The state of the media is pretty bad in Sri Lanka, and getting worse. This government, like most governments that can’t defend their records, is lashing out at the messenger. Very often the defense takes the form of ‘the LTTE is worse’, which is true. The LTTE literally kills opponents and rifles through your DVDs at checkpoints. Sri Lanka, of course, is better than that, which is why the deterioration under this government is so sad. Specifically this government has shut down Satellite TV broadcasters, radio stations, websites, and arrested and intimidated journalists – all in the name of National Security. Recently they arrested a Sunday Leader journalist investigating corruption and interrogated his mother – based on one phone call from the Minister being investigated. More shockingly, various Ministers and Ministries routinely call critical journalists terrorists and even advocate violence against them. What they seem to forget is that a free press is a vital part of democracy. What we’re fighting for, remember?
Reporters Sans Frontiers ranked Sri Lanka as 51st in media freedom in 2002. We’re now 156th out of 169, in between Iraq and Libya. This is bad for our freedom as Sri Lankans, it is bad for the war effort and it is bad in general.
On a reader level, the media in Sri Lanka is obviously shite. It’s poorly written, designed, and most people associated are poorly paid. The worst of all is the State Media – truly an blight on any democracy. The Daily News and Sunday Observer are just propaganda rags that spout total bullshit. Some stories, like the abortive deportation of Tamils, they just bury until the stir gets too much. If you put them side by side with any ‘free press’ paper the difference is obvious. Hell, if you put them next to toilet paper it’s still obvious which one is bullshit. What’s fucked is that they weren’t bullshit enough for King Paksa.
Under strong press criticism, President Mahinda Rajapakse and his government stepped up their control over state-run media. At least two journalists, including Rajpal Abenayaka, editor of the government weekly Sunday Observer, were removed from their posts after publishing news seen as too independent. Two state radio programmes were also pulled because they reported on the ethnic conflict in outspoken terms. (RFP)
Then there are the private media that this government has completely shut down. Now, keep in mind that I don’t consume much local media, what for I don’t want my head to explode. I read the Nation on Sundays and the Mirror online. These are just the news outlets that I know the government has shut down, off the top of my head. They shut down Mawbima and jailed some people there. They shut down CBNSat (Satellite TV). They shut Raja FM for some talk about sex. They cut off the flow of newsprint to the North and East, effectively shuttering presses there, dunno if they’re back online. They blocked access to the TamilNet website. Recently they shut down the ABC Radio network, which comprises two or three stations. And that’s just the stuff I know off the top of my head, I’m sure there’s more if I Google it. Yeah, there’s more.
Then there is outright violence against journalists, the physical assault of KP Mohan by Airmen and a subsequent acid attack on him. The abduction of Akuna newspaper staff, death threats and abductions of Hiru newspaper staff, detention of Mawnasamy Parameshwaree, abduction of News director of Suriyan FM Nadaraja Guruparan, etc, ad nauseum.
And where are the defenders of Sri Lankan freedom and democracy? Soon after Aqbal Ithas published details of the corrupt MiG deal (how’s that air defence going, btw?) the government (implicated in the deal) withdrew his security detail. He has since been attacked from high levels of the government, with the following being posted on the government defence site:
“Mr. Athas’ recent work raises doubts whether he has been assisting in the psychological operations of the LTTE terrorists.”
It also states, “Whoever attempts to reduce public support to the security forces or attempts to damage the loyalty of the soldiers towards their commanders at this moment can only be considered as those who serve the cause of the terrorists.” (Defence.LK)
Even more shocking, the DG of the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS), Lakshman Hulugalle, said
“We consider anyone who criticizes the defence forces to be a traitor to the nation as such people undermine the lives of armed forces personnel.â€
Are you fucking kidding? Anyone that criticizes the defense forces is a traitor? I think the police uniforms look like elephant poop, and their pants are too short. Am I a traitor now? Please, this is Sri Lanka and we’re not a military state. Lakshman Hulugalle isn’t qualifed to be DG of a 7-11, and neither are any of these government johnnies. They have no right hiding behind the troops to protect their own wretched hides. Our military has a civilian command, accountable to a Parliament and, yes, the people. If you don’t like it stage a coup and run a military state. Until then, this is a democracy, and Sri Lanka is still free. Attacking the media, is cowardly, wrong, and it does a great disservice to those who fight for Sri Lanka (the democracy not the kleptocracy). Those troops defend Sri Lanka, they defend the press, and they defend freedom. That is what we’re fighting for.
