Wednesday, January 09, 2008
ஸ்ரீலங்கா ஊடகவியலாளர்களின் உயிருக்கு உத்தரவாதமில்லை. உபத்திரவமே.
ஸ்ரீலங்கா ஊடகவியலாளர்களின் உயிருக்கு உத்தரவாதமில்லை. ஊறும் உபத்திரவமுமே. ஊடகவியலாளர்களின் உயிர்களிலே அக்கறை கொண்டு ஊடகவியலாளர்களைப் பாதுகாப்பதற்கான குழு அறிக்கை விட்டுள்ளது. வாசித்துப் பாருங்கள்.
CPJ fears for Sri Lankan journalists as cease-fire ends
January 9, 2008
His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa
President of Sri Lanka and Minister of Defense, Public Security, Law and Order
Presidential Secretariat
Colombo 1
Sri Lanka
Via facsimile: +94 11 2430 590
Dear President Rajapaksa,
As your government prepares to withdraw from its 2002 cease-fire agreement with Tamil separatists, the Committee to Protect Journalists is greatly concerned by reports that members of your government have tried to intimidate journalists in the Sri Lankan media in recent weeks. In at least two instances, an official used the word “traitor” against a journalist, which is decidedly inflammatory in a country that has seen civil war rage since 1983.
We fear that when the end of the cease-fire officially goes into effect on January 16 and fighting resumes, your government will seek to further intimidate Sri Lankan journalists who might report critically on activities of the government or the Sri Lankan military. These fears are not unfounded, given recent incidents such as these:
At a press conference on January 7, Minister of Social Services and Social Welfare K. N. Douglas Devananda called the well-respected senior journalist Sri Ranga Jeyarathnam a “traitor” and accused him of being in league with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Minister Devaananda made his remarks because he was angry about a documentary Jeyarathnam had aired on his program on the private Shakthi TV channel about the assassination of Tamil opposition politician T. Maheshvaran on New Year’s Day, it was widely reported in Sri Lanka’s media.
On January 2, in an interview published in the state-controlled Sinhala daily Dinamina, the commander of the Sri Lankan army, Maj. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, called unnamed journalists “traitors” and referred to the “treachery” of the media. According to a translation of Fonseka’s remarks supplied by the Sri Lankan media rights group Free Media Movement, he said: “The biggest obstacle [to fighting Tamil separatists] is the unpatriotic media. I am not blaming all journalists. I know 99 percent of media and journalists are patriotic and doing their jobs properly. But unfortunately, we have a small number of traitors among the journalists. They are the biggest obstacle. All other obstacles we can surmount.”
We wrote to you on October 2, 2007, about written and verbal attacks that appeared on the Ministry of Defense’s Web site about Iqbal Athas, consultant editor and defense correspondent for The Sunday Times of Sri Lanka. The accusations effectively equated Athas’ journalism with terrorism, after he reported on setbacks the army faced in fighting with Tamil secessionists. The lengthy attack on Athas’ reporting accused him of “insulting our soldiers’ sacrifices” and claims his reporting “has been assisting in the psychological operations of the LTTE terrorists.” The article claims that “promoting terrorism had become a lucrative business” for Athas. Athas was awarded CPJ’s International Press Freedom Award in 1994.
On December 27, Minister of Labor Mervyn de Silva accompanied by a large group of men, stormed the state-run television station Sri Lanka Rupavahini Cooperation and assaulted the station’s news director, T.M.G. Chandrasekara. The station’s staff held the minister and his supporters while police were summoned, and videotaped the minister’s apology for his actions on camera. De Silva was apparently angry because a speech he had delivered the previous day was been fully reported by the station. The government has made no mention of the ugly incident, nor has it apologized to the station’s staff for the behavior of one of its cabinet ministers.
As Sri Lanka apparently prepares to resume military action against the Tamil separatists, we call on you and members of your government to respect the vital role journalists play in an open democratic society. Verbal, written, and physical assaults on journalists are attacks on the very fabric of a democratic society. We call on you to make to ensure that members of your government refrain from such acts of intimidation.
Sincerely,
Joel Simon
Executive Director
இங்கே முழுக்க வாசிக்கலாம்
http://www.cpj.org/protests/08ltrs/asia/sri09jan08pl.html
CPJ fears for Sri Lankan journalists as cease-fire ends
January 9, 2008
His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa
President of Sri Lanka and Minister of Defense, Public Security, Law and Order
Presidential Secretariat
Colombo 1
Sri Lanka
Via facsimile: +94 11 2430 590
Dear President Rajapaksa,
As your government prepares to withdraw from its 2002 cease-fire agreement with Tamil separatists, the Committee to Protect Journalists is greatly concerned by reports that members of your government have tried to intimidate journalists in the Sri Lankan media in recent weeks. In at least two instances, an official used the word “traitor” against a journalist, which is decidedly inflammatory in a country that has seen civil war rage since 1983.
