Colombo Telegraphi
IN JOURNALISM TRUTH IS A PROCESS
By Colombo Telegraph -
“Rajapaksa produced a recently published interview with Mr. Upali Tennakoon, President of the Sri Lanka Editor’s Guild, in which Tennakoon stated he had never experienced pressure from the Government but that the United National Party was exerting considerable pressure on the media to publish pro-opposition stories. Boucher expressed appreciation to Rajapaksa for bringing the article to his attention and stated the Embassy’s willingness to investigate the matter further.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.
President of the Sri Lanka Editor’s Guild in a hospital bed after two years
A leaked “CONFIDENTIAL” US diplomatic cable, dated May 15, 2007, updated the Secretary of State on Assistant Secretary Boucher’s visit to Sri Lanka, written by the Ambassador Robert O. Blake shows President Rajapkasa used Upai Tennakoon’s interview to justify his claim that GSL never intimidated Journalsits.The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The cable is classified as “CONFIDENTIAL” and discuses “Press Freedom situation in Sri Lanka under the subheading “FREEDOM OF THE PRESS: ESSENTIAL TO DEMOCRACY” .
The Ambassador Blake wrote “In his meeting with President Rajapaksa, Boucher also addressed Sri Lanka’s deteriorating record on media freedom, citing the number of Tamil journalists killed in the last year. Rajapaksa dismissed claims of violence against Tamil journalists working for Uthayan and Sudar Oli as nothing more than “Tiger propaganda.” Boucher rejected this, and emphasized that protection of journalists critical of the government is one of the hallmarks of democracy.”
“Rajapaksa asserted that the Government never intimidated journalists in Sri Lanka. Rajapaksa produced a recently published interview with Mr. Upali Tennakoon, President of the Sri Lanka Editor’s Guild, in which Tennakoon stated he had never experienced pressure from the Government but that the United National Party was exerting considerable pressure on the media to publish pro-opposition stories. Boucher expressed appreciation to Rajapaksa for bringing the article to his attention and stated the Embassy’s willingness to investigate the matter further. However, he reiterated, it was not the United National Party who was responsible for killing Uthayan’s journalists in Jaffna and again urged the President to safeguard freedom of the press.”
However the same Upali Tennakoon was attacked two years later and forced to leave the country. He is currently living in USA. Meanwhileanother leaked US diplomatic cable contradicts Rajapaksa’s claim that “violence against Tamil journalists working for Uthayan and Sudar Oli as nothing more than “Tiger propaganda.” His brother and Chief Advisor Balsil Rajapaksa said to the US ambassador ‘looked like’ EPDP cadres, along with the SLN, had perpetrated the mid-August burning of the pro-LTTE Uthayan newspaper office in Jaffna.
Below we give the relevant part of the leaked cable;
Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr., for reasons 1.4(b,d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: After meeting with human rights and non-governmental organization leaders in Jaffna, Assistant Secretary Boucher urged Sri Lankan officials to control SIPDIS paramilitary groups' human rights abuses and encourage greater freedom of the press. The Government asserted that it is not involved in human rights violations and has no control over those that are, specifically blaming the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for the deteriorating human rights conditions in Sri Lanka. While acknowledging that the Tigers are guilty of serious human rights violations, Boucher refuted arguments that the Tigers are solely responsible for Sri Lanka's problems. Paramilitary factions like the Eelam People's Democratic Party and the Karuna faction are engaging in hundreds of human rights violations, he stated, and the Government is capable of controlling these groups. Boucher also flatly rejected Government assertions that it was not engaging in human rights violations against the media, citing specific examples of journalists killed in places and at times that could only have been accomplished with the knowledge of Government security forces. He stated that the international community is beginning to lose faith in the Government, and Sri Lanka is suffering as countries, including the United States, begin to curtail economic support both because of Sri Lanka's weak human rights record and because the of the escalating conflict. Boucher urged officials to reverse these trends before it is too late. END SUMMARY. ¶10. (C) In his meeting with President Rajapaksa, Boucher also addressed Sri Lanka's deteriorating record on media freedom, citing the number of Tamil journalists killed in the last year. Rajapaksa dismissed claims of violence against Tamil journalists working for Uthayan and Sudar Oli as nothing more than "Tiger propaganda." Boucher rejected this, and emphasized that protection of journalists critical of the government is one of the hallmarks of democracy. Rajapaksa asserted that the Government never intimidated journalists in Sri Lanka. Rajapaksa produced a recently published interview with Mr. Upali Tennakoon, President of the Sri Lanka Editor's Guild, in which Tennakoon stated he had never experienced pressure from the Government but that the United National Party was exerting considerable pressure on the media to publish pro-opposition stories. Boucher expressed appreciation to Rajapaksa for bringing the article to his attention and stated the Embassy's willingness to investigate the matter further. However, he reiterated, it was not the United National Party who was responsible for killing Uthayan's journalists in Jaffna and again urged the President to safeguard freedom of the press. BLAKE
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