The Sri Lankan government is continuing its offensive against the independent news media, blocking domestic access to a news Web site and smearing lawyers who are representing a leading newspaper.
"The government is continuing to silence its critics through harassment and threats. Authorities should end their anti-media policies, and they can start by restoring access to independent news Web sites and halting attacks on their critics," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator. The government launched aggressive efforts to curb independent media in 2006--at the same time it began an all-out military effort to defeat the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). On May 19, the government formally declared an end to the 25-year civil war.
Open Letter to His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa
2009-07-16 | 9.15 PM
International Press Freedom Mission to Sri Lanka
The International Press Freedom Mission to Sri Lanka, which is comprised of representatives from the world’s media community, including Reporters Without Borders, is extremely concerned over the ongoing spate of violent attacks against the media. However, in spite of the military victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the deterioration of the press freedom situation in the country has continued.
We welcome your recent statement ensuring the safety of Tamil-language media outlets following a series of harrowing attacks and death threats against their personnel.
Wimal advises the President to fight the underworld
2009-07-16 | 12.05 PM
Reports have now surfaced that the government’s newly launched operation to wipe out the underworld is in fact aimed at eliminating members of the underworld associated with the UNP.
It is learnt that the operations has been launched with the initiation of National Freedom Front (NFF) Leader, Wimal Weerawansa, who recently joined the government. The main plan it is alleged is to conduct a crackdown on underworld figures associated with the UNP and to assassinate them during an “accidental” shoot out by the police.
It was Ranil who fired the first shot which started the LTTE disintegration – S.B.
2009-07-16 | 2.35 PM
….refutes ‘UNP on the decline’ statement attributed to him
Mr. S. B. Dissanayake, leader of the opposition of the Central Provincial Council addressing a meeting of the United Professionals Group in Colombo recently , said, the first shot that set in motion the disintegration of the LTTE was fired by Ranil Wickremesinghe when he was Prime Minister. It was the Cease Fire Agreement entered into by Ranil with the LTTE in February 2002 that marked the beginning of the end of the LTTE. The extensive and exclusive security network excellently co- ordinated internationally baulked LTTE’s smuggling activities and clandestine operations whereby its Int. chain was effectively disrupted.
Who is punished and who is not…… in the hands of the Government………
2009-07-16 | 12.05 PM
It was the “all powerful” Minister of Labour, “Dr.” Mervin Silva who said “Lasantha from the Leader paper went overboard. I took care of him. Poddala agitated and his leg was broken. Now a fellow in my electorate is trying to stand against me. I now tell him in his own hometown, I will give him only seven more days. If he does not resign as chairman of the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha, don’t blame me later on. You’ll don’t find fault with me. If this fellow goes against what I say, I will send him to the place where I sent Lasantha,” on the 09th July 2009 in Kelaniya. He has accepted honorably that he was behind the murder of the popular journalist and also breaking limbs of another popular journalist Poddala Jayantha. The Minister “Doctor” freely continues to perform his “operations” under the aegis of the President and his all powerful brothers.
The Sri Lanka Editor’s Guild’s annual awards ceremony to honour excellence in journalism on Tuesday (24) turned out to be a farce with the internationally recognized investigative journalist and slain founder editor of The Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickrematunge not even being offered an honorary mention.
A minute’s silence was observed in memory of all the journalists who died during the past year.
Sensitive colonization issue in Sri Lanka's Welioya (Manal Aru) area
2009-07-15 | 7.15 PM
The Director General of Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority Dharmasiri de Alwis has told the state-owned Dinamina newspaper today that 2500 families will be settled in Nedunkarni in Mullaithivu district under the Welioya project of the Mahaweli L-zone. Each family will be granted one acre for paddy cultivation, half an acre for coconut growing and one acre for the home garden.
Nedunkarni is a Tamil dominated area centered by a small town and the residents are now internally displaced in camps in Vavuniya. Dinamina report does not mention anything about the ethnicity of the settlers in the new colonies.
Sri Lanka Presidential Commission on serious violations of human rights submit an incomplete report before winding up
2009-07-15 | 7.15 PM
The special Commission of Inquiry into alleged human rights abuses in Sri Lanka submitted an incomplete report to the President and wound up its operations.
The commission chaired by the retired Supreme Court Judge Nissanka Udalagama exonerated Army from the allegations leveled against them by various sections including the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission and the Jaffna University Teachers for Human Rights regarding the killing of 17 employees of the French NGO named Action Against Hunger (ACF) in Muttur and the killing of five students in Trincomalee in 2006. But the probes did not extend to investigate the perpetrators of the crimes.
