CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS





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ABDUCTIONS, DISAPPEARANCES AND MEDIA FREEDOM – Part III

A.A.M.NIZAM MATARA.

The treacherous gang led by the chief of the traitors Ranil Wickremasnghe is making relentless efforts to save the skin of Prabhakaran and prevent the total annihilation of the terrorist outfit which directly and indirectly provide them sustenance to linger in the political arena. These enemies of the nation fully convinced that the only possibility to blunt the will of the masses to wipe out the terrorists and the potent onslaught being successfully carried out by our gallant security forces can only be reversed or at least halted by the interference of the international neo-colonialist hoodlums repugnantly meddling in the affairs of the non-western nations are making horrendous and persistant effrorts to defame and denigrate the nation on phony charges of human rights abuse and suppression of media freedom, suffering with chronic amnesia of their past deeds and posing as borne agains. These despicable traitors in their boundless hunger for power have even gone to the extent of maligning our gallant security forces as a terrorist force which should be fervently condemned by all Sri Lankans and these traitors who make such absurd utterances even deserve public stoning without any mercy.

A main allegation being made by amnesia afflicted Ranil Wickremasinghe and the tiger cubs encircling him appear to be a charge that in Sri Lanka there is no media freedom and journalists are being assaulted,harassed and intimidated. The so-called “Videeshapriya” journalists who enslaved by bundles of foreign currency being regularly thrown at them by pro-terrorist sources, and in the pretext of representing various NGOs related to media and other subjects have joined the bandwagon to defame and denigrate the nation echoeing the slogans of the treacherous reactionary gang bypassing all ethics of journalism and misleading foreign media outfits.

If one look at the evolution of media in Sri Lanka objectively and without any prejudice it would become apparent that media institutions in Sri Lanka were owned by moguls of the urbanite elites and their newspapers always represented the views and opinions of the “Kurunduwatte Chintanaya”and these organs discreetly and tactfully suppressed political ascendancy of the rural and downtrodden masses, and were more or less replicas of th UNP organ “Siyarata”. It can be asserted that this trend was changed with the emergence of “Attha”as a Sinhala daily in the 1960s.

A topic high in the agenda of subjects covered by Ranil Wickremasinghe’s amnesia is the topic of systematic suppression of media freedom by J.R’s (A)Dharmamishta Rajya in which he was an errand Minister. The jounals that published views and opinions against the government then were forced to close down by denying government advertisements and restricting newsprints. Banks were warned and intimidated against giving loans to newspaper institutions such as Upali Newspapers. Although the private TV and Radio channels whitewash the UNP and deplore the government currently, they were not allowed to carry news bulletins until 1994.

When foreign correspondents visiting Sri Lanka started reporting about bodies floating in rivers and burning on tyre-pyres during the UNP government in which Ranil Wickremasinghe was a powerful Minister, the government sent the late Mr. Mervyn de Silva who was the local correspondent of several foreign journals and media institutions including BBC on a special mission to mislead these journals/media institutions with false propaganda. He was alsosent to Sri Lankan Missions abroad to instruct them on how to handle the government propaganda.

Scores of eminent persons were forced to flee the country for the reason of attempting to uphold the freedom of expression. Prominent among them were former Habaraduwa MP and Human Rights Lawyer Mr. Prins Gunasekera and the Ven. Gunasiri Thero of Monks for Human Rights organisation which published the Sinhala bi-weekly “Vinivida”. It is reported that during the height of repression the journal’s entire print run of 25,000 copies was sold out within one day, the monk editors received death threats and their temple was raided several times. It is also reported that the mere possession of this jounal was sufficient for being arrested during that period. (Recolonisation – Foreign funded NGOs in Sri Lanka, Page 222).

In 1992, UNP goons assaulted the journalists covering a DUNF protest opposite the Fort Railway Station with bicycle chains and clubs, and their cameras were smashed. Their complaint was not accepted by the Fort Police Station saying the Police Station had been closed. The Prime Minister D. B. Wijetunga claimed the journalists had been attacked by irate train commuters who had been disturbed by the protest in question, as if the train passengers carry bicycle chains and clubs when they travel.

The Green Tiger Jayalath Jayawardene, the utter despicable Sinhalese slavish to the terrorist outfit has issued a letter on the Parliamentary Letter Head on 29 April, 2008 addressed to western countries saying that Parameswary is being persecuted by the Sri Lankan government because she was fighting against human rights violation of Tamils and she is unable to make a living by any type of employment in Sri Lanka and asking to consider her asylum request favourably. Parameswary was a reporter of Mawbima and was arrested for having given shelter to a terrorist suspect. This is an open betrayal of the nation by an MP. Just imagine what foreign countries would think of Sri Lanka when the Asst. General Secretary of the Opposition openly address to Western nations in this manner!

Another huge commotion being made by Ranil Wickremasinghe and his tiger cubs is the arrest of Tissanayagam. As per the IGP this man has under the guise of being a journalist is alleged to have been involved with the terrorist movement.

The gang of traitors are growling as nothing of this sort happened while they were in power. People may only know about the murder of Richard de Soysa by the State Killer Squads. But many including the ignoramus puppets parotting slogans for the Traitor gang may not be aware that there were a score of Sinhala journalists subjected to cold blooded murder by the then UNP government. They includde Edwin Rajapakse killed in Matara, Nelson Karunaratne killed in Galewela, H.E.Dayananda killed in Colombo, P.D.Wimalasena killed in Colombo, and Jinasena Rathugamage in Vavuniya.

Even these mistreatment, harassment and intimidation of journalists and newspapers were rampant in the terrorist appeasing government of 2002-2003. The forced expulsion of Paul Harris was a case in point. He was forced to leave the country for exposing the defects of the ignomenous CFA. Iqbal Atthas, whom the Traitor Gang praise so much for writing against the government, was reported to have been warned by the then UNP government for writing anything critical of the CFA. He did nout have the freedom of expression that he has today under the then UNP government.

The Traitor Gang who suddenly appears as the divine saviours of the journalists and guardians of media freedom, in the recent past, that also after President Rajapakse assumed office humiliated and criticised the journalists. Ranil Wickremasinghe even ridiculed Buddhist ethics to attack editors of Sinhala Dailies. Addressing a UNP Meeting in Anuradhapura and referring to the editoris of the three Sinhala dailies (Divayina, Lakbima and Lankadeepa) he said "All of them wake up every morning praying Mahinda Saranang Gachchami, Basil Saranang Gachchami, Gotabhaya Saranang Gachchami ”, and blamed these Editors for not carrying his speeches entirely. (Island : 20.08.07).

On another occasion he ridiculed the Lankadeepa Editor alleging that Lankadeepa Editor publishes false reports hiding the truth as a gratification for getting an air ticket to China. Speaking in Parliament he threatened to call newspaper editors to Parliament and question them. The foul-mouth Kiriella insulted the journalist speaking in Parliament and alleged that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had set up a press club to serve liquor for Journalists at a nominal rate. He claimed the President had done this despite his pledge to eradicate alcoholism in the country under “Matata Tita” programme.

It is ironical and humorous to find that individuals who were totally responsible for harassment, oppression and intimidation of media in the recent past have suddenly become the saviours of the very journalists whom they oppressed and harassed. The plethora of rag-sheets being published every Sunday and in the mid-week mainly critical of the government itself proves the Media Freedom available in the country. Howeer, steps should be taken to exercise some form of curtailment for these rogue rag-sheeet journalists betraying the nation by disclosing military secrets and demoralising the security forces by deriding and demeaning their fighting spirit.

 

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