By Kaleb Warnock | Iowa State Daily
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Poddala Jayantha is a Sri Lankan journalist who was nearly killed because of his investigative reporting with regard to alleged human rights violations executed by the Sri Lankan government. He spoke of his experience last Thursday as part of the First Amendment Day celebration in the Cardinal Room of the Memorial Union.
"I stand here today as a political asylum as a Sri Lankan journalist," said Jayantha through a translator. "I was forced to leave Sri Lanka to save my life. There are so many other journalists who live there in fear. Most of them are living in exile."
In his presentation, Jayantha told a room full of future journalists of the role and influence of media in Sri Lanka and how the struggle has caused extreme censorship of the media. He speaks primarily on behalf of the Tamil minority against the human rights violations enacted during the civil war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lankan government.
The government tightened restrictions on the media following the end of the civil war in 2009, according to the Human Rights Watch report of 2010.
"As pressure mounted for an independent investigation into alleged laws of war violations," the report said, "the government responded by threatening journalists and civil society activists, effectively curtailing public debate and establishing its own commission of inquiry with a severely limited mandate."
Many of the threats were realized, Jayantha said.
"The first shots after the war was over were fired at the journalists and free media," Jayantha said. "They virtually crushed the free media institutions, and they only have the pro-government media to assassinate the character of the people who oppose them, or they actually use death squads to kill them."
As a matter of fact, Jayantha was the victim of a death squad, and he suspects they were motivated to silence him for speaking out against human rights violations.
"I was tortured and my left leg was broken," he said. "And today I'm walking with the assistance of steel rod that has been placed there. They poured acid on me. They also cut my beard and hair and put it in my mouth and forced me to inhale, which caused severe problems in my lungs subsequently. They thew my unconscious body in a ditch and left me to die."
Following the June 2009 attack, he was in the hospital for nearly a month and was unable to walk for six more. His case is not an exception, as many other journalists have been attacked and several have paid the ultimate price.
Jayantha said since this administration took over in 2005, five leading media institutions have been burned down, 35 media employees have been murdered and six journalists have been kidnapped. Five have been released due to public opposition, but one is still missing and has been since January of 2010.
There has been no ensuing investigation to many of these cases, including Jayantha's, and his attack remains unsolved.
"Every atrocity committed against a journalist and the media since April 20, 2005, to Dec. 8, 2009, the day that an editor of a newspaper was murdered, is being gradually covered by the dust that invaded through time," Jayantha said.
However, he continues to speak out against the Sri Lankan government and hopes to continue to fight for human rights in his home country. He called on journalists and the international community to fight for free speech and seek the truth and hold the government accountable for its actions.
"That's why I'm appealing to journalists. ... Don't let this freedom die."
© Iowa State Daily
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Tamil Net
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Around 18 hours before the surrender of the LTTE Political Head B Nadesan and other civil officials of the LTTE that ended in their killing by the Sri Lanka Army, the UN officials served in the island met in Vavuniyaa and made plans to receive them on behalf of the UN. The UN officials were very well aware of who were coming to surrender, said a high-ranking UN worker who was involved in the arrangements to TamilNet on Monday. All the UN officers who served in the island at the time of the war are either no more in UN service or have left the island. The UN was used as a ploy in arranging and enacting the ‘surrender’ and then to kill the LTTE officials, Tamil political observers said. Vijay Nambiar, chief of staff to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, was in Colombo at the time.
The UN worker who was present at Vavuniyaa during the last days of Vanni war has revealed to TamilNet Monday morning that he and his fellow officials who were present there were informed by the UN hierarchy in Colombo to do necessary preparations to monitor safe arrival of LTTE Political Head B. Nadesan and at least 9 others who were promised by Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) safety with the assistance of the UN and the ICRC.
The UN officers at Vavuniyaa were instructed to do necessary preparations confidentially without leaking the information to media at that time.
A few days in advance, two UN Protection Unit officers were posted to Vavuniyaa from Colombo and they were allowed to proceed to Oamanthai while no other UN or INGO officials were allowed to pass beyond Thaa'ndikku'lam, the former UN worker further told TamilNet, adding that he was prepared to witness at any international investigations.
© Tamil Net
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AFP | Yahoo! News
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Sri Lanka Cricket said Monday it is saddled with a $23-million-dollar debt after cost overruns and hefty bills incurred building stadiums for the recent World Cup.
"We spent a lot of money to host the World Cup, to build two stadiums and rebuild one stadium. The World Cup left us a 2.5 billion rupee ($22.6 million) deficit," Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage told reporters.
Sri Lanka, which lost the final to India by six wickets, hosted 12 matches during the World Cup, with others held in India and Bangladesh.
The island built two new grounds in the southern town of Hambantota and the central town of Pallekele, while nearly $8 million was spent to renovate the Colombo-based R. Premadasa stadium.
"We spent about five billion rupees ($45.3 million dollars) to build the three World Cup venues," Aluthgamage said.
The minister said the governing body was forced to pledge the newly built stadiums, along with income from upcoming tours, as collateral to raise funds to pay for the lavish tournament that ended on April 2.
