Hulugalle outfoxes CID – JVP

TUESDAY, 16 APRIL 2013

Government's hollow statements cannot conceal the truth regarding torching of 'Uthayan' newspaper press and the Director General of the Media Centre for National Security Lakshman Hulugalle, outfoxing the CID, has 'revealed' an important matter regarding the incident says the JVP in a press release regarding the torching of 'Uthayan' newspaper printing press.

The statement in full:

Three days have gone by since setting fire to the printing press of 'Uthayan' newspaper in Jaffna. The incident where three masked men carrying T-56 rifles broke into the printing press and set fire to the press and the stock of newspaper was reported on the 13th.

This incident is a build up to a series of attacks targeting 'Uthayan' newspaper. On the 3rd the distribution office of the newspaper at Killinochchi was attacked and newspapers ready for distribution were destroyed. In January several incidents were reported where distribution agents of Tamil newspapers, including that of 'Uthayan', were assaulted.

However, the police, as in incidents that occurred earlier, have not been able to apprehend anyone responsible for the incident. The police say investigations are being carried out. Even when police investigations have not been completed the Director General of the Media Centre for National Security Lakshman Hulugalle, outfoxing the CID, has 'revealed' an important matter regarding the incident. He has stated the torching has been carried out by none other than 'Uthayan' newspaper to sling mud at the government!

Individuals like him, who would like to bury the independence of the media on behalf of wretched dictatorship, would not hesitate to say Julius Puchik hanged himself to bring discredit to Hitler and Richard de Soyza committed suicide by jumping to the sea to embarrass then UNP government. However, such hollow statements by the government cannot conceal the truth. No one would doubt that the gang of thugs that had come with their faces covered was a group of government thugs and had done so with the backing of the government. For, it is for the government that the right for information of the masses in the North as well as in the South has become an issue.

The government, while stating that it is ready to hold elections to uphold democratic rights of the people in the North, is taking measures to grab the right for information of the people which is an  infringement of the fundamental rights. These incidents indicate well the 'arbitrary democracy' the government is attempting to unleash on the masses in the North. Such anti-democratic behavior of the government, that has promised to the UNHCR that it would 'behave well' in the future, displays its irresponsible conduct; its need to pave the way for imperialist interventions and allow imperialists to pressurize the country. As such, this behavior of the government is knavish rather than idiotic.

We emphasize that stern legal action should be taken against all those responsible for the incident of setting fire to the printing press and we call upon all Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim and other people to rally against such undemocratic moves of the government.