Karannagoda to be made Highways Ministry Secretary on Shiranthi Rajapakse’s insistence
2009-07-15 | 7.15 PM
Due to continuous requests made by First Lady Shiranthi Rajapakse, former Navy Chief Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda is to be made the Highways Ministry Secretary, sources from Temple Trees said.
Karannagoda’s wife, Ashoka Karannagoda is a close friend of Shiranthi Rajapakse.
The Defence Secretary had promised the post of Chief of Defence Staff to Karannagoda in the event the post was not accepted by Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka. The Defence Secretary had further promised to Karannagoda of an appointment as the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the UK or as the ambassador for Sri Lanka at a mission in Europe if Fonseka accepted the post of Chief of Defence Staff.
Royalists take over key military positions from the Anandians
2009-07-15 | 12.30 PM
A JHU source on the basis of anonymity told Lanka News Web that it was unfortunate that two old Anandians, Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka and Navy Chief Wasantha Karannagoda, were sent on retirement even before two months after the war that defeated the LTTE to be replaced by two Royalists.
Major General Jagath Jayasuriya, who assumed duty as the 19th Army Chief and Rear Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, who assumed duties as the 16th Navy Chief are products of Royal College, Colombo 7.
The government has taken steps to deploy army personnel instead of prisons and police personnel to carry out security checks on visitors to the prison premises as well as the workers from today (14).
An army spokesperson told Lanka News Web that the reason for deploying army personnel to carry out security checks at the prisons was prompted by the revelation of prisoners having access to mobile phones and narcotics while serving jail terms.
Sarath Fonseka given only an hour to make final decision
2009-07-15 | 12.30 PM
A senior army officer told Lanka News Web that former Army Chief, General Sarath Fonseka was displeased that he was sent on retirement when a request was made to permit him to continue in the post for at least another two or three years and for giving him only an hour to make the final decision on whether he would accept the post of Chief of Defence Staff.
The officer said that several senior army officers who worked with Fonseka to defeat that LTTE are now in a difficult situation as a result.
SB calls on the UNP to accept unitary state concept
2009-07-15 | 12.30 PM
A JVP parliamentarian told Lanka News Web that the UNP’s Gamini Jayawickrema Perera report has stated that UNP National Organizer, S.B. Dissanayake has called on the party to publicly accept the country’s unitary status and to stand by the concept.
The JVP parliamentarian also observed that it was clearly stated in the secret report prepared by the eight member committee headed by Jayawickrema Perera appointed by the party’s Political Affairs Committee to decide on the policies a possible opposition alliance should adopt.
“When forming the opposition alliance, it is not important to me if the symbol would be the elephant, bandicoot, hand or leg. What is important to me is the policy of the alliance and the strategy to topple the government. I’m not ready to run after a symbol,” Head of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (People’s) Wing, Mangala Samaraweera said.
He made this statement at a media briefing held at the SLFP (People’s) Wing headquarters on the 14th when a journalist attached to a weekly newspaper posed a question on news paper reports that the delay in forming the opposition alliance was due to Samaraweera’s objection to the elephant symbol.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemns the reported ban on the popular news website www.lankanewsweb.com imposed by Sri Lanka’s Government on July 12.
According to a statement posted on the website, which continues to remain available outside the country, Sri Lanka’s state-controlled telecoms company and two other internet service providers within the country have been asked to block access to the website.
International media watchdogs have condemned the blocking of another Sri Lankan news website by the authorities.
Paris based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says Sri Lanka authorities have blocked Lanka News Web after the website published a news item on President's eldest son, Namal Rajapaksa.
The RSF has also condemned Namal Rajapakse's alleged seizure of news media videos following an assault by displaced people in Menik Farm camp.
The most senior Tamil Tiger leader to survive the military onslaught has left Sri Lanka, a Tamil minister said.
Minister Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, widely known as Col Karuna, told BBC Sandeshaya that Daya Mohan has "escaped to Malaysia".
The minister had earlier said that members of the Tamil Tigers had been trying to surrender or flee following the defeat of the rebel group in May this year.
Sri Lanka - Access to independent news website blocked
2009-07-14 | 11.05 AM
Reporters Without Borders condemns the blocking of access to the independent Lanka News Web website (http://www.lankanewsweb.com) within Sri Lanka since 11 July. The site’s editors believe the blocking was prompted by a report posted earlier that day about President Mahinda Rajapakse’s son, Namal Rajapakse. The press freedom organisation also deplores Namal Rajapakse’s seizure of news media videos.