And to the people who call journalists and people who defend press freedom traitors, shame on you. Sri Lanka is bigger than this government, it is bigger than the armed forces and it is bigger than any petty President. We are a free country, we are a democracy and we are everything that the LTTE is not. It’s time we start acting like it.
http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2007/2635/
Members of the media killed by:
Govt of Sri Lanka and affiliated paramilitaries:11
LTTE: 0
URGENT ACTION
Sri Lanka: Several media personnel killed while investigation has failed
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from reliable sources concerning several cases of extra judicial killings and threats to media personnel in Sri Lanka since 2004. Few cases have been investigated and to-date not a single person has been brought before the court. The AHRC is concerned by the impunity of these killings due to the lack of investigation.
CASE 1:
At around 8:00am on 31 May 2004, Mr. Aiyathurai Nadesan was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on a motorbike, while traveling on a motorcycle himself. The Batticaloa police launched an investigation into the killing. However, no suspect has ever been taken to court. Mr. Nadesan (48), was a renowned journalist who was very critical of the Sri Lanka Army and paramilitary groups in his widely read political column in the Sunday edition of the Virakesari.
CASE 2:
At around 10:30pm, on 28 April 2005, Mr. Tharmaratnam (’Taraki) Sivaram (47) was abducted by four men in a white van in front of the Bambalapitya police station in Colombo. His body was later found the following morning, in Himbulala, a suburb between Jayawardhenapura hospital and the Parliament building in Colombo, with severe head injuries. This location is about 500 meters behind the parliamentary complex and lies inside a high security zone. He had been beaten and shot several times in the head. Mr. Sivaram, a senior editorial board member of TamilNet, was well known for his reporting on the political and military situation in Sri Lanka. It was reported that the investigations were blocked by the authorities even though some of the suspects known as ‘pro government Tamil militia’ were clearly identified by the investigators
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The LTTE is a totalitarian terrorist organization. They are far far less tolerant of media freedoms, or any freedom at all. They kill journalists as a matter of policy rather than censor them. That we’re better than the LTTE at media freedom goes without saying. That we’re still bad by democratic standards is also true.
Can you name one journalist killed by the ltte, indi?
This can’t be tolerated, Mahinda is in power because of free media, now he’s forgetting that. I remember how he cried about media freedom during Premadasa times, by the way,thinking about this military criticizing thing, personally i think some of our military personnels are complete shit heads, specially big guys(Like gota) and i can prove it, they had only 2 “Katukambi” fences to protect our biggest military assets in Anuradhapura, what else evidence we need?
Relangi Selvarajah
some of this would make some sense if it was not written by indi.padashow a beneficiary of corruption and repression directly and as a son of an allegedly corrupt family who works and worked for some of the most corrupt and repressive politicians in the country. there is something missing when ppl in glass houses throw stones.
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it is curious how this hypocrite speaks about “our””fighting” for democracy when his previous posts have advocated appeasement of ltte terrorists for “peace” even while as he admits ltte is a “totalitarian terrorist organization ” ( or similar though generally you had to force him to even admit that in so many words,after repeated questions ) . he even attends pro appeasement protests ( in the company of such peaceniks like mervin silva ).
may be he doesn’t see the inconsistency here being slow or blinkered ? does he want millions of sri lankan to live under a “totalitarian terrorist organization” as cost of peace ? one is yet to get an answer to that.
