Is Sanjana Hattotuwa Groundviews?
‘Groundviews’ calling people idiots on Facebook. Classy
Sanjana Hattotuwa has got a personal beef with me, but he’s hiding behind Groundviews and the CPA. Sanjana, if you have something to say, why don’t you say it to my face? I’m here, I’m under my name and I try to be as honest and transparent as I can. You don’t need to hide behind Groundviews or your NGO, just be yourself. If you’re going to make personal attacks, the least you can do is be a person.
I am faced with the odd situation of getting tweets from a website like this:
Groundviews: 7: We apologise to @knightfdn & @ashokanews. They would do well to reconsider @indica’s current & future applications. We rescind support.
This is odd because I never asked Groundviews for anything, and because it comes of as remarkably douchey for a non-human. When one of his readers objected, ‘Groundviews’ just doubled down.
lohang: @groundviews just saying what I feel as one of your readers. that’s all. This is bad, immature and arrogant :)
Groundviews: @lohang On the contrary given strong letter of recommendation to @knightfdn, content now @indica deeply embarrassing. Needed to distance.
As mentioned, however, I never asked Groundviews for anything. I picked up the phone and called Sanjana Hattotuwa. I thought we both understood the tech despite disagreeing on politics. So why is that private conversation coming up on Groundviews? Why is he using that account to try and blacklist me instead of his own name? Why is he trying to blacklist me at all? Simply for disagreeing with him?
He’s done this twice now, though the second time I wasn’t surprised. When I previously asked him why he was publishing my emails, he said emails were effectively public domain. I said I’d prefer my emails to be private and he gave me his word. He of course broke his word and used private emails and phone calls again. At this point I’m used to it, but what does that say about his character? I also found out that I’m not the only one. Any conversation you have with Sanjana can end up on Groundviews if he wants to slag you off.
Sanjana And The CPA
In the same way, Sanjana is using the Center For Policy Alternative, his NGO employer, to spread rumor and outright lies, in this case about me and my family. And the CPA is backing him up. When I tried to join the newsgroup, he denied my request. When I asked his boss, Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu for a right of reply, Sara said that the group was ‘restricted’. Newsletters can be private, fine. But it’s generally considered decent to allow someone to defend themselves where they have been attacked. For Sara, however, that right of reply does not apply to his own organization.
Is this really the character of the CPA and Groundviews? To slander people you disagree with and hide? The Groundviews persona on Twitter and Facebook comes off as a total asshole at times, which is odd because it’s not a person. You get stuff on Facebook like:
You idiot, we post content here not because we agree in toto but because we think it is content worthy engaging with. Geddit? Kapish? Comprende?
When people are like, whoa, Sanjana (or is it Nigel his co-editor?) again doubles down.
Thilina Rajapakse: ?@Groundviews please attack the points and not the person.
Groundviews: What points? A troll who claims we get ‘dollars’ from the ICG to post a link to its report on our Facebook page? That’s a point? Oh my.
I mean, seriously, how mature is that? Does any institutional Twitter go around calling people idiots? You also get comments on Groundviews like
Feel free to defend, interpret, follow heck even venerate him, but there’s that adage that springs to mind with a loose parallel here – when you sleep with dogs, you get up with fleas.
Referring to me of course. So Sanjana thinks I’m (loosely) a dog, fine. Does Groundviews? Are Groundviews and Sanjana the same thing? I don’t think so. So why doesn’t Sanjana just come out and say what he thinks instead of speaking in the royal we all the time?
I Am Just Me
I’m not paid for this and everything I do is under my own name. I never speak as Kottu (a blog community I support) because I am not Kottu. I am just me. I moderate comments on this blog (like Lefroy) but let them write whatever they want about me on Kottu because that space is not me. I’ve tolerated, hosted and promoted slander against myself through Kottu because I respect the community and won’t use its weight for my personal agenda. I won’t even use it to defend myself, beyond writing a post like everybody else. I think that’s the decent and ethical thing to do.
So, Sanjana, if you’ve got issues you don’t need to hide behind Groundviews or the CPA. Just say it. Just come out and say it, and take personal responsibility for your words. I do.
Your Twitter is private and the Groundviews account follows zero people, but I’m sure you can find a way to honestly and ethically debate. At the least, you don’t have to cower behind institutions. If you’re attacking my name, use yours. Don’t besmirch that of Groundviews or the CPA. If you want to take shots at me and my family, if you want to publish private emails and conversations, if you want to blacklist dissent, at least have the decency to do it under your own name. If you’re going to get personal, it’s only polite to be a person.