“The tension that already exists between the media and government in Sri Lanka will not be improved by blocking websites,” Reporters Without Borders said. “No one should be immune from press criticism, including members of the president’s family.”
New Navy Commander closely related to the President
2009-07-14 | 11.05 AM
Sources from Temple Trees say that newly appointed Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe is closely related to the President.
Apart from the maternal relationship between the Samarasinghe and the Rajapakses, the two families also have a close friendship.
It was Samarasinghe’s grandfather, Hemachandra Gunasekera, who had brought young Mahinda Rajapakse to Colombo and found him employment after school education.
Fonseka gets treatment similar to Champika from the Rajapakses
2009-07-14 | 11.05 AM
A UNP parliamentarian told Lanka News Web that the government after unleashing an attack on the JHU, which built an ideology backing the war against the LTTE, was now treating Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka, who played a key role in the war, in a similar manner by removing him from the top post in the army.
Fonseka after defeating the rebels at war had formulated several plans on national security for the future and had requested for at least two to three years to implement these actions. However, the President decided instead to remove him as the Army Chief by appointing him the new Chief of Defence Staff. Major General Jagath Jayasuriya has been appointed as the new Army Chief.
Astrological advisor decides January 14, 2010 as date for next presidential poll
2009-07-13 | 6.45 PM
The President’s senior astrological advisor and board member of the National Savings Bank, Sumanasekera Abeygunawardena has said the next presidential election would be held on January 14, 2010.
He had made the statement at a board meeting of the National Savings Bank. Abeygunawardena had spoken about the next presidential election and the future of the country when the board was discussing the future measures the bank needed to adopt.
Executive moving to have hold on judiciary by appointing SC judge’s husband to Sri Lanka Insurance board
2009-07-13 | 6.45 PM
A senior official at the Judicial Services Commission told Lanka News Web that the appointment of Supreme Court Judge Shiranee Bandaranayake’s husband, Pradeep Kariyawasam, as the chairman of Sri Lanka Insurance after the government re-acquired it may be a step taken by the President to have a hold on the highest court of law in the country.
Following the Supreme Court decision to re-divest Sri Lanka Insurance with the government from the ownership of businessman Harry Jayawardena, Courts also directed Treasury Secretary Sumith Abeysinghe to appoint a new board of directors to the institution. Accordingly a new board of directors was appointed. The head of the board is Kariyawasam while the rest of the directors include Anura Medagoda, R.H. Jayatissa, Chitral Amaratunga, Ravi Abeysuriya and A.S. Lekamge.
President will not devolve power says Tissa Vitharana
2009-07-13 | 6.45 PM
Minister Tissa Vitharana addressing the politburo of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party has said the President had requested him to delay the proposals on devolving power to the north and east in line with the 13th amendment.
Vitharana had made this revelation at a heated politburo meeting of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party.
Mervyn publicly admits to killing Lasantha Wickrematunge
2009-07-13 | 6.45 PM
“Lasantha from the Leader paper went overboard. I took care of him. Poddala agitated and his leg was broken. Now a fellow in my electorate is trying to stand against me. I now tell him in his own hometown, I will give him only seven more days. If he does not resign as chairman of the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha, don’t blame me later on. You’ll don’t find fault with me. If this fellow goes against what I say, I will send him to the place where I sent Lasantha,” Non-cabinet Labor Minister Mervyn Silva stated publicly at a meeting in Hunupitiya, Kelaniya.
Silva had made this statement addressing a gathering at the Jayanthi Mahal Junction at the opening ceremony of a Sathosa outlet in Hunupitiya, Kelaniya on Thursday (9).
The website of the Sri Lanka state-owmed Dinamina newspaper has been reported as an attacking site that tries to install programs that steal private information, use your computer to attack others, or damage your system.
The Pleas, Wailing and Weeping of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Leader!
2009-07-13 | 11.45 AM
It was in the last week, Lanka News Web posted a report under the heading, Government has to look for “New Excuses” …. and in the end of the said posting, we mentioned that the Leader of TULF,
Mr.V.Anandasangaree has intensified writing “love letters” to the President while seeing the mayhem caused by the Government in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the North. Following is the latest plea of Mr.Anandasangaree, written on the day before the last “Poya” holiday.
