Tamils Rally Against Sri Lankan President During His Visit to UN in New York: TGTE

 Thursday, 19 September 2013 

"This rally is to alert the UN leaders that among them is a war criminal posing as a Statesman"

RALLY: September 24th (Tuesday), from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm (outside UN in New York)
ATTACHED: Video - Sri Lanka's Killing Field (By: UK's Channel 4).

http://world.einnews.com/pr_news/168168528/tamils-rally-against-sri-lankan-president-during-his-visit-to-un-in-new-york-tgte

1) Urges Ban Ki-Moon to appoint an International Commission of Inquiry under UN Article 99.
2) Urges the UN not to allow the Sri Lankan President to use his appearance at the UN to sanitize his international crimes.
3) According to UN Internal Review report over 70,000 Tamils were killed in five months.
4) 90,000 Tamil war widows. The Tamil women are subject to sexual abuse by the Sri Lankan security forces.

Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) announced today that a rally will be held outside the United Nations headquarters in New York to protest Sri Lankan President Rajapakse's visit to the UN General Assembly on September 24th.

 This rally is to alert the UN leaders that among them is a war criminal posing as a Statesman and to highlight the gravity of the international crimes that the Sri Lankan President have committed against Tamils.

 The rally will be held on September 24th (Tuesday), from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. (outside UN in New York).

 "We urge the UN not to allow the Sri Lankan President to use his appearance at the UN to sanitize his barbaric international crimes. His is not just a war criminal, but a perpetrator of genocide" said a TGTE spokesperson.

 According to a UN Internal Review report over 70,000 Tamils were killed in five months due to deliberate and intense carpet bombing of areas designated by the government as "no-fire zones", where Tamils assembled for safety.

 The Sri Lankan Government also restricted food and medicine for Tamils, resulting in large numbers of people dying from starvation and many of the injured bleeding to death.

 There are currently over 90,000 Tamil war widows. The Tamil women, especially female bread winners & their daughters are subject to sexual abuse by the Sri Lankan security forces.

 In addition to the killings, thousands of Tamils have disappeared, women are abused, large numbers of Tamils are imprisoned without trial and abductions are continuing to this day.

 Due to the shear number of civilian killings by the Sri Lankan Security forces, the UN Human Rights Council passed two resolutions on accountability for these crimes and is continuing the review.

There are also calls for the UN Secretary General to appoint an International Commission of Inquiry under UN Article 99, which give authority for the UN Secretary General to appoint an International Commission of Inquiry.

The Sri Lankan President is desperately trying to stall UN Human Rights Council and actions under UN Article 99 and is using international meetings like UN General Assembly to solicit support to protect him from the War Crimes Investigation.

 "We are urging UN Secretary General to not to protect him but to appoint a Commission of Inquiry under UN Article 99" continued the spokesperson.

 TGTE also urged UN leaders to ask Sri Lankan President about the UN Panel report that documented mass killings by his troops and the three documentaries in the "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields" series produced by UK’s Channel 4 TV. (ATTACHED: Video - Sri Lanka's Killing Field (By: UK's Channel 4).  

Please remind him that mass killing of civilians is a war crime and a crime against humanity and refuse to protect him. If he claims innocence, then urge him to face international investigation to prove just that.

 "Given the ongoing structural genocide we are urging the International Community to establish an International Protection Mechanism." said a TGTE spokesperson.

 Tamils were singled out to face these abuses simply and solely on account of their Tamil nationality. Members of the Sri Lankan Security forces are almost exclusively from the Sinhalese ethnic community and the victims are all from the Tamil ethnic community.

http://world.einnews.com/pr_news/168168528/tamils-rally-against-sri-lankan-president-during-his-visit-to-un-in-new-york-tgte

Second part of Wayambe PC member’s teacher kneeling episode staged :Principal slapped by political lackey

(Lanka-e-News-19.Sep.2013, 6.00PM) The second part of the obnoxious drama of making a female teacher to kneel down by a Wayambe PC member was staged when a Samurdhi niyamakaya brutally slapped a Principal within school and during school hours day before yesterday (17) at about 1.00 p.m. , underlining the lawless culture that is being stoked by the Rajapakse regime and the unabated violence resorted to with impunity by his political goons who are supposedly people’s representatives.

Second part of Wayambe PC member’s teacher kneeling episode staged Principal slapped by political lackey by nelvely

Ban Ki-Moon Calls On All Parties To Participate Peacefully In The PC Elections

September 19, 2013 

“The Secretary-General welcomes the forthcoming provincial elections scheduled for 21 September in Sri Lanka, particularly in the Northern Province, where these are the first elections since the creation of Provincial Councils in 1987.” says the Spokesperson for UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon today.