Today on the 
Janith has updated 
This is highly dubious. Miss Travel is a travel/social networking site that connects ‘Generous’ and ‘Attractive’ travelers. To, like, travel together, I guess. It all seems a bit like arranged prostitution and trafficking. This is part of a broader online trend to connect rich men to younger, attractive women. Sites like 
Sri Lankan domestics never say anything, they just stop coming. My maid just stopped coming and when I finally pressed her she said I needed to get a washing machine. I was hoping to ride this one out, but I’ve run out of underwear and I have no choice. I finally caved and bought a washing machine, from 
Quite frankly, the exchange between the two of you on twitter has been embarassing. I won’t comment on who is right or wrong in their opinions, but definitely this person (whoever it may be) cannot use the Groundviews twitter and/or Facebook accounts to mock, insult or taunt other people, regardless. It’s beyond unprofessional, and not what you should expect from “award winning journalism” sites.
oh, where has the work ethic gone?
There was never a work ethic with Groundviews… and there still isn’t.
what’s sad is that these are the guys pushing for equal rights, accountability, transparency, etc in Sri Lanka. No wonder that is not getting anywhere. What a bunch of idiots.
Just because a dog bites you, one does not bite the dog back. Therefore i think its prudent of you to ignore this immature fellow and get on with your important work. By blogging on this you are giving him unnecessary publicity, a single well worded response on your blog will suffice Indi. This Sanjana obviously is a arrogant, immature person with low selfesteem too from this replies, so forget about the little turd and blog about something more worthwhile…
Agree with the Don. Don’t bother Indi. I stopped following @groundviews eons ago.
I never expected SH & GV to be er.. so .. odd. Whatever else is thrown against you, you’ve been upfront about your allegiances etc. Agree with Don about not giving them any more ‘oxygen of publicity’. :)
i.m was working for srilanka armforces who ever what ever said majority of srilankan military rank behave like barbarian i have seen this hapening in north but southern people never worried bcoz itt happenned in north. if some one beleave that srilankan arm forces teach decipline is totally bull shit whats really happend when some one join the arm forces he or she is loosing the decipline what they had before join the armforces becoz of war arm forces was important but nothing to respect them from top to bottom but still there are few good one too
What on earth does this statement have to do with the current topic? Moderator, please remove this comment by this fellow who can’t even spell his name correctly!
dont think he’s a sri langan
Anyone familiar with Groundviews and its pompous buffoon of an ‘owner’ Sanjana Hattotuwa would know that the guy is a total ass most of the time.
I own a website with a .lk domain name, and we have been receive spam from Groundviews and CPA over many months now. They send their newsletter to those who never subscribed to it (email is addressed to admin@…. or info@…)
Sometime back, I saw Groundviews’ twitter account being used to argue immaturely with another Sri Lankan blogger. When Hattotuwa was losing the argument, he began pointing at grammar and spelling mistakes.
Hattotuwa, with his immaturity, arrogance, lack of appreciation for others’ opinions and his desire to be the center of attention has undone all the hard work done by volunteer writers, contributors and donors to bring his website to where it is now.
Honestly, using tools on the web (like Alexa) one can see just how poor Groundviews’ reach is, which means that only a handful of people visit the site. You would expect a site that has been up since 2006 to have more than a handful visit the site – this is usually classified as a failed venture.
While Groundviews may have a few articles with thousands of views, that in no way reflects a far-reaching medium. One is better off sending letters to an editor in a newspaper than publishing content on Groundviews.
It’s a shame that a person who claims to be a proponent of freedom of expression, transparency and accountability resort to this kind of unethical practices to fight his opponents. Hope those who think Sanjana is some serious activist take note of this.
I don’t now Indi or Sanjana personally. But I’ve been following what you both write for years. I even have argued with you two.
My understanding is that Indi is an evolving person. He changes as he learns and I think that change is honest, though we may not agree with him. Some may see this as a betrayal but he is learning to get the best out of available space. On the
Sanjana, on other hand sounds like a person who had ceased to grow long ago. I think, rght now, his only goal is to move up in the ladder doing whatever it takes , doesn’t matter how ethical what he has to do. To me he sounds like a person rotten inside and on a self-destructive path.
Nail on the head regarding Sanjana Hattotuwa.
And tell Sanjana to get rid of that fake accent, it is corny like the rest of him.
Ugh! Does he have one of those too? Watched him a couple of times on TV but cant cant recall noticing it.
Real accents can sound nice. American is hip, British classy, Spanish hot, and other European accents can be charming too sometimes, as long as they’re real. But fake accents can be so off-putting.
How is this Sanjaya fellow putting a fake accent? Did he live abroad?
I have known Sanjana Hattotuwa since his school days. He is a bright intelligent fellow. But as a person he is a pompou arse. He has no sensitivity to people. He is egoist to max. His way or the other. So i am so surprised how someones in the likes of SH can be a conflict resolution journo, or what ever he likes to call it. He thinks he is it. Burt I awill admit the guy is a smart arse.
Guhan G (SL)
Terrible fellow. Shall ‘we’ send a white van?