By Indika Sri Aravinda | Daily Mirror
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More than 40 computers, several air-conditioning units and other electronic equipment have been damaged due to the fire. The Main Control Room (MCR) of the Siyatha television was also damaged so the network is unable to broadcast at the moment. The radio stations also have been interrupted.
There were no threats against the radio and TV stations, we have not insured the equipment as well, Kariyapperuma said.
Meanwhile Director General of Government Information, Ariyaratne Athugala stated that usually if a radio or television station did not broadcast for 24 hours the broadcast license could be revoked and that the station could be taken over by the government.
However he noted that in the case of Siyatha because of the special circumstances such action will not be taken.
© Daily Mirror Online
Friday, July 30, 2010
"Siyatha TV" to go on air
Friday, July 30, 2010
SRI LANKA TV STATION FIREBOMBED
BBC News
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Two people were injured in the attack on the independent station, Siyatha.
Siyatha's owner left the country some months ago after reports emerged that he had also funded the opposition presidential candidate, Sarath Fonseka.
The government temporarily prevented Siyatha from covering official events and withdrew advertising from its newspaper, which has now closed down.
However, its broadcasts have not been critical of the government.
Witnesses told the BBC that about 12 masked men, most of them armed, stormed Siyatha's premises in the city centre and went on a rampage early on Friday.
They threw petrol-bombs and destroyed much of the broadcasting equipment, forcing staff to kneel at gunpoint and assaulting two of them.
The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says the attack was reminiscent of an earlier firebombing of another TV station 18 months ago.
A US-based journalists' rights organisation ranks Sri Lanka as the fourth-worst country for impunity in attacks on journalists.
© BBC News
Friday, July 30, 2010
UK says Lanka now safe
Daily Mirror Online
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The British High Commission in a statement said that the advice follows a security assessment carried out by a High Commission delegation, led by Deputy High Commissioner Mark Gooding, which visited the Northern provinces in June.
Commenting on the changes British High Commissioner, Dr Peter Hayes said, “This latest change means we no longer advise against travel to any part of Sri Lanka. Britons wishing to travel to the north should be aware that there remains a risk from mines and unexploded ordinance and that they need to obtain permission from the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence before they travel.”
© Daily Mirror
Friday, July 30, 2010
ATTACKERS TORCH MEDIA OUTLET IN SRI LANKAN CAPITAL
Photo Courtesy: Lankadeepa
By Bharatha Mallawarachi | Associated Press
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The men entered the premises of Voice of Asia Network in the Sri Lankan capital around 1:30 a.m. Friday and assaulted a security guard before setting the buildings on fire with petrol bombs, said Jimmy Deen, a spokesman for the company, which runs a private television station and three radio stations. The security guard and another employee were injured.
The blaze gutted the building housing the company's television channel Siyatha TV and damaged the station's control room, studio and library, Deen said. The TV station had to be shut down, but the radio stations were still broadcasting.
Police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody confirmed the attack, but said authorities needed more time to confirm the details.
Deen said he couldn't think of any reason for the attack, since the stations were mainly focused on entertainment and education. It was widely known, however, that the company's owners backed the main opposition candidate, ex-army chief Sarath Fonseka, in January's presidential election.
Fonseka lost, and he and many of his supporters were arrested after the vote. Fonseka faces a court-martial for allegedly planning his political career while in the army.
Fonseka's supporters say President Mahinda Rajapaksa is punishing the general for daring to challenge him.
© Associated Press
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Friday, July 30, 2010
Latest Daily Mail libel case shows why we need a new approach
Read the "Sun" apology
By Roy Greenslade | Guardian
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I can see how the Daily Mail tripped up. Clearly, a police source gave the paper false information, leading to its way-over-the-top report: "Hunger striker's £7m Big Mac."
There were also two unequivocal picture captions: "Tamil who cost London a fortune in policing was sneaking in fast-food" and "Tamil takeaways" plus, naturally, a picture of a Big Mac itself.
I noted the following day that the Mail carried a story of Subramanyam's denial, Tamil hunger striker: I did NOT break my fast, but it was a news report rather than an apology.
It suggested that the paper did not believe Subramanyam, because it also contained a (sort of) justification for its original story. One sentence said: "The Mail revealed how police surveillance teams saw fast food being smuggled to Mr Subramaniyan."