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he also makes false allegation against armed forces about absurd white van conspiracy theories and when asked to provide evidence runs away.
now he asks “Anyone that criticizes the defense forces is a traitor?I think the police uniforms look like elephant poop, and their pants are too short. Am I a traitor now? Please, this is Sri Lanka and we’re not a military state.”
did anyone call indi.padashow a traitor bc he “think the police uniforms look like elephant poop, and their pants are too short.”? i don’t think so.
however ppl who accuse thousands in armed forces with imaginary crimes without evidence parroting terrorist propaganda while a war is going on, is very close to a traitor. may be indi.padashow thinks that qualifies sl as military state?
in any case his real attitude to armed forces can be measured from his attitude to what happened in the east . (read his posts on that). btw does he still think resettlement ( by his own figures 60000 and then 300000 and next 1000?) is not working.) :-) man this fellow’s empty prejudices and lies get exposed by each passing day. no wonder he is desperate
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this castigator of local media about standards ( may be deserved, but compared to what?may be he wants local media to follow standards of nyt or bbc? with their biased and invented stories? google for examples) also forgets to apologize for his own false allegations such as those he made against buffalo regarding ‘helping hambantota” parroting unp propaganda. we know how that ended up. (one gets the feeling his misinformed allegations about “mig” deal will go the same way). may be he thinks supreme court is part of buffalo brotherhood? and anyone else who disagrees with his prejudiced mindset?
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typical of him to lump together relevant and irrelevant examples, conveniently ignoring specifics in an effort to support his claim about curtailment of freedom of expression.
shut down of cbnsat qualifies for that ? (cbnsat btw is now dialog tv.) why?care to explain? does shut down of raja fm for on air sex? that may be prudish and stupid, but is that any different in any ( i mean any ) other country when local pc/culture police is offended ? false claims about cut off the flow of newsprint to the north and east certainly does not qualify. but this fellow believes everything ltte says.
other examples seem to have more merit
“abc radio network, which comprises two or three stations”.( and btw run by an alleged rapist and unp orginizer’s family. may be friends of indi and family ? ) was shut down after false and irresponsible reporting. abc is clearly in the wrong but the punishment was too much.imo. however why not let the courts decide. anyway this is not a good example for repression of freedom of expression unless indi addreses the details involved. may be indi padashow wants free broadcast of false news about bomb attacks creating panic and even riots?
“They shut down Mawbima and jailed some people there”. it is the courts that froze the assets and the ppl are on bail not free. again not a good example for repression of freedom of expression unless indi addreses the details involved. does he want to ?
“They blocked access to the TamilNet website”. this is the only valid example ( btw now it is not blocked ). and let us be clear , what other country allows terrorist propaganda to operate freely in its own territory as is the normal condition with regard to tamilnet an its ppl ?
would padashow care to point out where we can subtantiate that statement “We consider anyone who criticizes the defence forces to be a traitor to the nation.. ” was made by dg of mcns? except for a sites that parrot ltte propaganda?
wasn’t ms parameshwari arrested with an alleged suicide bomber ( still in custody)? do you recommend release of ppl arrested with suicide bombers and find them accommodation just bc they are journalists without an investigation? ( of course they may be innocent and dupes of ltte but they should be investigated )
did he read the rest of the article about inaccuracies of iqbal athas (where migs are not mentioned btw as indi padashow disparate to find support for his theory implies )? or is he not to subject to same standards as other journalists?
other cases cited by padashow here are not substantiated or does not involve government. or involve actual terrorists posing as journalists ( as evidence uncovered shows) .
in opposition to all that just go to a newsstand and read. isn’t there every political opinion represented ( even the terrorist point of view) ? isn’t both substantiated and unsubstantiated reports all events including about the war made
public? does any other country publish statements by enemy terrorist leadership in full in their national papers? ever seen a full speech by osama bin laden on nyt or wp? may be indi .padashow with his limited grasp on sl reality doesn’t want to answer these questions but other sri lankans can.
