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Will rethink supporting emergency if government does not stop hounding journalists – Anura Kumara Dissanayake |
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2009-09-07 | 12.05 PM |
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JVP parliamentary group leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake says, “Emergency regulations were approved because the laws against terrorism were inadequate. If these additional laws are being used to suppress the media, students and to arrest political activists opposing the government, we have to take a decision about it. The JVP has seriously focused its attention on the matter. The emergency debate will be on Thursday and the party’s politburo would meet and decide on the action to be taken.”
He also said, “Journalists and media institutions have come under constant attack. Journalists were abducted, attacked and killed. Media institutions were attacked. They were burnt. Now as a new step, three journalists |
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attached to the Lanka newspaper has been arrested by the Deniyaya Police. A government minister commenting on the matter has said the JVP was involved in a plot to assassinate the President. We vehemently deny this statement. We also condemn this statement made without any responsibility.”
Anura Kumara Dissanayake made this statement in response to a comment made by Minister Mervyn Silva at a press conference held at the party headquarters.
Anura Kumara went on to say, “The comment is indicative of an effort to take action against the JVP that gives leadership to the people to agitate against the incompetence of the government, sacking employees and destroying democracy. You know there is a huge controversy surrounding the fraud and corruption involved in constructing the Peliyagoda flyover. If a newspaper wanted to write an article about it and wanted to take a photograph of the flyover the journalist could be arrested claiming it to be a conspiracy to assassinate the President as he frequently traveled on the flyover. Also, if a journalist takes a photograph of a bird flying in the sky, he could be arrested for conspiring to assassinate the President as his helicopter frequently passed the area. Journalists and media institutions have been threatened for no particular reason. Where will this end? This is to arrest the journalists who are not under them and do not report what they want. They are in the process of pushing them in to becoming journalists and media institutions that write and publish only what is desirable to the government. Many journalists are silent due to threats by the government.
“Can there only be journalists who are also stooges of the President? Is it not similar to the rule of Hitler? Democracy has been cast aside in the path being traversed. Journalists, political parties and people have to unite in this situation.
“There is also another matter that needs to be said. The Presidential Media Unit had informed every media institution to give names of three journalists who will be covering the President’s events. Every media institution gave names as requested. No a form has been sent to fill in their details. It has asked for details of the journalist’s spouse’s parents, whether the spouse has any relatives in a political party, if they have had any charges leveled against them for being involved with terrorism, etc. Such details are not even collected from an underworld figure. Details that are not even asked from underworld figures have been asked from journalists. Should journalists be allowed to be demeaned in this manner?”
In response to a question posed on journalist Tissainayagam, he said, “It is not appropriate to say anything about it as it was a court verdict. However, we have a problem. Karuna Amman and Pillayan are people who were involved in terrorism and have killed people as well. They have attacked villages and killed people. They killed monks in Aranthalawa. Today they have been given portfolios. Should additional punishments be given to the person who wrote or the person who killed? What is the difference? The government today calls the person who joined them a patriot. Had Karuna Amman joined the opposition what would have happened? If some one affiliated to the Tiger organization stood on the opposition platform he would be arrested and prosecuted. When they join the government, they are given portfolios. The government has to explain to the country the difference in this approach.”
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