And the concluding sentence stated: "Scotland Yard last night refused to discuss whether it had received intelligence that the hunger striker had been passed food."
That's one of those intriguing non-comments. Did it mean that the story was correct but the police didn't want to say anything on the record? Or was it an indication that the story was just plain wrong?
The latter turned out to be the case. As the Mail's counsel said in court this morning, the paper "published the article in good faith based on information that, at the time, was understood to be reliable."
I can also understand how The Sun came a cropper. Its online team simply repeated the Mail story without checking on its veracity. And that, sadly, happens often - in print and online - when a story conforms to a paper's prejudices.
But the editors and journalists on both newspapers know all this. They would have been aware for many months of the shaky ground for the false allegations made against Subramanyam.
So, once again, the central problem is about the length of time it takes to obtain justice once people sue papers for libel.
The stories libelling Subramanyam were published in October last year, so he has had to wait almost 10 months for the story to be officially denied.
Why? Well, once newspapers are sued the legal machinery kicks in because, aside from reputation, money is at stake. In this case the claimant has been paid "substantial damages" (£80,000 evidently) plus his costs.
First off, papers try to bluff it out, hoping to justify the unjustifiable. Once they've lost that battle, it all comes down to haggling over the level of damages and the wording of statements.
The final agreement will have been hammered out in lengthy and costly negotiations. It is an unsatisfactory way of sorting out such matters.
Ahead of mooted libel law reform, there have been various ideas about dealing with these cases by the setting up a legal panel. This would be a much swifter and less costly way of settling disputes.
All three parties involved - the Mail, The Sun and the upset, libelled Subramanyam - would have benefited from the creation of such a sensible and practical arbitration panel.
© Guardian
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Friday, July 30, 2010
Shakthi TV case on transmitting in Jaffna settled
News First
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The case was taken up before the President of the court of appeal Sathya Hettige and Justice Anil Gunaratne.
Senior state counsel appearing for the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission Sumathi Dharmawardena stated that the frequency UHF 46 has been allocated for Shakthi TV to transmit in Jaffna.
He further said that this frequency can be obtained by making the necessary payment in this regard, on or before the 4th of August.
The petitioner withdrew the case, as the TRC agreed to grant MTV channel private limited a frequency for Shakthi TV to transmit in the Jaffna peninsula.
Attorney at law Sandamali Chandrasekara and Sanjeewa Jayawardene appeared on behalf of the petitioner, acting on the instructions of Sudath Perera associates.
© News First
Friday, July 30, 2010
Sri Lanka ex-army chief faces new trial
Agence France-Presse
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Fonseka, who already faces two courts martial and two more criminal cases, was taken before a three-member "trial-at-bar" for the first time and charged, his attorney said.
"The main charge is inciting people to violence," lawyer Nalin Laduwahetti said. Some 20 witnesses will be called during the next hearing, on September 27.
The trial-at-bar dispenses with the normal practice of trial by jury, and is normally used by the state to fast-track legal proceedings in high-profile cases. If convicted, Fonseka could be jailed for five to 20 years.
Fonseka was charged under tough emergency laws in relation to accusations he incited violence by commenting to a newspaper that surrendering rebel leaders were executed during the country's civil war, which ended in May 2009.
Fonseka maintained that the published comments -- which suggested defence secretary Gotabhaya Rakapakse, the younger brother of the president, had ordered the executions -- were in fact misquotes. Rajapakse has denied the charge.
A retired four-star general, Fonseka led the Sri Lankan army to a spectacular victory against Tamil Tiger rebels in May last year, ending the island's 37-year separatist conflict.
But he has since fallen out with the government and says the legal cases against him are politically motivated.
Fonseka made an unsuccessful bid to unseat Rajapakse at elections in January, but went on to win a seat at April parliamentary polls.
He is currently in military custody, facing two courts martial for allegedly dabbling in politics while in uniform and illegally awarding contracts to a company in which his son-in-law had an interest.
Fonseka's party has said the cases against him are fabricated and form part of a political vendetta.
© AFP
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tamil hunger striker wins libel claim against Daily Mail, Sun
Tamil Net
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In October 2009, Daily Mail and Sun said that while 7 million pounds of public money had been wasted in policing the situation Parameswaran was faking the hunger strike, eating hamburgers secretly. While Daily Mail titled its article “Hunger Striker’s 7 million Big Mac”, Sun said, “Hunger Striker was Lovin' It”.
