Peace for the World

Peace for the World
First democratic leader of Justice the Godfather of the Sri Lankan Tamil Struggle: Honourable Samuel James Veluppillai Chelvanayakam

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

We Don’t See Any Trace Of Media Freedom In The State Media

By Lal Wijenayake -June 18, 2013 
Lal Wijenayaka
Colombo TelegraphThe Code of Media ethics prepared by the Ministry of Mass Media and information when viewed in the context of the situation which prevails where we do not see any trace of media freedom in the state media, where the media institutions and media personals are being subject to serious threats by abductions, disappearances and attacks on media institutions and media personals, where  the Rule of Law and the independence of the judiciary is at stake militarization of civil society and the authoritarian governance that is seen today, needs to be considered carefully.  The need for a Code of Media Ethics is not disputed but it should emerge from a professional body of Media Personals themselves with the necessary mechanism to enforce the Code.  Self regulation is the accepted norm and any control from outside will only bring more restrictions on Media Freedom.
The broad and vague language used in the draft should cause concern.  The clause which bans the publications of material against the integrity of the Executive, Judiciary and the legislature will open up the gate for suppression of fundamental rights of, freedom of expression, speech and publication protected under the constitution.
It is strange that this code has come out at a time when all democracies are moving towards broader media freedom and the Right to Information, which is a pre requisite for good governance.
‘Lawyers for Democracy’ calls upon government immediately re introduce and enact the Right to Information Bill that was submitted to Parliament in 2004.
The enactment of Law on Right to Information will to a great extent, if implemented sincerely, help to rid the country of corruption, inefficiency and misuse of state power and resources.
*Lal Wijenayake - Convener Lawyers for Democracy.
‘Lawyers for Democracy’ (LfD) is a representative body of legal practitioners throughout the island.  Conveners include Lal Wijenayake, Chandrapala Kumarage, J. C. Weliamuna, K. S. Ratnavale, Sudath Netthisinghe, Sudarshana Gunawardana.  It was established on 10th December 2009’.
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A blog blocked in Sri Lanka for the first time

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIashe40LiHfaFTz9Zuz0hkbRXfNhWKFzVm2kcP213wKEQw9Fx4NsHf0bjwMH5SqunsZPX34YHFUu-SPfi2GadIRH4GM7ebulOd4_UnRsn5-C4g3luQyr5-LVS8gIZQ96tblvivFY73DM/s880/blogparakum.jpg

6/16/201

For the first time in Sri Lanka in my perception, the government has blocked access to a blog in the country. 

The blog is AnverManatunga.com which apparently is run by a Sinhala Muslim person.

The blog is written mainly in Sinhala language and it was discussing a lot of controversial issues.

The major focus of the blog was safeguarding Muslim rights and promoting Islam.In the recent times, the blog was highly critical on the government. 

The blogger Ahmad Anver Manatunga says that the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission contacted via his lawyers has informed him that the blog was blocked under an order of the Ministry of Defense.
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RAW founder B Raman passes away

by  Jun 17, 2013
B Raman, the former head of the Research and Analysis wing, passed away on Sunday according to a report in the Hindu Business Line.
B Raman was also the former Additional Secretary (Retired) in the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India. He was also the Director of the Institute for Topical Studies, Chennai and Associate of the Chennai Centre for China Studies.
B Raman in this file photo.
B Raman in this file photo.
The 77-year-old intelligence expert was suffering from cancer.
He was a columnist and regularly wrote on issues of security, counter terrorism and military in India and South Asia. B Raman also was also a regular columnist on Firstpost where he wrote on the issue of counter-terrorism and national security.
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BJP, RSS, Shiv Sena answerable to Dasgupta policy-line

TamilNet[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 June 2013, 06:33 GMT]
Whatever is the journalistic halo behind Swapan Dasgupta, his recent writings and utterances on the struggle of the genocide-facing nation of Eezham Tamils could have been ignored as coming from just another of the dubious ilk that writes for agendas, had he not been a member of the Rajapaksa-sponsored BJP-RSS-Shiv Sena delegation that went to Colombo and Jaffna. Now as he openly bares the line of thinking in the camp, the BJP-RSS-Shiv Sena lot aspiring for power in India, may have to answer to the world of Tamils and to the humanity in general whether it is aspiring to become worse than that of the present Establishments in New Delhi, Washington and Beijing, commented an activist of alternative politics in Jaffna, urging mainstream polity and public in Tamil Nadu to be prepared with the needed. 

