Fears grip Sri Lanka as Independent media faces the onslaught

Shock and outraged trunk into fear as the Independent media faces the government onslaught in Sri Lanka. Within 48 hours the Independent media suffered heavily in the Island Nation. “We have lost a brave journalist who faced many threats and with his demise we are going to miss the investigative journalism, specially the corruptions committed by the ones in authority.

I am certain the culprits will not be apprehended because this heinous crime definitely would have had the blessings of the people in authority. Today the state electronic media will try to cover up by saying that this act had been done by those who want to discredit the Government,” said a journalist with anger in the capital, referring to the assasination of Lasantha Wikramatunga.

Media rights groups have accused the government and its supporters of trying to stifle dissent in the war-wracked country by vilifying journalists seen as critical and creating an atmosphere of impunity for those who attack them.

One of the most outspoken voices belonged to Lasantha Wickramatunga, whose Sunday Leader newspaper has accused President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government of corruption. Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the president’s powerful brother, is suing the newspaper for defamation.

President Rajapaksa called Wickramatunga a “terrorist journalist” in an interview with the Reporters sans frontières (RSF), a Paris-based media watchdog last October, the group said in a release.

“This truly is sad news. I met Mr. Wickramatunga a couple of times and found him to be a very pleasant man. Whether people agreed with his paper or not is irrelevant and like all people in Sri Lanka he did not deserve this dreadful fate. It is always healthy to have a vibrant media, including opposition papers. I fear this will be a big blow to free media in Sri Lanka. My hat off for journalists in Sri Lanka who are facing a tough job, whatever media organisation they work for. I wish them all safety and security,” said now defunct Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) former Spokesperson Helen Olafsdottir.

Mixed reactions in the street of the capital too as the die hard government supporters still stand by their government, there are many angry voices. “I live in a lawless country whose rulers like the people to open the mouth only to praise the rulers or to eat the meal. Do we have freedom to know the truth without distortion? Only a few would say “yes”. When Lasantha was alive, he gave some good news without fear and he died by the hands who are paid to suppress the freedom for truth,” said one.

“Death to Democracy in Sri Lanka. Late Lasantha bravely reported against corruption risking his life and now paid dearly. The Sri Lankan Government has monopolised the entire public media and selling the war for its political gain. Hitler’s media minister Goebles was no match for our Sri Lankan greats. What a sad day?” said another.

“He was a crusader who stood in the way of corrupt politicians who robbed the country. What he disclosed was all facts and his opponents took away his life to prevent further disclosures. It will be too late when the country realizes that we have lost a great man,” said another one.

Underlining the inaction from all quarters, a Tamil media activist said, “For the next couple of weeks there will be a huge hue & cry with the Opposition, FMM, INGO’s, Diplomats, Media watchdogs etc etc shouting themselves hoarse…..but eventually everything will fizzle out and be forgotten until the next incident…..tragic reality arising from 3 decades of violence that the society has been subjected to!! Sadly only the next of kin would remain to pick up the pieces and move forward with their shattered lives ….what a sad state of affairs in the tear of the Indian Ocean.”

Not disappointing the expectation, the British High Commission in Sri Lanka issued a special statement later on the day, said that it is the responsibility of the government to create a good environment for all communities to live without a fear. “We condemned in the strongest possible terms the continuing acts of violence and intimidation against the media, including the attack on the MTV headquarters and the killing of the Chief Editor of the Sunday Leader,” the press release further said.

“I was deeply shocked to learn about today’s assassination of Lasantha Wickrematunga, the chief editor of Sri Lanka’s Sunday Leader newspaper,” said EU external affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero- Waldner. “Our concerns about the freedom of the media, already under severe pressure from assaults and intimidation, have been exacerbated by the killing,” the commissioner further said in a statement.

Even though some called Lasantha as an anti-government journalist attributing the current regime, he exposed corruption of the UNP when in power in 2002 as well. There were many incidents of friction with the current regime including an incident where President Rajapakse threatened Wickrematunga in abusive language on the telephone.

On another occasion the government ordered his arrest but could not go ahead due to public protest. He also criticised Army Commander Sarath Fonseka for his blatantly racist comments recently. Despite all the threats and danger to his life Lasantha Wickrematunga continued to write and edit fearlessly living up to the motto of his newspaper “Unafraid and un bowed”

The assassination comes just two days after a group of masked gunmen ransacked the broadcasting complex of Maharaja TV (MTV). Wickrematunga was among those who had publicly condemned the attack and blamed pro-government elements for it.

“We are speechless,” exclaimed J. Weliamuna, executive director of Transparency International (TI)’s office in Sri Lanka. Weliamuna, a fearless human rights campaigner and himself the survivor of a grenade attack at his home in September, said Wickrematunga was the first Asian to win the Global Integrity Award in 2000 awarded by the Berlin-based TI.

“Those who begin coercive elimination of dissent soon find themselves exterminating dissenters. Compulsory unification of opinion achieves only the unanimity of the graveyard,” he said.

Most media professionals and politicians were stunned by the killing and said the extent to which dissent is being quashed was unbelievable. “This is something no one bargained for,” one analyst, who declined to be named, said.

The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), a leading independent think tank expressed outrage and ‘revulsion’ over the attack. Its executive director, Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, said in a statement: “This latest attack on one of Sri Lanka’s best known and most senior journalists confirms fears of a planned terror campaign against critical voices, conducted with complete impunity.”

Saravanamuttu, a columnist for the ‘Morning Leader’, a mid-week newspaper published by Wickrematunga’s group, said the legitimacy of the war against terror rests on government respecting the norms and values of democracy and human rights, of which the tolerance of criticism is a fundamental facet. “Those responsible for this egregious violence are enemies of democracy and become terrorists themselves.”

Lasantha Wickrematunga, who was also a lawyer, told Reporters Without Borders in an interview that his aim as a journalist was to “denounce the greed and lies of the powerful.” His newspaper specialised in sensational investigative reporting of corruption and abuse of authority in Sri Lanka.

The printing press of the Sunday Leader media group (Leader Publications), which is located in a high security area near Colombo, was destroyed in an arson attack by a group of gunmen in November 2007. Wickrematunga told Reporters Without Borders at the time the attack was “a commando operation supported by the government.” The police did not carry out a proper investigation.

Sri Lanka was ranked 165th out of 173 countries in the Reporters Without Borders 2008 press freedom index. This was the lowest ranking of any democratic country. Two journalists were killed in Sri Lanka in 2008 and two others, J. S. Tissanayagam and Vettivel Jasikaran, are currently in prison.

At least 14 media workers have been unlawfully killed in Sri Lanka since the beginning of 2006. Others have been arbitrarily detained, tortured and allegedly disappeared while in the custody of security forces. More than 20 journalists have left the country in response.