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he is in other words a propagandist for unp (and by extension due to the current stupid strategy of unp leader, of ltte), either bc of conviction (god help a unp that attracts such as padashow) or bc he wants his family and friends to get back to their corrupt positions of power ( more likely imo ) . btw didn’t he run the unp website during last election? (where ppl were censored) do they pay padashow still? or was it all voluntary ( then and now ?) :-)
If you have any evidence that I or my family is corrupt please share it. My father posted his service record here. Also, if you have evidence that I’m padashow that would be interesting as well. It’s clear that you have a personal dislike for me, and that bias makes your comments pretty unreliable, factually.
A few obvious falsehoods: TamilNet is still blocked (just visit http://www.tamilnet.com. Iqbal Athas did write about the MiG deal, etc.
WILL IT BE A BLOGGER NEXT TIME???????????????????????
Web Journalist shot at in Colombo.
(Lanka-e-News-2007 Oct 30 12.00pm) Journalist Kumudu Champika Jayawardana of new Sinhala news web site was shot at around 11.45pm last night ( 30th Oct 2007) in Colombo, on his way home from office. He was admitted to Colombo General Hospital and underwent an urgent operation. His situation is not critical, his colleagues told ‘LeN’. He was riding his motorbike home when he was shot at on Nawala road, Rajagiriya,
That news web site was recently launched of the popular Sinhala language TV channel Sirasa. Sirasa is part of the MTV/MBC network own by Capitol Maharaja Organisation Limited. Kumudu Champika Jayawardana is the news editor of this site.
Two men in shorts had tried to stop his motorbike by hand signal but Kumudy rode past them only to be shot from his back.
In the wake withdrawing the license of five popular radio channels by the government, the state media has unleashed another round of anti media campaign to justify the government action.
In addition last week has seen some political speeches and strong opinions against Sinhala language news websites coming from the government politicians. http://www.LankaeNews.com, one of the websites attacked by name has been receiving various threats since then.
This is the context that shooting of journalist Kumudu C. Jayawardana has to be placed.
Although Free Media Movement of Sri Lanka expresses its serious concern that another journalist has been shot at and earnestly request the government to conduct an open and speedy inquiry into this shooting.
It’s particularly important in this conflict for the Sri Lankan state to maintain and reaffirm the basic values of democracy. I feel like I have to emphasize this – these values (freedom of the press) are BASIC.
From what i’ve read on the internet, many people, exemplified by sittingnut, seem to think the most basic of democratic values can be ignored in the interim while the military battle is fought, under the guise of protecting national security and the integrity of the state, I suppose, until the military victory is complete.
What you are forgetting is that this conflict will not end with a military victory. You will have to convince tamils that the government is worth trusting, that the government does not do away with basic democratic values easily, as past Sri Lankan governments have to the often violent detriment of the tamil people.
As a Tamil abroad who doesn’t support the LTTE, I find it incredibly hard to trust the Sri Lankan government at this point. Their actions are blatantly duplicitous and hypocritical. The gall of the CID to seek to hold the reporter on the basis of his ethnicity goes directly to this point – a government authority is overtly discriminating on the basis of ethnicity. Why should tamils trust this government? In the faint hope that, once military is achieved, it will start respecting democratic values and human rights?
I know some people are resentful of the human rights advocates in Sri Lanka, but I ask you, what would you have instead? Do you think the SL govt is capable of rebuilding faith on its own? To that I tell you honestly that the message they are sending to tamils in sri lanka, tamils outside sri lanka and to the rest of the world is that the government is woefully shortsighted and, at this point, not responsible enough to have the right to govern tamil people once again.
Be careful Sittingnut and those like you, this conflict is about much more than the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Army, don’t forget that.
“The Director General of Media Center for National Security (MCNS) Lakshman Hulugalla addressing a press briefing said that anybody who criticizes security forces is a traitor.”