Swapan Dasgupta
Swapan Dasgupta

Swapan Dasgupta writing in The Pioneer on 9th June was sympathetic for Mahinda Rajapaksa becoming “the latest whipping boy of the morally indignant.” 

He may be right because the boys to be actually whipped by a righteous humanity are sitting in the Establishments of New Delhi, Washington, Beijing, and in the international media, especially in a particular section of Indian media that was long blighting the cause of genocide-facing Eezham Tamils, just because of petty benefits it was receiving from the genocidal State or because of its Swapnas (dreams) of Indian imperialism eating the cake of the island in full by catching the tail of the Sinhala-Buddhists.


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Twitter Q&A with Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the President of Sri Lanka

LW
Image courtesy Business Today

 -18 Jun, 2013
GroundviewsThe Presidential Spokesman and International Media Unit (i.e. @AnuradhaKHerath) announced on 14th June something that’s never happened before in Sri Lankan politics – a Q&A with Lalith Weeratunga, the President’s Secretary over Twitter, slated for 19th June, from 2.30pm to 4pm.
A live search of #askLW is embedded below to follow in real time the Q&A on Wednesday and the questions leading up to it.
  1. Raj Ruba @RajRuba
    @cfhaviland SL govt. feels jealous about the domination of TNA in N.E & result of Tamil CM +
  2. Meg @MegTegal
    -Why hasn't the gov. taken action against the demolition & attacks on Mosques and Churches by extremists groups over the past YEARS?
    Retweeted by Nalaka Gunawardene
    Expand
  3. sunanda deshapriya @sunandadesh
    you say13 A is a obstacle to admin; Do you oppose meaningful power-sharing as political solution to Tamil grievances?
  4. Anoma de Alwis @AnomadeA
    - What do you think of Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, calling social media as a national security threat in post-war Sri Lanka.
  5. Nalaka Gunawardene @NalakaG
    Govt publicly stated positions often remind us of 'Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'. Why this sharply split personality?
  6. Nalaka Gunawardene @NalakaG
    ICT Agency came with built-in 'sunset' clause. Why hasn't that happened? Will the sun ever set on this limited period agency?
  7. Nalaka Gunawardene @NalakaG
    : I read your speech on ICTs at LKIIRSS last Oct. How can govt that doesn't tolerate any dissent really promote ?
  8. Sabith @Sabithl
    Whats governments and @PresRajapaksa 's official stance on private medical collages? Do you believe we need one in near future?
  9. Dinouk Colombage @Dinoukc
    @PresRajapaksa SL budget allocation for education remains the lowest in the region. How can the country develop?
    Retweeted by Shammas Ghouse
    Expand
  10. Meg @MegTegal
    - What's your opinion on Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara's Cabinet paper to make hate speech punishable by law (Penal Code and not PTA)?
    Retweeted by Shammas Ghouse
    Expand
  11. Charles Haviland @cfhaviland
    Ex-top diplo Dayan Jayatilleka says sum power must B devolved 2 regions in SL 4 justice. So why gov moves 2 REDUCE devolution?
  12. Meg @MegTegal
    - What's your opinion on Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara's Cabinet paper to make hate speech punishable by law (Penal Code and not PTA)?
    Expand
  13. Charles Haviland @cfhaviland
    Prez Secrtary Lalith Weeratunga holds live Twitter Q&A as @PresRajapaksa Jun 19 1430 SL. Invaluable trove http://groundviews.org/2013/06/18/twitter-qa-with-lalith-weeratunga-secretary-to-the-president-of-sri-lanka/ …
    Retweeted by Polly Truscott
    Expand
  14. Meg @MegTegal
    -Why hasn't the gov. taken action against the demolition & attacks on Mosques and Churches by extremists groups over the past YEARS?
  15. Dinouk Colombage @Dinoukc
    @PresRajapaksa SL budget allocation for education remains the lowest in the region. How can the country develop?
    Expand
  16. Meg @MegTegal
    - has no authority to make arrests and conduct raids. Yet they continue to do so with impunity, why hasn't the gov taken action?
  17. Dinouk Colombage @Dinoukc
    @PresRajapaksa Will the govt. reduce its expenditure on the military and increasing on health and education in next years budget?
  18. Charles Haviland @cfhaviland
    Prez Secrtary Lalith Weeratunga holds live Twitter Q&A as @PresRajapaksa Jun 19 1430 SL. Invaluable trove http://groundviews.org/2013/06/18/twitter-qa-with-lalith-weeratunga-secretary-to-the-president-of-sri-lanka/ …