Attacks against Nimal Siripala De Silva intensifies
2009-07-13 | 11.45 AM
Sources from Temple Trees say that the move to remove Prof. K.M.C. Kamalgoda as the chairman of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation was yet another step in the attack carried out from within the government ranks against Health Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva.
Prof. Kamalgoda, who has served in the position for a period of 10 years without any allegations leveled against him, had been removed without stating any proper reason. He has been replaced by the Colombo South (Kalubowila) Hospital Director, Dr. Gunawardena.
The People’s Liberation Organization for Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) is engaged in extortion activities in Vavuniya, a senior SLFP member from Vavuniya told Lanka News Web.
The member stated that businessmen and ordinary civilians in Vavunya are now in great fear of the extortion group. He also cautioned that appropriate action needed to be taken without any delay to prevent a great tragedy from unfolding in the near future.
The SLFP member further observed that he has already informed the security forces as well as government authorities verbally and in writing of the extortion racket commenced by PLOTE in Vavuniya.
The Lanka News Web news website has been banned in Sri Lanka by the government.
2009-07-12 | 7.30 PM
Sri Lanka Telecom and two other service providers operating within Sri Lanka, who hosted the news website, have stopped hosting the site with immediate effect following a request made by the government from them. The management of the website had not received an official communication stating the banning of the site.
LIOC urges govt. to amend import duties on petroleum
2009-07-12 | 7.30 PM
The Lanka Indian Oil Company (LIOC) has called on the government to amend import duties on petroleum stating the Rs.1.2 billion loss incurred by the company in the first quarter of 2009 was due to an import duty hike.
LIOC Chairman S. V. Narasimhan has reportedly said an increase in import duty on petrol imposed on the firm and higher value added tax (VAT) reduced the company’s profit margins.
“The total impact of duties on petrol consequent to the revision is nearly 65%,” he has said.
The country’s strained relations with the Western communities have resulted in a decline in fresh aid commitments received by Sri Lanka for this year.
The country has recorded a sharp decline in foreign aid commitments in the first five moths of this year with traditional Western donor countries not making any fresh commitments for 2009.
An official government report has revealed that Sri Lanka has received US$ 147.7 million as aid commitments in the first five months of 2009 as opposed to the US$ 1,049 million received during the corresponding period last year.
The Government has requested the United Nations (UN) to review its figures of civilian casualties it alleges took place during the past few months of fighting between the Government and the LTTE in the north.
The government request has come in the wake of statements made by several doctors who served in the area stating they were forced by the rebels to give bogus figures.
“They (UN) must review the figures in the light of what the doctors are saying because they were quoting them as the source of that information,” Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe has reportedly said.
Sri Lanka’s failure to provide scientific proof to the death of Tiger leader gives way to blind nationalism
2009-07-11 | 9.00 PM
Sri Lanka is failing to provide concrete proof of the death of Velupillai Prabakaran, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) and Pottu Amman, the intelligence chief of the outfit who are wanted by India to wind up the case regarding the assassination of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
The sources say that Sri Lankan authorities are unable to provide scientific proof for the deaths of these Tiger leaders. Although a corpse said to be of Prabakaran's was displayed as the government declared he was killed on May 18. No corpse of Pottu Amman's was shown so far.
Prabhakaran’s youngest son killed by dashing on the ground
2009-07-11 | 9.00 PM
Reports from army personnel who were engaged in the final battle in the north have said that the youngest son of the LTTE leader, Balachandran, was taken to a different area after being captured and dashed on the ground before shooting him at close range with a T56 weapon.
The photographs show Balachandran’s remains after he was killed.
During the last stages of the final battle against the LTTE rebels photographs of the remains of LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran’s eldest son Charles Anthony and photographs as well as video footage of the remains of Prabhakaran himself was shown in the media.
A shower of stones for Namal from the IDPs in Menik Farm
2009-07-11 | 9.00 PM
Sources from the Menik Farm IDP camp told Lanka News Web that President Mahinda Rajapakse’s eldest son, Namal Rajapakse, was received by a shower of stones when he visited the Menik Farm camp along with representatives of several media institutions.
Namal had visited the camp as the head of the NGO formed by him, Tharunyata Hetak, to inquire into how best they could assist the displaced persons in the camp.
Although the attack on Namal by residents in the camp was recorded on tape by the media crew that accompanied him, he had ensured that all recordings were deleted before they left the camp.