"We are not in a serious cash crisis," Aluthgamage said. "Building new stadiums costs a lot of money. You must look at it as an investment for the future development of the game."
Sri Lanka Cricket treasurer Sujeewa Rajapakse said the board took a $21.5 million loan from state-run Bank of Ceylon and another $3.5 million loan from the International Cricket Council (ICC) to tide them over the shortfall.
"We are expecting $25 million from the ICC soon, by way of hosting rights. Once that comes, we can sort things out," Rajapakse said.
Sri Lanka is to face England, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa this year, and is also due to host the World Twenty20 championships in 2012.
Sri Lanka won its sole World Cup in 1996 and emerged finalists in 2007.
Since losing the final to India, the team's captain, vice-captain and selectors have quit, while head coach Australian-born Trevor Bayliss also ended his contract to take up his old job at New South Wales.
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Sutirtho Patranobis | Hindustan Times
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The annual US state department report has come down heavily on the Sri Lankan government for being dominated by the Rajapaksa brothers and for a problematic human rights record. The report added that both the last Presidential and Parliamentary elections were fraught with violations. "The government is dominated by the President’s (Mahinda Rajapaksa)amily; two of the President’s brothers hold key executive branch posts as defence secretary and the minister of economic development, while a third brother is the speaker of Parliament," the report said.
"Independent observers generally characterized the presidential and parliamentary elections as problematic. Both elections were fraught with violations of the election law by all major parties and were influenced by the governing coalition’s massive use of state resources," the report said, adding that there were instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently of the civilian government.
There was no immediate reaction from either Rajapaksa’s office or the ministry of external affairs.
The report criticised the government’s human rights record in the post-war era, though adding that disappearances had gone down. "The government and its agents continued to be responsible for serious human rights problems. Security forces committed arbitrary and unlawful killings, although the number of extrajudicial killings declined. Disappearances continued to be a problem, although the total also declined. Many independent observers cited a continued climate of fear among minority populations, in large part based on past incidents," the state department report said.
Official impunity remains a problem too, according to the report. "There were no public indications or reports that civilian or military courts convicted any military or police members for human rights abuses. The government established a post-war Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). Denial of fair public trial remained a problem; the judiciary was subject to executive influence; and the government infringed on citizens’ privacy rights."
The report said that there has been no progress in investigations into the killing of Sunday Leader editor, Lasantha Wickrematunga and the disappearance of LankaeNews journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda.
Wickrematunga was shot dead in Colombo on 8 January 2009, Eknaligoda is missing since he left office on 24 January, 2010. “Witnesses reported similarities in the manner in which this attack was carried out and the January 2009 attack on MTV/MBC studios, and some local groups suspected ministry of defense personnel were behind the attack,” it said.
© Hindustan Times
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BBC Sinhala
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The Sri Lanka government says it was told by British officials that they had evidence to suggest former military chief Sarath Fonseka was involved in the assassination of the editor of Sunday Leader.
Lasantha Wickrametunga was shot dead in Colombo on 08 January, 2009. The attackers were never caught.
In a posthumously published editorial attributed to Lasantha he said, "When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me."
Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, a ruling party MP, told BBC Sinhala service that the defence attaché of the British High Commission (BHC) in Colombo "gave a note" that accused then Gen Fonseka of being responsible for the assassination.
But the British authorities have neither denied nor confirmed Prof Wijesinha’s statement.
UK 'favoured' Fonseka
A spokesperson at the BHC in Colombo told BBC Sinhala service: "The British High Commission in Colombo would willingly share with the Sri Lankan authorities any evidence it obtained that shed any light on the assassination of the Sunday Leader Editor.”
Gen Fonseka, commander of the Sri Lanka army under President Mahinda Rajapaksa, during the was later selected as the common presidential candidate by the major opposition parties against Mr Rajapaksa.
"When the election came they (the British HC) took his side and did not provide us with the information," Prof Wijesinha told BBC Sandeshaya.
But the UK authorities have denied having favoured Gen Fonseka at January 2010 presidential elections.
“The UK Government remains impartial during elections in other countries. We did not favour any candidate in the Presidential Elections in Sri Lanka in 2009,” the BHC spokesperson said.
The US State Department report says that there has been no progress in investigations into the killing of Sunday Leader editor, Lasantha Wickrematunga and the disappearance of LankaeNews journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda.
In response Prof. Wijesinghe admitted that "it is necessary" to properly investigate the assassination but there was what he called a danger of government being accused of "political victimisation" if they pursue the case against Mr Fonseka.
Following a controversial military trial the former military chief is currently serving a jail term for irregularities in military procurements.
"But of course we shouldn't stop investigations just because we will be accused of political victimisations," said Prof. Wijesinghe.
The opposition has described the imprisonment of Gen Fonseka, who challenged President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the April 2010 presidential elections, as a political move.
Prof Wijesinha was the former secretary to the ministry of human rights before being appointed as a national list MP, after April 2010 elections, by the president.
He also admitted that there has been no progress in investigations over the disappearance of LankaeNews journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda.
"I think it is mistake from our part that there has been no investigation, of course we must investigate these incidents."
© BBC Sinhala
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