Issuing a statement the Spokesperson said; “The Secretary-General views these elections as an important opportunity to foster political reconciliation and to build confidence between Sri Lankans after many years of conflict. He calls on all parties to participate peacefully in the elections and to work together in the period following the elections to address the national and post-war agenda constructively and collaboratively.”

Democratizing Disability: A Dawning Discourse

By Avanthi Kalansooriya and Sumudhu Jayasinghe -September 19, 2013

Avanthi Kalansooriya

“What does Disability mean to you? What are our perceptions?”

Do we see disability in a mother whose hearing is rapidly deteriorating, a father who’s become partially paralyzed after a stroke, an aunt who’s become bedridden simply due to old age, or a brother born with a physical, cognitive, or mental impairment? For many of us it is only the latter that we label as being disabled but, whether we notice it or not; whether a consequence from birth, a result of old age, a product of the war, or an act of fate, disability permeates through the walls of our families and friends, more than we are often willing to recognize.

On the 3rd of September, the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) in collaboration with Wheels in Motion (WIM) facilitated a roundtable discussion on the Draft Disability Law and the National Action Plan on Disability (NAPD) at the ICES Auditorium. The roundtable was attended by a wide cross-section of participants, including representatives from a number of key Ministries, UN bodies, disability advocacy groups, legal establishments, academia, civil society and various organizations in the donor community. Moreover, the discussion was not only enlightening in terms of raising awareness regarding the current state of disability in Sri Lanka, but dynamic and productive in terms of identifying key issues that need to be addressed and rectified by the government and civil society alike.

At present, Sri Lanka has signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) but has yet to ratify it. The Convention provides an excellent framework and aims to promote and protect all human rights, ensure the full and equal enjoyment of rights and fundamental freedoms, and provide respect for the inherent dignity of people living with disabilities. Our current National Policy thus, draws strongly from the UN CRPD.                                                          Read More

Rajapakses converting Pearl of the orient into a hellhole of gamblers – 3 Casino moguls get permission

(Lanka-e-News-18.Sep.2013, 11.30PM) While the pseudo patriots of Sri Lanka (SL) are pulling the wool over the eyes of the masses by making a huge din that by the northern provincial council the country is going to be divided into two , the SL Medamulana Kasi- No Rajapakses the self fattening vultures obtained the Cabinet approval recently to give the green light for three Casino Kingdoms to be established here , and mind you right in the middle of Colombo city. The most noteworthy feature in this deplorable anti national act of the Rajapakses deserving a place in the Guinness book of records is : SL is the only country in history that has promoted sinister gambling and exempted it from taxes .

Rajapakses converting Pearl of the orient into a hellhole of gamblers – 3 Casino moguls get permission by nelvely

In Haiti, UN Sri Lankan Peacekeeper Charged with Rape, Others Qs UNanswered

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 17 -- UN misdeeds in Haiti are not surprising, given the introduction of cholera. Nor, troublingly, are allegations of abuse by Sri Lankan soliders: a large contingent was repatriated in the past for sexual abuse.

But when a new allegation came out, not commented on by the MINUSTAH mission, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's top two spokespeople:

"What is the UN's reaction - denial? - of allegation of rape by MINUSTAH peacekeeper from Sri Lanka?http://www.sentinel.ht/news/articles/crime/5010-new-case-of-un-peacekeeper-rape-in-haiti"

And the UN came back with this response:

From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Tue, Sep 17, 2013 at 10:56 AM
Subject: Your question on Haiti
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

In response to your email question about Haiti, we have the following information from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations:

We are aware of the allegations made against a military staff member. As you know, the UN has a zero tolerance policy sexual exploitation and abuse that we at MINUSTAH strictly enforce. A preliminary investigation has been launched to determine the facts of the case.

But what does "zero tolerance" mean if the alleged rapists are simply sent home, with any subsequent prosecution never disclosed?

Inner City Press also asked:

What is the UN's reaction - denial? - of allegation that in Somalia an AMISOM contingent, on information and belief from Burundi, provides services to UNMAS' David Bax?

Please state if the corruption allegations against Ugandan troops in AMISOM (selling materiel in the black market) trigger the UN's Human Rights Due Diligence Policy.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24116606

From Sept. 3: "As brought up in the most recent briefing based on NYT profile, please provide a list of the S-G's golfing partners in the past year who are diplomats, and, separately, a summary ofissues discussed."

There are also questions pending including about the faux"UN briefing" by Syria rebel Ahmad al Jarba. Watch this site.

SL military and MoD receive high corruption ratings

18 September 2013

In a recent study conducted by the Transparency International UK’s Defence and Security Programme (TI-DSP) , Sri Lanka was placed amongst the 14 most likely countries that were likely to suffer from high level corruption in their Ministry of Defence and armed forces.

The study which surveyed 82 countries, placed Sri Lanka in the ‘critical’ group along with Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivorie, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen.

