Journalist hailed by Obama gets 20 years hard labour in Sri Lanka
Posted on September 1st, 2009
Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . K1J 6G1 Canada
September 1, 2009
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The Editor (Letters)
THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
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Sir:
Just because Tamil reporter J.S. Tissainayagam who gotƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 20 years hard labour forƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ violatingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka’s strict Prevention of Terrorism ActƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ was hailed by Barak Obama as an “emblematic example” of a persecuted journalist, he certainly is not above the law. Far from it.
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The reporterƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ was intelligent enough toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ understand that according to theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ PTA publishing treasonous material will get him into trouble, but he went ahead anyway with writing and publishing bold and excessively exaggerated articles in the now-defunct Northeastern Monthly magazine in 2006 and 2007 which criticized the government’s conduct against the Tamil Tiger terrorists, who wereƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ from the same ethnic community as he is.
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When the Government of Sri Lanka has every right to impose conditions of zero tolerance towards false reporting and defend the credibility of the Nation,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ then what is the problem?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Is it because the reporter was a Tamil and should have been allowed to support the now defunct Tamil Tiger terrorists who were at war with a democratically elected Government for the want of their separate state, Eelam; or is it because he was that much special and should have been given the freedom to breach protocols governing press freedom; or isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ it because Barak Obama weighed in to support a reporter who challenged a country’s laws who were pandering to the most ruthless terroristƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ outfit in the world?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I just don’t get it.
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ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Let’s not be silly about it and make a big issue of this judgement.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ After all, he had a lawyer of his choice to defend him, when the prosecuting lawyer said, “The constitution itself gives freedom of the press, but that doesn’t allow anybody to spread false information to spur ethnic violence.”
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ThisƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ hue and cryƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ over the judgement isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ utter nonsense.
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Asoka Weerasinghe