We fear that when the end of the cease-fire officially goes into effect on January 16 and fighting resumes, your government will seek to further intimidate Sri Lankan journalists who might report critically on activities of the government or the Sri Lankan military. These fears are not unfounded, given recent incidents such as these:
At a press conference on January 7, Minister of Social Services and Social Welfare K. N. Douglas Devananda called the well-respected senior journalist Sri Ranga Jeyarathnam a “traitor” and accused him of being in league with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Minister Devaananda made his remarks because he was angry about a documentary Jeyarathnam had aired on his program on the private Shakthi TV channel about the assassination of Tamil opposition politician T. Maheshvaran on New Year’s Day, it was widely reported in Sri Lanka’s media.
On January 2, in an interview published in the state-controlled Sinhala daily Dinamina, the commander of the Sri Lankan army, Maj. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, called unnamed journalists “traitors” and referred to the “treachery” of the media. According to a translation of Fonseka’s remarks supplied by the Sri Lankan media rights group Free Media Movement, he said: “The biggest obstacle [to fighting Tamil separatists] is the unpatriotic media. I am not blaming all journalists. I know 99 percent of media and journalists are patriotic and doing their jobs properly. But unfortunately, we have a small number of traitors among the journalists. They are the biggest obstacle. All other obstacles we can surmount.”
We wrote to you on October 2, 2007, about written and verbal attacks that appeared on the Ministry of Defense’s Web site about Iqbal Athas, consultant editor and defense correspondent for The Sunday Times of Sri Lanka. The accusations effectively equated Athas’ journalism with terrorism, after he reported on setbacks the army faced in fighting with Tamil secessionists. The lengthy attack on Athas’ reporting accused him of “insulting our soldiers’ sacrifices” and claims his reporting “has been assisting in the psychological operations of the LTTE terrorists.” The article claims that “promoting terrorism had become a lucrative business” for Athas. Athas was awarded CPJ’s International Press Freedom Award in 1994.
On December 27, Minister of Labor Mervyn de Silva accompanied by a large group of men, stormed the state-run television station Sri Lanka Rupavahini Cooperation and assaulted the station’s news director, T.M.G. Chandrasekara. The station’s staff held the minister and his supporters while police were summoned, and videotaped the minister’s apology for his actions on camera. De Silva was apparently angry because a speech he had delivered the previous day was been fully reported by the station. The government has made no mention of the ugly incident, nor has it apologized to the station’s staff for the behavior of one of its cabinet ministers.
As Sri Lanka apparently prepares to resume military action against the Tamil separatists, we call on you and members of your government to respect the vital role journalists play in an open democratic society. Verbal, written, and physical assaults on journalists are attacks on the very fabric of a democratic society. We call on you to make to ensure that members of your government refrain from such acts of intimidation.
Sincerely,
Joel Simon
Executive Director
இங்கே முழுக்க வாசிக்கலாம்
http://www.cpj.org/protests/08ltrs/asia/sri09jan08pl.html
Labels: media, protect, sri lanka
Saturday, January 05, 2008
மைனோரிட்டி ரைட்ஸ் குரூப் இன்ரநஷனல் சொல்கிறது ஸ்ரீலங்காவிலும் பாக்கிஸ்தானிலும் சிறுபான்மை மக்களின் நிலை மோசம் அடைகிறது
ஸ்ரீலங்காவிலும் பாக்கிஸ்தானிலும் சிறுபான்மை மக்களின் நிலை மோசம் அடைகிறது என்று மைனோரிட்டி ரைட்ஸ் குரூப் இன்ரநஷனல் சொல்கிறது
Situation for minorities has deteriorated fastest in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the last year - new report
20 March 2007
Pakistan and Sri Lanka lead a global ranking of countries where the situation for minorities has significantly deteriorated in the last year, Minority Rights Group International says in a new report to be launched at the UN in New York on Tuesday.
The two countries have shown the biggest rise in this year's ranking of 'Peoples under threat', which is a major highlight of the international human rights group's annual State of the World's Minorities report.
Sri Lanka has jumped 47 places since the previous year and is now in the top 20 list of countries where minority communities are most under threat in 2007.
The breakdown of the cease-fire and intense fighting between government forces and the main rebel groups have left close to a hundred thousand people displaced. Most are from ethnic minority communities.
Minority Tamils and Muslims are not only caught up in fighting between government and rebel forces but are specifically targeted for human rights abuses including abductions and disappearances because of their minority status.
"The human rights situation in Sri Lanka is deteriorating by the day. Reports of killings, disappearances and abductions are increasing and these reports are predominantly coming from minority communities," Mark Lattimer, MRG's Director says.
"The worrying factor in Sri Lanka is that multiple perpetrators are operating in a climate of fear and insecurity and little is being done by the government to address the situation," Lattimer adds.