SL Military and MoD Receive High Corruption Ratings by nelvely

‘We Are Not Alone’ Says The Military Spokesman: Sri Lanka’s Defence Establishment Promotes Islamophobia ?

September 19, 2013 

Further reinforcing the hand of the defence establishment in the prevailing anti-Muslim discourse in Sri Lanka propagated by Buddhist monk led hardline groups, the Military Spokesman continues to disseminate highly inappropriate information to local and foreign correspondents based in the country.

Ruwan Wanigasooriya

Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya who makes it a habit of forwarding blatantly extremist musings by Sinhala hardline writers yesterday sent media personnel an email with the subject line ‘We are not alone in the current dialogue’.

Contained in the email was an article that appeared in the UK based Independent newspaper about the ongoing debate in Britain about the Muslim dress code. The article relates to race relations in the UK after a judge asked a veiled woman to remove her burqa in order to give evidence at a trial. Although it is not the heading of the article in question the attachment sent by the Military Spokesman contains the title ‘Muslim woman must remove burka in court’.

The “current dialogue” in Sri Lanka with regards to the Muslim dress is led by the openly Islamophobic Bodu Bala Sena and other hardline organisations and is seen as part of the groups’ ongoing campaign of intolerance against the country’s Muslim minority community. The issue of the Muslim head-dress and burqa has not so far been in the ‘dialogue’ for either the ruling government or any other political party or organisation.

“A question mark arises therefore, as to why the military spokesman who is making political statements well beyond his mandate in seeming deference to the anti-Muslim rhetoric of hardline movements. It is especially disturbing because Sri Lanka’s defence establishment led by Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa is seen as being supportive of the hardline groups who have been responsible for increasing acts of violence against the Muslim community.” a Civil Society activist  told  Colombo Telegraph.

Following is the Military Spokesman’s email to reporters and the forwarded article.

Dilith ‘the patriot’ robs advertisements of Muslim businesses!

Details

 

Created On Thursday, 19 September 2013

Dilith Jayaweera, the co-owner of Triad Advertising and the ‘convener’ of the mafia that has grabbed control of the Colombo Stock market – who wears the mask of a a Sinhala Buddhist patriot and engages in a daylight robbery to suit his business purposes – has been able to net wealthy Muslim businessemen.

Dilith Jayaweera ‘the patriot’ has secured for his Triad Advertising all the advertising work of Muslim-owned No Limit and Fashion Bug clothing shops that had recently been targeted by racial and religious extremist forces. Dilith Jayaweera is engaged in this robbery by ‘deceiving’ wealthy Muslim businessmen by saying that he could use his close connection with the Defence Secretary to tame those racial and religious extremist forces if Muslim businesses want to function in Sri Lanka without any hindrance.

When contacted by us, a leading Muslim businessman said, “From the day our advertising work was given to Dilith Jayaweera’s Triad, we have been able to do our businesses without any worry.” Muslim businessmen very well know that this is totally a mafia, but the situation in the country does not permit them to fight against injustice and they have to act, although unwillingly, according to the instructions of this mafia, said the Muslim businessman.

Commenting on this, a monk activist of a patriotic organization told us, “Things are taking place like that mister. We throw stones at mango trees. Mr. Dilith gathers the mangoes.

Wedding before vote!

 September 19, 2013  

Former Tamil Tiger (LTTE) female rebel fighter Nadarasa Sukirtha (2nd L) and her comrade, groom Jerimbanadan Verman (L), former LTTE rebel fighter Murughaiya Shashikumar (3rd L) and his bride Jayarasa Merry Babila (3rd R), ethnic Sinhalese J. H. N. Rathnayake (2nd R) and his bride, former LTTE female rebel fighter Premarathnam Sugandhini, pose for photographs after their mass wedding ceremony in Kilinochchi, about 334 km (208 miles) northeast of Colombo, yesterday. Three ex-rebel couples who have been rehabilitated by the Sri Lankan Civil Defence Force were married in a mass wedding ceremony as part of the Government’s rehabilitation program. Sri Lanka’s Government troops defeated the LTTE after a 25-year civil struggle on 19 May 2009

– REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte

Malaysian activist charged for screening ‘No Fire Zone’

Thursday, 19 Sep 2013

A human rights activist was charged at the magistrate's court in Kuala Lumpur today with the screening of a documentary, which was not cleared by the Film Censorship Board, on the alleged atrocities by the Sri Lankan army during the country's civil war.

Lena Hendry, 28, a Komas programme coordinator, claimed trial to screening the film "No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka" at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Jalan Maharajalela, at 9pm on July 3, 2013.

She was charged under the Film Censorship Act 2002 and is liable to a maximum fine of RM30,000 or three years jail, upon conviction.

Magistrate Ashraf Rezal Abdul Manan granted her bail of RM1,000 in one surety and fixed October 21 for mention.

