in SL affairs as a neutral observer from India.
Last year around the same time, we had a story on Lasantha’s killing in TIME magazine and then I started digging deeper.
I was horrified to see the smile on Gota’s face on Youtube when a BBC reported asked about Lasantha.
AAAAAAAAAAAND, I’ve made some 1 or 2 comments previously on your blogs…requesting you to be careful.
BECAUSE, these fucking bastards won’t fucking allow any point of view that’s anti-govt.
I am proud of the plurality of India. I cannot understand what my friends talk in their language. But we like cricket. We like spicy food.
We don’t care what each of us worship. People from all regions get equal employment opportunities everywhere.
And sometimes the American clients I share my office are surprised at the confusing diversity of India.
I am just rambling…take care mate.
Though sane voices are rare and few to emanate from SL now, you are precious to your family. Just wait for times to change and then say, whatever you want to.
I wish SL with just 3 ethnicities and a beeeeeeeeeeeautiful landscape can be a lovely place.
I believe it truly.
Gota’s days are numbered. He will die a death that fits him…a spectacularly gory and public death.
We’ll leave that to Providence. But my hope is, before he dies actually, I’d like to see him die of fear first.
Every waking hour and sleeping hour, he should be boiling inside with fear.
Ok, Srilankans give me that news of Gota’s death soon.
500 bucks you’re not actually Indian, but actually a Lankan pretending to be an Indian.
How will you send me 500 bucks? Is it dollars or SL rupees? Never saw such easy money. I like Lankan girls…dark and sultry. But I am not SL-kan.
The point is our people want to see a prosperous neighbour. Heck, I have known South Indian friends who’d like to have marriage alliances with SL families. Not anymore.
I’m horrified. Hate only leads to more hate.