In Pakistan minority communities including Ahmadis, Hindus, Baluchis, Mohhajirs, Pashtuns and Sindhis, continue to be oppressed amidst rising religious tension and state repression.
"Pakistan's cooperation in the war on terror has resulted in virtual impunity against the human rights violations committed by them," Ishbel Matheson, MRG's spokesperson says.
"Both Pakistan and Afghanistan are key allies in the US's war on terror and both are countries where the situation for minorities is worsening," she adds.
Burma, Philippines and Nepal are the other Asian countries in the top 20 list.
"The recent political developments in Nepal offer much hope. However it is crucial that all minorities, specially Dalits, are included in peace building and constitution making in Nepal," Lattimer says.
Indonesia provides an encouraging example for Asia, its move down the ranks propelled by more democratic elections, greater decentralisation and the success of the peace process in Aceh which held through 2006.
The main 2007 list of peoples under threat is led by Somalia, Iraq and Sudan. The top 20 list includes 6 Asian countries and 10 African states.
Notes to editors:
Minority Rights Group International (MRG) is a non governmental organisation working to secure the rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples worldwide.
The report will be launched at a press conference at the UN in New York on Tuesday, 20th March at 10:30 a.m.
Details of minority groups in each of these countries can be found in the 'Peoples under threat' rankings attached with this release.
Interview opportunities are available with: Ishbel Matheson, MRG spokesperson in New York; Mark Lattimer, MRG's Director, in Geneva. Specialist interviews with MRG experts on particular regions or countries can also be arranged
For more information or arrange interviews please contact Farah Mihlar or Emma Eastwood on +44 2074224205 (office) or +447870596863/ 00447989699984 (mobile) or farah.mihlar@mrgmail.org or emma.eastwood@mrgmail.org
http://www.minorityrights.org/?lid=683
Situation for minorities has deteriorated fastest in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the last year - new report
20 March 2007
Pakistan and Sri Lanka lead a global ranking of countries where the situation for minorities has significantly deteriorated in the last year, Minority Rights Group International says in a new report to be launched at the UN in New York on Tuesday.
The two countries have shown the biggest rise in this year's ranking of 'Peoples under threat', which is a major highlight of the international human rights group's annual State of the World's Minorities report.
Sri Lanka has jumped 47 places since the previous year and is now in the top 20 list of countries where minority communities are most under threat in 2007.
The breakdown of the cease-fire and intense fighting between government forces and the main rebel groups have left close to a hundred thousand people displaced. Most are from ethnic minority communities.
Minority Tamils and Muslims are not only caught up in fighting between government and rebel forces but are specifically targeted for human rights abuses including abductions and disappearances because of their minority status.
"The human rights situation in Sri Lanka is deteriorating by the day. Reports of killings, disappearances and abductions are increasing and these reports are predominantly coming from minority communities," Mark Lattimer, MRG's Director says.
"The worrying factor in Sri Lanka is that multiple perpetrators are operating in a climate of fear and insecurity and little is being done by the government to address the situation," Lattimer adds.
In Pakistan minority communities including Ahmadis, Hindus, Baluchis, Mohhajirs, Pashtuns and Sindhis, continue to be oppressed amidst rising religious tension and state repression.
"Pakistan's cooperation in the war on terror has resulted in virtual impunity against the human rights violations committed by them," Ishbel Matheson, MRG's spokesperson says.
"Both Pakistan and Afghanistan are key allies in the US's war on terror and both are countries where the situation for minorities is worsening," she adds.
Burma, Philippines and Nepal are the other Asian countries in the top 20 list.
"The recent political developments in Nepal offer much hope. However it is crucial that all minorities, specially Dalits, are included in peace building and constitution making in Nepal," Lattimer says.
Indonesia provides an encouraging example for Asia, its move down the ranks propelled by more democratic elections, greater decentralisation and the success of the peace process in Aceh which held through 2006.
The main 2007 list of peoples under threat is led by Somalia, Iraq and Sudan. The top 20 list includes 6 Asian countries and 10 African states.
Notes to editors:
Minority Rights Group International (MRG) is a non governmental organisation working to secure the rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples worldwide.
The report will be launched at a press conference at the UN in New York on Tuesday, 20th March at 10:30 a.m.
Details of minority groups in each of these countries can be found in the 'Peoples under threat' rankings attached with this release.
Interview opportunities are available with: Ishbel Matheson, MRG spokesperson in New York; Mark Lattimer, MRG's Director, in Geneva. Specialist interviews with MRG experts on particular regions or countries can also be arranged
For more information or arrange interviews please contact Farah Mihlar or Emma Eastwood on +44 2074224205 (office) or +447870596863/ 00447989699984 (mobile) or farah.mihlar@mrgmail.org or emma.eastwood@mrgmail.org
http://www.minorityrights.org/?lid=683
Labels: minority, situation, sri lanka
