Tamil Justice

The Canadian Press – 100 Sri Lankan journalists protest government for alleged moves to suppress media workers

Sri Lankan journalists who claim the government has stepped up its suppression of the media in recent weeks staged a protest Monday and demanded the release of a detained editor from a pro-opposition newspaper.

Colombo Page – * Sri Lankan journalists protest against media suppression

Nidhasana News – Sri Lankan Journalists Protests Government for Suppression

Hundreds of journalist protested today (08) in Colombo against suppression of government.

The agitation was organized to protest against detention of Chief Editor of “Lanka” newspapers Chandana Sirimalwatta without any charges and abducting “LankaeNews” journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda.

“If Mahinda Rajapaksa won the presidential election genuinely, why does he afraid of media?” protesters asked. The media would stop writing against the government only when a good governance san fraud and corruption is established in the country states, protesters said further.

Meanwhile New-York based Human Rights Watch said since the election authorities have detained and questioned several journalists and blocked news Web sites. At least one reporter has been assaulted and several have been threatened.

Human Rights Watch (29/01) – Sri Lanka: End Harassment, Attacks on Journalists

The Sri Lankan government should immediately end its post-election harassment of media outlets and ensure protection of journalists from attack, Human Rights Watch said today.

SMH – Sri Lanka ‘expels Swiss reporter’

Swiss Info – Swiss journalist told to leave Sri Lank

The Straits Times – Sri Lanka expels Swiss reporter

SRI Lankan authorities have withdrawn the visa granted to a Swiss reporter covering the island’s fiercely fought presidential vote and asked her to leave the country within 48 hours.

Sify – Anti-government newspaper shuttered in Sri Lanka

Times of India – Police seal office of ‘Lanka‘ newspaper

Just Journalism - Israel and Sri Lanka: a media analysis of war crimes allegations

How did the UK print media report the recent conflict in Sri Lanka? Was the Sri Lankan government subjected to the same level of scrutiny over the Tamil civilian death toll as was Israel for Palestinian casualties in Gaza? In both cases allegations of war crimes were made on account of reportedly indiscriminate attacks in civilian areas. UN agencies and NGOs accused Israel and Sri Lanka of disregarding the safety of the civilian populations associated with their opponents in favour of pursuing their military objectives.

Just Journalism conducted research into broadsheet newspaper coverage of war crimes allegations against Israel and Sri Lanka during the first five months of 2009. This analysis compares the volume of references to war crimes in relation to the recent conflicts in Gaza and Sri Lanka, between January and May 2009 in the British press. It indicates that the UK broadsheets took a markedly different approach to addressing the issue of war crimes in relation to Israel and Sri Lanka.

 Key findings:
- Across the five daily broadsheets, war crimes allegations in relation to Israel were addressed twice as often as war crimes allegations in relation to Sri Lanka
- Four out of five daily broadsheets associated Israel with war crimes more often than Sri Lanka. In the most extreme case, the possibility of Israeli war crimes was addressed almost four times as often as the possibility of Sri Lankan war crimes in one newspaper
- The first three months of hostilities this year between Israel and Hamas saw 75 articles addressing the possibility of Israeli war crimes in Gaza
- In contrast, during the first three months of the final phase of military operations in Tamil-held territory, only one article addressing the possibility of war crimes in Sri Lanka had been published

AP – AP writer leaves Sri Lanka after visa not renewed

The Associated Press bureau chief in Sri Lanka, who broke news of private U.N. reports outlining civilian death tolls, has been denied permission to remain in the country.

The AP’s Ravi Nessman left Sri Lanka on Monday after the government declined to renew his journalist’s visa.

The government denied that the decision was related to his reporting on the final throes of Sri Lanka’s quarter-century civil war with the Tamil Tiger rebels. The AP reported extensively on the heavy toll the war took on civilians as government forces surged across the rebels’ strongholds in the jungles of the north this year.

“We find this failure to renew Ravi’s visa disturbing,” said John Daniszewski, AP’s senior managing editor for international news.

Aside from reports on civilian casualties, Nessman revealed first word of a government document from January outlining a plan to keep hundreds of thousands of displaced people in camps for up to three years.

Nessman received a one-year journalist visa upon arriving in Sri Lanka in July 2007, and it was renewed the following year. The government declined to renew it for a third year.

Lucien Rajakarunanayake, director of international media in the office of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, insisted the government had not ousted Nessman. He said it was standard for foreign journalists to be based in Colombo for two years.

Nessman’s predecessor as AP bureau chief, Dilip Ganguly, was based in Colombo for a decade, from 1997-2007.

Both sides of Sri Lanka’s civil war have been accused by media groups of attempting to manipulate coverage.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said at least 11 Sri Lankan reporters were forced to flee the country in the past year, and Amnesty International said at least 14 Sri Lankan journalists and media workers have been killed since the beginning of 2006.

CPJ – AP bureau chief ordered out of Sri Lanka

Daily Mirror – AP Chief denied visa extension

International Press Institute – Sri Lanka Continues to Harrass and Intimidate Foreign, Domestic Media, Following End of Civil War

Reporters without Borders – Associated Press correspondent penalised for his war coverage

Click here to read article

*** email us at fastuntoaction@hotmail.com if you want a copy ***

VIDEO FOOTAGE:
Sydney Morning Herald: CBD blocked by Tamil protest [watch from source]

SBS World News: Tamils protest in Melbourne [watch from source]

AUDIO MEDIA:
ABC Radio Australia: Sri Lankan Tamil’s Melbourne protest

WRITTEN MEDIA:
Sydney Morning Herald: Protest closes CBD block in rush hour
SBS Photo Gallery: Tamil protests
NineMSN: Tamils rally in Sydney over rebel deaths
Macquarie National News: Protest causes Sydney CBD peak hour chaos
ABC News: Tamil supporters stage protest in Melbourne CBD
Brisbane Times: Tamils rally in Sydney over rebel deaths

Click here for February 2009 report.
Click here for March 2009 report.

We are trying to independently verify this information which we have JUST received :

Chief Editor of the Sudar Oli a Tamil daily – N. Vidyatharan has been abducted in Mount Lavinia by an armed group a short while ago while attending a function.