In their stories, the newspapers claimed existence of supporting evidence caught by police surveillance camera. But, the police superintendent who was in charge of the police operation at the Parliament Square confirmed that the police did not see Parameswaran eating and that these allegations were false.
“Many Tamils place faith and belief in what they read in the English newspapers.[..] Scotland Yard has a reputation in Sri Lanka as being the best and most trustworthy police force in the world. Tamil readers (and quite possibly others) believe the allegations have been made by Scotland Yard and therefore they must be true. My denials of the allegations have appeared hollow given the alleged police evidence to the contrary”, Parameswaran commented in the press release.
When Parameswaran’s solicitor Magnus Boyd told the Court that the allegations were entirely false, the Counsel of the newspapers accepted it.
“Both Associated Newspapers limited and News Group Newspapers Limited, through me withdraw all the allegations complained of and apologise sincerely and unreservedly to the Claimant for the allegations published and for the hurt and distress that publication caused. Both defendants are pleased to set the record straight”, said the Counsel of the newspapers.
But the Counsel hinted at hidden hands giving the false information when he said that the Associated Newspapers published the article in good faith based on information that, at that time, was understood to be reliable.
The real culprits are shielded, commented Tamil circles in London.
“I honestly believe someone gave this story to the newspapers [..] The newspapers have not told me the identity of the sources or if they were paid money for their stories. Unfortunately, this is something that I may never know”, Parameswaran said.
The youth uprising in the Eezham Tamil diaspora last year, against genocide taking place in the island with the abetment of the so-called international community, was a matter of serious concern for the authorities of many Establishments. At that time they were trying very hard through their agents to discourage youth participation in the agitations. After the war their focus was on creating disenchantment in the diaspora on the goal of national liberation, by discrediting and blunting independent political moves of the diaspora.
Thanking people who stood by him, 29-year-old Parameswaran said: “My sacrifice during the 23-day hunger strike was real and for the sake of my fellow Tamils who are suffering in Sri Lanka.”
“I am relieved that this matter is now resolved and I can start to rebuild my life again. The past 8 months have been an unbearable strain on my life, to the extent that at times I have even contemplated taking my own life. As a result of the lies that the Newspapers published about me, and through no fault of my own, I have lost friends, been shunned by family members and completely ostracised from the Tamil community,” he further said.
But how these newspapers that discredited the youth movement at the most wanted time, immediately following the genocidal war, are going to compensate the damage they have done to the political organization process of the nation of Eezham Tamils, and what courts of justice are there to sue them and the hidden hands behind them for that, ask Tamil diaspora youth circles.
Parameswaran was represented by Magnus Boyd and Michelle Riondel.
© Tamil Net
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Sri Lanka: Students go to Human Rights Commission
Photo courtesy:Lankatruth
Daily Mirror Online
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The Federation’s Convener, Udul Premaratne said they will take whatever measures necessary to see that the police hold an impartial investigation into Susantha’s death.
The police initially declared that the death was due to natural causes and later said that another university student was responsible for the death. Meanwhile the mother of the victim after her first statement later went on record stating that the police was responsible for the cause of her son’s death.
According to the student union the victim was assaulted at the Ruhunu University, Maddewatta hostel premises on July 18. Bandara was hospitalized at the Diyatalawa Hospital and then transferred to the Badulla Hospital where he passed away.
© Daily Mirror Online
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Over 500 pleas to find loved ones
BBC Sinhala
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Mothers complained that living with out knowing what happened to their children is something difficult to bare up.
A mother in tears told reporter Dinasena rathugamage that her son was arrested by the army when he crossed over from the then LTTE controlled area and that he is now held in the Army Camp at Welikanda.
Another mother said that finding her lost son has become a very expensive affair and she has had to spend the little money earned by selling rice to search her son.
“Please tell us if he is living or not and if he is not living we will make up are minds” said this mother.
Most of the relatives who had come to lodge complaints had come from the Manik Farm refugee camp.
They complained that it was difficult from them to travel to the Vauniya town where the police relief centre was conducted and urged the police to have the relief service at the Manik Farm camp for war refugees.
Parents also complained to the police saying that have been denied access to their children who have been detained by the army.
© BBC Sinhala
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