The Reckoning: Press Freedom in Sri Lanka

groundviews journalism For

19 May, 2011 Nirmanusan Balasundaram Colombo, Media and Communications, Peace and Conflict

Cartoon by Carlos Latuff
“The freedom to speak and the freedom to write are essential preconditions for the transition towards democracy and good governance”
We are living in the world, in which committed journalists writes the news not only with ink, but also with their blood. This is the very reason that their souls still exists with us even after their tragic deaths. Sri Lanka is the very recent example for such context.    Continue reading »
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Sri Lanka Tamil Genocide: Killing the Messenger

May-21-2011

Slaughter of Pro-Tamil Journalists Dimmed World's View of Sri Lanka Genocide. Warning: contains graphic images... 
(SALEM, Ore.) - One sure way to keep a national genocide out of world view is to slay the journalists who would reveal the information.    

Sri Lanka's president subscribes to this idea and as a result, from the time he took office in 2005 until the 2009, when the Sri Lankan government crushed the Tamil resistance; between 20,000 and 100,000 people were killed. By some accounts up to 146,000 Tamil people were disappeared or killed. Severe incidents of cruelty were widely reported and documented^[1].

One of the first things Sri Lanka Pres. Mahinda Rajapaksa did after entering office, was shatter the fragile peace that existed in his country^[2].

                                                                  

Artwork by the amazing Carlos Latuff, friend of
Salem-News in Rio de Janeiro. See his work: Latuff Gallery

Full Story>>> 

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Lanka launches pre-emptive strike at UNHRC

Sunday, May 22nd 2011By Chandani Kirinde Sri Lanka is to carry out a pre-emptive campaign ahead of the UN Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva next week to ward-off any moves to trigger a debate on allegations of human rights violations during the last stages of the fighting against the LTTE.
Plantations Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe who has also been assigned the subject of human rights will lead the Sri Lanka delegation to the Council’s 17th session which begins in Geneva on May 30. With him is Irrigation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. The two ministers will launch the pre-emptive campaign along with Attorney General Mohan Peiris who will join them soon.       Read more...
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May 22, 2011 By Guest Writer Kandhan    
Japans tsunami and the parallels of Tamil Genocide in Sri Lanka 

Many wonder, is there any connection between “Tamil Genocide” in Sri Lanka and the “Earthquake cum Tsunami” in Japan? Japan’s twin natural disaster followed by the huge blasts that has caused further damages at nuclear power plants and fears of a nuclear meltdown may have some parallels with the genocidal war in this other tiny island nation in the Asian continent.
Before scrutinizing the role of Japan in the genocide of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, let me extend my heartfelt condolences to the people of Japan in the wake of a record-breaking earthquake there that triggered a tsunami.

 A Tamil residential area of Sri Lanka - Before and After
shelling by Army: Before and After: Right image (May 10)
shows significant removal of IDP shelters compared to left
image (May 6). Copyright 2009 DigitalGlobe.
                                                                              Read More