Lanka E News
for examples see:
CNN
Fox News
BBC
Times Online
this is getting better and better….
Yahoo
Come to think of it, the New York Times has literally published the full text of a Bin Laden speech, and it’s from an AP newswire. I’m pretty sure its been in most papers. It has news value, more than sticking the public’s head in the collective sand.
That, plus the TamilNet not being open, Ithas not writing about the MiG deal are also transparently and demonstrably false. I randomly checked another one of Sitting Nuts statements, about Munusami Parameshwari, and it’s false too. I would check more but it doesn’t seem worth the time for such an obviously baseless rant.
She was never charged with anything, and being caught with explosives is something you will get charged for. As far as I can tell, everything Sitting Nut says in these comments seems to be false, the only true thing is that he doesn’t like me personally.
According to LBO MR jas inposed a censorship on military matters in sri lanka. Hello Zimbabwe!
as far as I know, they said that they were not responsible, and the police (sri lankan) did not find any evidence that it was them…
“As a Tamil abroad who doesn’t support the LTTE, I find it incredibly hard to trust the Sri Lankan government at this point. Their actions are blatantly duplicitous and hypocritical. The gall of the CID to seek to hold the reporter on the basis of his ethnicity goes directly to this point – a government authority is overtly discriminating on the basis of ethnicity. Why should tamils trust this government? In the faint hope that, once military is achieved, it will start respecting democratic values and human rights?”
So what about all the Tamils who live ALL OVER Sri Lanka, especially those who are born, live, studied in the top schools and work in Colombo.
Quite simply will Hari & Mano Selvanathan move to the North or East of Sri Lanka?
What about the Tamils who have no issues with any Sri Lankan Government?
Watch your words my friend, especially when you live abroad like me and have no right to make any accusation to whatever that goes on in Sri Lanka.
Don’t make statements for the sake of it please. Its people like you who make war and grow hatred.
What about ‘Hari & Mano Selvanathan, Dehsapremi’? Should they be happy living in Colombo under this government? Do you think Tamils live as freely as Sinhalese in Colombo? If you’re tamil, you’ve no doubt heard first-hand that this isn’t the case. Would you be happy living under such a government, as a tamil?
As for your contention that I have no right to make any ‘accusations’, that’s laughable. I’m not advocating violence or further conflict – i’m saying basic democratic rights need to be followed and fostered in order to make a unified Sri Lanka a success. Do you disagree?
I think anyone has the right to criticize the Sri Lankan government for their actions – just as we all have the right to condemn the LTTE for theirs.
Its a shame that Mahinda is acting like Premadasa & JR………but some journalists in Sri Lanka is as corrupt as politicians…Some of them are busy protecting their politicians or helping them to discredit other parties. As journalists they should have their own set of good practices too, Media freedom is a two way process……….If media wants their total freedom they should start to act in a responsible manner too.
This decision has been reversed, fortunately.
He’s not growing hatred, he’s just stating the obvious.
It’s not about whether people want to move the North and East, we have to stop benchmarking ourselves by the LTTE. Rebuilding trust among Tamil people is way more important than capturing land. Hell, I don’t even trust the government, so we have a lot of work to do. There’s no shame in pointing that out. That’s kinda how democracy works.
This is a good move from the part of MR and the govt., There is no doubt that this Govt is corrupt as well as the previous Govts of JRJ to CBK, in this political system, we dont have good journalists who is more corrupt than the political masters.
Just have a look at Mangi and his new friend Lasantha W., once Mangi was with CBK., LW used to do political assasination of Mangi and just all of a sudden, they are mates and now gunning for MR’s head.
There is NO ethics in this kind of journalism and in a war situation you cannot allow sensitive military secrets going to the enemy as the LTTE is the enemy of Sri Lankan state and NOT Mahinda or his Govt.