    Expand
  19. Charles Haviland @cfhaviland
    With top policeman Vaas G now detained, perhaps time 4 REAPPEARANCE of Ramasamy Prabagaran who'd accused him? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17356575 …
    Retweeted by Nirmanusan B
    Expand
  20. Dinouk Colombage @Dinoukc
    @PresRajapaksa Is the government concerned that senior policemen are being arrested on murder charges?
  21. Charles Haviland @cfhaviland
    With top policeman Vaas G now detained, perhaps time 4 REAPPEARANCE of Ramasamy Prabagaran who'd accused him? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17356575 …
    Expand
  22. Charles Haviland @cfhaviland
    A top police official now held as murder suspect. Sum say he part of "culture of sanctioned killings". Justice 4 his other poss vics?
  23. Groundviews @groundviews
    Looking back, do you wish you were more open about your role in @PresRajapaksa's Helping Hambantota fiasco? http://www.lankastandard.com/vault/helping-hambantota-investigation/ …
Ironically, the announcement of the Twitter Q&A with Weeratunga came on the same day Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the President’s brother, in a spark of unrivalled genius, called social media no less than a a national security threat in post-war Sri Lanka.
Unlike Gotabaya Rajapaksa and as Sri Lanka’s top civil servant, Weeratunga has openly spoken about the potential of ICTs for post-war development and reconciliation. Rather endearingly,Weeratunge noted in late 2012,
“I have somehow resisted in getting into the Facebook and resisted getting into Twitter.I’m not in Linkedin, I’m not in any of these social media things because I don’t want to make my life more complex than what it is now. I can’t handle a phone, so I might as well not get into these things… Well I don’t exactly know this business of Twitter but I’m told that some 140 characters or less are involved in it.”
He went on to note,
“When talking about social networking tools I recall the young fellow from Polonnaruwa I met. When Jackson Anthony produced the movie “Kuweni” which was launched about an year ago, he had used this boy to do the marketing. And the boy had done marketing through the Facebook. He was very proud about it. Social networking tools, personal profiles with statements, and photographs can help to understand people from different cultures and geographical boundaries. Well these are the positive things”
Weeratunga deserves a lot of credit for agreeing to a Q&A format well beyond the Government’s ability to control, censor or contain. However, the real test and measure of success is how well he will respond and to what he will respond. One and a half hours is a very long time and Weeratunga joins three Twitter Q&A’s, with varying degrees of success, linked to Sri Lanka.
Assistant Secretary, South And Central Asian Affairs at the US State Department and former Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake just over a year ago had a Twitter Q&A session for just thirty minutes, during which time he didn’t answer a single question on Sri Lanka. Earlier this year, the UK Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt also did a forty five minute Q&A over Twitter, which Groundviews has archived in full. In between, on 18th December 2012, Valerie Amos, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator conducted a Twitter Q&A, which was a disaster. As we noted then,
…it evident that Baroness Amos and her staff are not really interested in addressing difficult questions on Sri Lanka, whether over Twitter, other media or face to face. And so this circus will move on – online events held only to notch up a year’s quota of new media interactions to make the UN appear vibrant and cutting-edge, yet with little or no thought given to meeting expectations these events create or generating considered responses to hard questions that when unanswered, ferment even more discontent and anger against an institution that has failed in Sri Lanka, and how!
One sincerely hopes the UN’s idea of a Twitter Q&A isn’t the model even remotely emulated or employed by the President’s Office on Wednesday.
Groundviews is archiving every single #askLW tweet for posterity, and has already made public a fully indexed online portal to access all the tweets anchored to the Q&A with Lalith Weeratunga.
Screen Shot 2013-06-18 at 10.54.21 AM
Please ask questions, and join the #askLW debates.
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