RSF slams rising media abuse in Sri Lanka
Reprinted from OneWorld on Yahoo
Champika Liyanaarachchi, OneWorld South Asia
COLOMBO, July 15 (OneWorld) - Attacks on journalists have soared in conflict-torn eastern Sri Lanka, with around a dozen media persons attempting to flee the country, even as international media group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released a report urging immediate action.
Warning that "threats against journalists in Eastern Sri Lanka have reached alarming levels," the RSF has asked the government and international community to protect them.
The organization has released nine recommendations on improving the state of press freedom in the island nation, including ending threats against journalists, ensuring the autonomy of state-owned media, preventing violations by security forces, ensuring the safety of provincial correspondents and forcing the Tamil Tiger guerrillas to accept pluralism and criticism.
After the murder of journalist Aiyathurai Nadesen on May 31, allegedly by cadres of the renegade leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Karuna, nearly a dozen journalists fled to Colombo for fear of their lives.
They are now waiting to emigrate to safer climes. Nadesen, who was vice president of the East Lanka Journalists` Association (ELJA), was strongly critical of Karuna after his rebellion against LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in March. Just before the murder, Nadesen had complained of receiving threats over his criticism of Karuna.
Ramasamy Thurairatnam, 48, the president of the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance and East Lanka Journalists` Association (ELJA), is among those who fled to the East following Nadesen`s murder. Thurairatnam has worked for the print and electronic media, including the Asia Broadcasting Corporation.
He declares, "These elements were gunning for everybody at the ELJA. Groups supporting Karuna and intelligence units attached to security forces would constantly spy on us. Nadesen`s murder was symbolic, and a warning to all of us."
Thurairatnam reveals that militant groups supporting Karuna had been searching for him at all his regular haunts. He is confident he would have been dead by now if he had remained in the East.
Agrees the secretary of the ELJA, Shanmugam (Shan) Thavarajah. "Media men, academics, doctors -- are all fleeing the East. We journalists always had our share of troubles but things have never been so dangerous for the easterners. Nobody can control the situation."
The paper that Thavarajah works for, Tamil daily Thinakkural, was banned in the East by Karuna immediately after his defection in March. Several thousand copies of Thinakkural were set afire just 500 meters away from Thavarajah`s home.
On the day that Nadesen, who is a close friend of Thavarajah, was gunned down, Thavarajah received a call saying he would be killed if he attended Nadesen`s funeral. Despite the threat, he traveled all the way to North from the eastern district of Batticaloa to attend the funeral. After paying tributes to his friend, Thavarajah fled to Colombo. Thavarajah is the father of three sons, the youngest of whom is just two months old.
He recalls, "After I came to Colombo, my family members got several threatening phone calls from people asking for my whereabouts. One night, a group of unknown people walked into my house inquiring about me. As a result, even the neighbors are insecure."
In March, a committee member of the ELJA, Thanthiyan Vedanayagam, was nabbed by Karuna`s men and detained for two days. Recounts Vedanayagam, "I was tortured during these two days and released after being told I would be history if I did not stop writing."
Highlighting his pathetic plight, he adds that journalism is his only source of livelihood and he is providing for his mother and younger sister from his earnings.
Vedanayagam too fled to Colombo after Nadesen`s murder and is yet to find a proper place to stay there. Petrified of being gunned down, he knows he cannot return home to the east.
Repeated requests to the government from media groups, urging them to control the situation seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Government forces are accused of backing Karuna against the Prabhakaran-led LTTE.
Says a spokesman for the leading Colombo based media rights organization, Free Media Movement, Sunanda Deshapriya, "When it comes to the protection of media rights, it appears the government has become deaf, dumb and blind."
He adds that for the last five months, both local and international media rights organizations were urging the government to do something about the deteriorating media situation in the East.
But as he puts it, "They always promise but never deliver."
Points out Thurairatnam, "The government exercises control over Karuna. If it really wants to, it can stop intimidation by his men."
But the government denies the charge. Assures Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera, "We do not have links to Karuna, but we have already started looking into the matter."