SLRC Deputy Director attacked in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2008, 08:24 GMT]
A group of unknown men Friday morning around 8:45 a.m. attacked the Deputy Director of Sri Lanka state-owned Rupavahini Cooperation (SLRC), Anurasri Hettige, the trade union leader and a JVP supporter, at Kottiyawatta. Employees at the SLRC have started a protest against alleged targeted attacks by unknown men on journalists and staff of the station, who participated and covered a spontaneous protest on 27 December when Mervy Silva, the SL Minister of Labour was retaliated when he reportedly went amok on a news editor at the station.
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Attacks on SLRC employees aim to create fear psychosis - FMM

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 March 2008, 07:28 GMT]
Sri Lanka state-owned Rupavahini Cooperation (SLRC) employees who participated and covered a spontaneous protest on 27 December when Mervy Silva, the SL Minister of Labour was retaliated when he reportedly went amok on a news editor, have been systematically subjected to threats and attacks, media circles in Colombo said. On Wednesday, an attacker armed with a razor knife cut the librarian of the SLRC, Ranjani Aluthge, twice from behind injuring her while she was on her way to home from the SLRC in a public bus. "This is the fourth incident of attacks and attempted attacks on SLRC journalists and media workers that has taken place recently," Colombo based Free Media Movement said.
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SLRC journalists' lives under threat from SL Minister's goons- FMM

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 February 2008, 15:13 GMT]
Free Media Movement (FMM), a media rights watchdog in Colombo, in a press release issued Thursday said, four confirmed incidents have been reported of journalists attached to Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) either being assaulted or threatened by thugs working for Sri Lanka's Minister of Labor Mervyn Silva, after the staff video taped Mr Silva attempting to wreck havoc inside SLRC on 27 December. "Not a single thug who accompanied MP Mervyn Silva has been brought to book. Not a single investigation or disciplinary hearing on MP Mervyn Silva has been conducted," the FMM said in the release.
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Contain threats against media, RSF appeals to Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 January 2008, 16:12 GMT]
Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF), a Paris-based media watchdog, expressing concern over escalating threats and violence against media personnel in Sri Lanka, in a press release issued Tuesday appealing to Mr Rajapakse, said: "Mr. President, it is not yet too late to restrain those of your close associates and political allies who sow trouble and fear among journalists," and added, "The violent behaviour of the men employed by some of your ministers is bringing the government into disrepute, a situation that will be hard to redress if nothing is done."
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FMM Condemns stabbing of Thinakaran associate editor

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 January 2008, 08:54 GMT]
Colombo based media watchdog, the Free Media Movement, on Tuesday said it was dismayed to report a second stabbing of a journalist within a week. Five persons who entered the house of Suhaib M Kasim, the associate editor of the Sri Lankan state-owned Tamil daily Thinakaran, on Monday, forcibly took him to veranda and stabbed him in his abdomen, the FMM reported. Urging the Sri Lankan police to conduct an urgent and open investigation into the violent act, the media watchdog noted with concern that the police had arrested "arbitrary characters" to be produced in the courts when journalist from the SL state owned television broadcaster Rupavahini, Hemantha Mawalage, was stabbed a few days ago.
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Suspects in Rupavahini journalist assault released on bail

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 January 2008, 16:30 GMT]
Kaduwela Magistrate Monday released the two suspects arrested in connection with the alleged attack of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation journalist, Lal Hemantha Mawalage, on Rupees 50,000 bail each and fixed the inquiry for February 8, legal sources in Colombo said.
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Media Organizations condemn attack on Rupavahini Editor

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 18:35 GMT]
Pointing to Minister Mervyn de Silva for complicity in Friday attack on Rupavahini journalist, Mr Mawalage, five Colombo media organizations in a press release issued Saturday said, "Journalist Mawalage received continuous death threats after his role in the SLRC [Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation] staff protest... We strongly suspect that this knife attack could be retaliation for his role in SLRC staff protest," and added, "We hope that this will not be another attack on media in Sri Lanka which will be swept under the carpet as like what has happened to more than a hundred press freedom violations in recent times."
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Rupavahini producer injured in knife attack

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 12:56 GMT]
Lal Hemantha Mawalage, news producer at state-run Television station, Rupavahini, has been admitted to the Colombo General Hospital after being attacked with machete and knives by unknown assailants at 11:30 p.m. Friday while walking in Athurugiriya in Colombo, sources in Colombo said. Mr Mawalage suffered injuries to both hands and body, according to his relatives. The attackers are suspected to be allied to non-cabinet Minister of Labour Mervin Silva who was involved in an altercation at Rupavahini on 26 December.
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"Deepening media crisis in Sri Lanka"- IFJ

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 January 2008, 03:45 GMT]
Expressing alarm at the comments at made by Sri Lanka's Army (SLA) Commander Major General Sarath Fonseka labelling some journalists and sections of the media as "traitors," the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is a press release issued Monday said, "the statement by Major General Fonseka and the allegations of death threats against journalists are indicative of a deepening media crisis in Sri Lanka."
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Minister's hooliganism reflects breakdown of law in Sri Lanka- FMM

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 December 2007, 21:36 GMT]
Free Media Movement (FMM), the Colombo-based media watchdog, in a press release issued Thursday condemned Sri Lanka Cabinet Minister, Mervyn Silva's "wanton act of violence" against Sri Lanka Rupavahini News Director, Mr. T.M.G. Chandrasekara, and said the "unprecedented attack against a journalist in Sri Lanka by a politician of the ruling party is deeply indicative of the desultory attitude of the government towards media freedom," and noted that when "such hooliganism is allowed to persist in general, clearly demonstrates the significant breakdown of law and order in Sri Lanka."
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Court rejects police request to remand, releases suspect on bail