Presidential advisor says IDP camps in deplorable conditions
2009-07-11 | 8.50 PM
Presidential Advisor Vasudeva Nanayakkara says the war displaced living in IDP camps in the north are faced with a worse situation than death.
Nanayakkara has said that these displaced people who are living in parched land in tents with only half the required water supply were not suspects detained in remand on detention orders.
He has noted that while about 6,000 children suffered from malnutrition in the IDP camps, about 1,000 of them were in serious condition, adding that if serious attention was not paid to the issue, it would result in the death of these children.
Labour Department sources say that they are receiving requests from industrialists to close down their respective factories due to financial constraints and decline in orders from the export market.
A factory in the Katunayake free trade zone employing about 750 workers has received permission from the Department to temporarily close down the factory due to the decline in orders and an agreement has also been reached with the workers to pay them 51% of their salaries during the period of the closure.
Dinesh requests not to hold parliamentary sessions on the 22nd due to bad planetary movement
2009-07-11 | 2.05 PM
Chief Government Whip, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena has made a proposal at the party leaders meeting held at the parliamentary complex not to hold parliamentary sessions on July 22, as there was going to be an astrologically dangerous planetary movement that day.
Gunawardena had made the proposal on behalf of the government at the party leaders meeting presided by Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara. Hearing the proposal, a JVP representative at the meeting had questioned if it was a comment made as a joke. Gunawardena has however said the statement was made with full responsibility.
Weerawansa’s wife creates a commotion in girl’s school
2009-07-11 | 2.05 PM
National Freedom Front (NFF) Leader and parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa’s wife had reportedly entered the Ratnavali Girls School in Gampaha and created a stir there on Wednesday (8).
According to reports, Weerawansa’s wife had visited the school with NFF parliamentarian Piyasiri Wijenayake’s wife and met with the principal. Weerawansa’s wife had then created a commotion claiming an A/Level student in the school was sending short messages (sms) to her husband’s mobile phone and that she wanted to speak to the relevant girl immediately.
Former Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva, who is currently facing a political vendetta unleashed by the President, is expected to make a special public statement shortly, sources from Kataragama said.
Silva, who was recently in Kataragama attending religious observances, has told confidants that he would be compelled to reveal several issues if the President continued to attack him.
ICRC presence in Sri Lanka must continue- UK Minister
2009-07-11 | 2.05 PM
Britain has said that although the conflict in Sri Lanka has ended, it did not mean that the presence of the ICRC ceases to be necessary as significant challenges still remained, particularly in relation to the IDPs in camps.
A statement by British Foreign office Minister Lord Malloch-Brown said, “I am aware that the Government of Sri Lanka has asked the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to scale back its operations in country, and that consequently the ICRC is in the process of reviewing its operations. The importance of the ICRC's work in conflict and post-conflict situations is recognised throughout the world.
Doctors’ orders Colombo’s order to the Red Cross to cut back its work at Tamil internment camps is an outrage. The world must boycott Sri Lanka until it starts releasing detainees
Tamil death toll ‘is 1,400 a week’ at Manik Farm camp in SL
2009-07-11 | 10.45 AM
(Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images)
A Tamil girl at a refugee camp in the northern district of Vavuniya
About 1,400 people are dying every week at the giant Manik Farm internment camp set up in Sri Lanka to detain Tamil refugees from the nation’s bloody civil war, senior international aid sources have told The Times.
The death toll will add to concerns that the Sri Lankan Government has failed to halt a humanitarian catastrophe after announcing victory over the Tamil Tiger terrorist organisation in May. It may also lend credence to allegations that the Government, which has termed the internment sites “welfare villages”, has actually constructed concentration camps to house 300,000 people.
A public official sent on compulsory leave appointed as deputy amabassdor
2009-07-10 | 3.55 PM
A senior Foreign Ministry source told Lanka News Web that the country’s Foreign Service has been subject to much degradation by appointing a public official who was sent on compulsory leave for his alleged involvement in fraud and corruption as a deputy ambassador for Sri Lanka in a foreign mission.
The former Colombo Municipal Commissioner, Dr. Jayantha Liyanage has been appointed as Sri Lanka’s deputy ambassador at the embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Soldiers who were injured and disabled in the war against the terrorists and being treated at the Army Hospital are faced with many difficulties, Army Hospital sources said.
While the Army Hospital in Colombo has around 800-900 beds, many injured and disabled soldiers are currently receiving in-house treatment. Due to the large number of solider receiving in house treatment at the hospital, there is currently a shortage of beds for about 300 wounded soldiers.
