Protest demonstration against Minister Mervin Silva in Colombo
[TamilNet, Friday, 08 August 2008, 15:00 GMT]
More than a hundred media persons and political leaders staged a protest demonstration Friday around 12:00 noon at Colpetty junction in Colombo, organized by five leading media associations, condemning Minster Mervin Silva’s assault on media persons who went to participate in the opening ceremony of Kelaniya flyover recently, sources in Colombo said.
Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association (SLWJA), Federation of Media Employees Trade Union (FMETU), Sri Lanka Tamil Journalists Alliance (SLTJA), Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum (SLMMF) and Free Media Movement (FMM) had jointly organized the protest demonstration which continued for an hour. Dr. Wickremabahu Karunaratne, leader of Leftist Front, United National Party (UNP) representatives, Ravi Karunanayake, Tissa Athanayake, Johnston Fernando, Jayalath Jayawardene and Mangala Samaraveera, leader of Sri Lanka Freedom Party Peoples’ Front (SLFPF) took part in the protest demonstration. Sunantha Desapiriya, the president of FMM, Bothala Jayantha, Secretary SLWJA and members of the five media organizations joined in the protest demonstration. The demonstrators marched from Colpetty junction up to Colpetty roundabout and held a meeting on the way to Temple Trees, the official residence of Sri Lanka President. Though Minister Mervin Silva had maltreated media persons many times neither the government authorities nor the President of Sri Lanka had taken any action on him, media sources in Colombo said.
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