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 December 2007, 16:22 GMT]
The Colombo Chief Magistrate Mackie Mohamed Thursday refused an application by the Cinnamons Garden Police to remand a Muslim resident of Sammanthurai who was arrested by a mobile squad of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on suspicion that he was a terrorist suspect. The court ordered the release of the suspect on personal bail in a sum of Rs: 50,000/= with two sureties.
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FMM accuses Rajapakse of favoritism, urging self-censorship of NorthEast news

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 February 2007, 12:29 GMT]
Free Media Movement (FMM), a media watchdog based in Colombo, condemned Sri Lanka's President statement that he provided TV licences to JVP for the political support in the presidential election campaign. "Clearly, this nepotism and political favouritism is detrimental to the development of free media," the FMM said in the press release issued Wednesday. FMM also expressed consternation over Mr Rajapakse's criticisms of "Sinhala language weekly Mawbima newspaper for publishing articles that featured interviews with leaders of the LTTE, highlighting the humanitarian crisis in the North and East of Sri Lanka and exposing corruption."
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Media watchdog condemns paramilitary ban on papers

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 January 2007, 11:52 GMT]
Free Media Movement, a Colombo based media watchdog, Friday said it noted with deep concern the alleged ban imposed by the Karuna paramilitary group on the sale of Colombo Tamil dailies Virakesari, Thinakkural and Sudar Oli in the East. The paramilitary group, operated by the Sri Lanka Army, had banned the sale of the Tamil papers, except the EPDP paramilitary owned Thinamurasu and the Sri Lanka Government owned Thinakaran in Sri Lanka Army controlled areas of Batticaloa district. The group has issued death threats to news agents in Trincomalee in an attempt to block the distribution of independent Tamil papers in the district.
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Rupavahini in ‘cultural censorship’ - FMM

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 September 2006, 18:38 GMT]
A local media watchdog Wednesday slammed Sri Lanka’s government for abruptly ending a television series after altering the dialogue in the last episode that was broadcast. The Free Media Movement (FMM) said it “condemns this cultural censorship” and asked Sri Lanka Rupavahini Cooperation (SLRC) to resume broadcasting the ‘Sudu Kapuru Pethi’ programme, whose story line, written in 2003, is set in island’s ethnic conflict. According to a BBC Sinhala service report, the SLRC says the teledrama ‘disgraced’ the Sri Lankan security forces at a time of war.
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Tamil parties protest against abductions in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 September 2006, 18:05 GMT]
Representatives of Tamil political parties addressing a press briefing held Friday in Colombo Holiday-In-Hotel said they are going to hold awareness meetings among Tamil people in Colombo from next week against the increase of abduction by the intelligence service of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA). They stressed that several Tamil youths in Colombo had been abducted by SLA intelligence unit in past and immediate action should be taken to stop this.
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Thousands mourn Kadirgamar, Colombo security tightened

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 August 2005, 09:07 GMT]
Thousands of people were seen standing in queues to pay their last respects to the remains of kadirgamar at his official residence situated at the highly residential Wijerama Mawatha in Colombo. The capital city has been put under tight security following the arrival of foreign dignitaries including the Defence Minister of India Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and the Indian Foreign Minister Mr. Natwar Singh for the funeral of the slain Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar on Monday.
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SLTMA condemns killing of veteran broadcaster

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 August 2005, 14:29 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA), in a media release issued to the press on Friday in Colombo, has condemned the assasination of veteran broadcaster and the Television presenter Mrs. Relangi Selvaraja, 45, and her husband Mr. Selvaraja, 48, who were assassinated Friday noon in Colombo by unidentified gunmen.
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Tamil TV announcer, husband shot dead in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 August 2005, 11:27 GMT]
Senior Announcer at Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) Mrs. Relangi Selvarajah (45) and her husband Mr. Sinnadurai Selvarajah (48) were shot dead by unidentified gunmen Friday around 12:45 p.m. at Bampalapitiya St. Peter’s lane Colombo where they ran a Travel Agency, Kinross Travel Service, Police sources in Colombo said.


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Troops fire on Valaichenai protestors, 1 killed

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 May 2005, 10:51 GMT]
A 65 year old man was killed and at least 15 other civilians were wounded when Sri Lankan security forces opened fire on large crowds of people protesting Monday, demanding removal of new Army checkpoints set up near a school in the Batticaloa district. Five women were among those wounded when soldiers and police fired assault rifles for over 10 minutes at Santhiveli, 27 km. north of Batticaloa on the Valaichenai road, sources said. International ceasefire monitors and reporters witnessed the incident, they said.
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Sri Lanka clamps restrictions on post-Tsunami coverage

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 March 2005, 11:09 GMT]
Free Media Movement (FMM), Sri Lanka’s media watchdog, Thursday slammed the Government of Sri Lanka for imposing unacceptable restrictions on foreign journalists covering post-tsunami rebuilding and recovery efforts in the island. In a statement issued Thursday FMM said a Canadian TV journalist has been asked by the Sri Lankan embassy in Ottawa to sign a letter of agreement accepting the restrictions as a condition for issuing him a visa. FMM said that conditions such as these “did not exist even during most of the period of armed conflict in Sri Lanka”.
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