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Sri Lankan journalists protest against attacks on media
More than 300 journalists demonstrated at the Fort Railway Station in central Colombo last month to condemn the growing harassment and intimidation of the media, including killings, abductions and death threats. As President Mahinda Rajapakse has intensified the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), his government and the military have imposed what amounts to a regime of de facto censorship.
The protest on January 23 was organised by a number of organisations including the Free Media Movement (FMM), Sri Lanka Working Journalist Association (SWJA), Federation of Media Employees Trade Unions (FMETU), Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum, (SMMF), Tamil Journalist Association (TJA) and National Federation of Area Journalists (NFAJ).
The protesters displayed a variety of placards with slogans including: “Release Mawbima journalist Parameswari”; “Stop harassment against Mawbima and Sunday Standards”; “Arrest killers of Sampath Lakmal”; and “Condemn attacks against journalists”. The Mawbima (Motherland) and Sunday Standards are weekly newspapers that have published articles critical of the government.
In the course of the protest, deputy Labor minister Mervin Silva appeared with a gang of thugs and sought to create a provocation. They shouted patriotic slogans and hailed the military for capturing the eastern town of Vaharai from the LTTE, but left after the protesting journalists refused to be intimidated. Earlier in the month, Silva and supporters broke up an antiwar rally and physically attacked journalists.
More
http://wsws.org/articles/2007/feb2007/sril-j07.shtml
The protesters displayed a variety of placards with slogans including: “Release Mawbima journalist Parameswari”; “Stop harassment against Mawbima and Sunday Standards”; “Arrest killers of Sampath Lakmal”; and “Condemn attacks against journalists”. The Mawbima (Motherland) and Sunday Standards are weekly newspapers that have published articles critical of the government.
In the course of the protest, deputy Labor minister Mervin Silva appeared with a gang of thugs and sought to create a provocation. They shouted patriotic slogans and hailed the military for capturing the eastern town of Vaharai from the LTTE, but left after the protesting journalists refused to be intimidated. Earlier in the month, Silva and supporters broke up an antiwar rally and physically attacked journalists.
More
http://wsws.org/articles/2007/feb2007/sril-j07.shtml
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