You mean sensitive military secrets like how to disconnect the electric perimeter wire at A’pura? Or do you mean a detailed map of the booby traps and mines that had been laid between the perimeter and the bunkers? Please tell me which newspapers these appeared in, ‘cos the Tigers got that info.
This is an era of free information and online journalism. It’s not the 1940s. I doubt the LTTE is poring through the Daily Mirror for secrets. Whatever they want to get (that they can’t get through recce & bribery) can be had online. I’m glad the GoSL reversed the decision, but it just shows bad leadership. No one thought this through. A government looks foolish when it gazettes something and then does a 180 two days later.
Ade appa, former ardent SLFP supporters David Blacker and Poojitha have changed sides and now critisising the government.
I think it is time for me too to join UNP. Nethnam mage katheth pas, puthage katheth pas.
Guess u’ve not been around, Merv. I never was either an SLFPer nor a UNPer. And I’ve always been clear in my opinions. I guess guys like you figure out right from wrong by checking which party it is?
hi LG,
I was Not supporting UNP or SLFP, honestly speaking I don’t support any party but if some one do something right I always talk in favor of that. This is the problem with Sri Lankan politics, if some one praise something everybody will automatically think that he belongs to that party. Most of them doesn’t want to see any good in the other party. This is a result of politics becoming something like a religion.
Bythe way LG means Lokuge……if you wonder ……..
Can you name ne journalists in vanni gg?
Apparently, there is even a “Vanni Journalists Association”. Just google it…
Indi, even the integrity of the New York Times is compromised. What was once the West’s torchbearer for accurate and unbiased thought in journalism is now no more than a propaganda rag for right wing causes in the United States. Clearly you’re simply trying to rattle off names to show your ‘worldly knowledge’ of the so called ‘liberal’ world media. However had you read the publication with any regularity whatsoever over the last two decades you’d have realized otherwise. The recent ‘General Betray Us’ fiasco merely confirmed to the world the state of the firmly entrenched corruption and duplicity within liberal Western journalism. How can one expect better of a 3rd world country such as Sri Lanka, which is fighting real demons, rather than those our Western friends created for political mileage?
Yes of course…and LK was killed by a leprechaun.
Any evidence? What was the outcome of the police investigation? ltte did not claim responsibility, right? Conversely, gosl did when they killed TC…
Well, conversely, got any evidence that the GoSL has killed or harrassed any journalists? Soo in that case, I guess all the journalists are just kicking themselves in the balls, throwing acid on each other, and shooting themselves in the back of the head with a T-56. Oh, and Gg, can you get the back of your head out of the back of your arse?
The Catholic Church is in bed with the LTTE:
“Civil groups and the Catholic community condemn the killing of the rebel political leader by government forces.”
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=10719&size=A
Surprise. Surprise.
No condemnation of the killing of Neelan Thiruchelvam, Kethesh Loganathan or Lakshman Kadirgamar but once an LTTE leader is killed, the sorrow and condemnation pours out.
Here’s another pic of Catholic priests “doing their thing”:
http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/9016/pongufathersit0.jpg
Leave me wondering how much they’ll cry when Prabhakaran is killed.
Lankaenews is an unreliable, untrustworth, sensationalist and often factually wrong online newsrag that survives on traffic generated by its google ads.
Their sources of information are low level insiders (usually disgruntled unionists) who have their own axes to grind. Their recent attacks on the Ambassador of Netherlands by pumping up a minor domestic issue, is one such example, where a disillusioned codger at the forein ministry is trying to take revenge on a direct presidential appointments, as he has been deprived of “birth rights”.
Their attacks on the SLN have also been shown to be highly bogus and exaggerated. Lankaenews is good if you want a wholly onesided comedy on a relaxing sunday morning (that is if you don’t read the Leader) but as far as trustworthy information is concerned it has more to lack than to provide.
Notice that nowhere is an address or telephone number or even the names of the publishers…. a chance they exploit to libel and scandelize perfectly legitimate enterprises.