DPP Muhammed Husaini Rusli prosecuted while New Sin Yew, Andrew Khoo and Joshua Tay represented Hendry.

Hendry was arrested with two other coordinators, Anna Har and Arul Prakash, during a raid by the Home Ministry at the screening of the documentary on July 8, with Hendry the first to be produced in court.

The documentary is said to cover the war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan government during the civil war in 2009.

Utusan Malaysia, in its report on the raid, had referred to the three Komas staff as being "suspected supporters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) militants".

Komas is a movement for the Popular Communications for Human Rights in Malaysia. (Malaysian Insider)

Priest murdered in Kilinochchi

By Ashan Paranahewa-Thursday, 19 Sep 2013

A priest in the Ambalkulama area in Kilinochchi has been murdered after being attacked with a sharp object, the Police Media Unit told Ceylon Today Online.

The incident has occurred around 10.45 last night.

The deceased has been identified as a 65 year old Hindu priest.

The reason for the murder has not been uncovered as yet, while the body of the deceased has been placed at the Kilinochchi Hospital for the magisterial inquiry to be conducted.

No suspects have been arrested in connection to the murder as yet. (Ceylon Today Online)

Human Rights Lawyer & Activist JC Weliamuna Honoured With Citizen’s Peace Award (2012)

 

September 18, 2013 

JC Weliamuna, one of Sri Lanka’s most prominent Human Rights lawyers and activists, was awarded the Citizen’s Peace Award (2012), at a ceremony at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations & Strategic Studies, this evening. The prize is awarded by the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka.

In a personal tribute paid at the occasion, the founder of Sarvodaya Movement, Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne hailed Weliamuna as one of the few people who had the convictions and courage to stand up for the rights of the citizen, even against “democratically elected terrorists”. He said that it is only through such efforts that true peace can be made a reality in Mother Lanka.

In an acceptance speech, Weliamuna said he never expected to be recognized in this way, and was only following his conscience. He recognized his mentor, now retired senior human rights lawyer, R. K. W. Goonesekere who had been a shining example to him. He recalled how his parents taught him good values held him in good stead, though they never interfered with his choices. He thanked his wife and children for their support in good times and bad. He also made special mention of his colleagues of the legal fraternity who stood by him when he needed them.

Weliamuna, an outstanding human rights lawyer and activist, is also the chairman of Transparency International, Sri Lanka. He is widely respected as a legal professional of great conviction and commitment to fundamental rights and good governance, who rose through determination and hard work to the position of respect that he enjoys today.

A few years ago, after he had raised some critical issues of human rights, grenades were thrown at his house one night. This angered the legal fraternity so much that the very next day, thousands of lawyers took to the streets in an unprecedented move. Among them, were several lawyers close to the Rajapaksa regime who put aside political affiliation to protest an attack on a respected fellow professional.

In the midst of the outrage, the government  pledged to the legal profession to investigate the matter, but never apprehended the culprits.

The Citizen’s Peace Award is given yearly by the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka to honour an outstanding individual for exceptional demonstrated courage and consistency, working in hostile conditions, to promote peace in a spirit of sacrifice.

The prize is made possible by funds received from the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka and the Sakai City Government’s Peace Contribution Award.

The ceremony was well attended by members of the diplomatic corps, members of parliament, respected lawyers, civil society leaders, members of the clergy and the public.

Minister Dilan protects woman, who is a human smuggler!

Thursday, 19 September 2013 

Minister Dilan Perera has recruited to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) a woman by the name Aruni Ranasinghe, who had been sacked by Neth FM over a wrongdoing, and is aiding and abetting all her unlawful activities as if he sees or hears nothing, say ministry sources.

This Aruni Ranasinghe is the sister of famous mediawoman Shalika Ranasinghe of Sirasa Media Network, and the former has done serious damage to the good name of the latter by defrauding money from many persons with a promise of sending them to Italy and Korea. She is engaged in this human smuggling racket by using the name of minister Dilan Perera and even the letterheads of his ministry. The minister well knows all her wrongdoings, but has not acted against her for reasons best known to him.

The persons deceived by Aruni Ranasinghe have now laid siege at her Devale Road, Maharagama home, and minister Dilan Perera has intervened without any hesitation and is now secretly hiding her at his Gregory Road official residence. Minister Dilan Perera’s attempt is to send her to South Korea as the SLBFE’s representative at the Sri Lankan embassy there. As the South Korean embassy in Sri Lanka has not yet issued visa for her, the minister is harboring her in his official residence.

The persons, who have been deceived by Aruni Ranasinghe and are now surrounding her Devala Road, Maharagama home, should do is to immediately obtain a warrant to search the official residence of minister Dilan Perera, said the person who has furnished us all information regarding the Aruni Ranasinghe fiasco.

Pro China Rajapakses’ monks from junks taking the law into their hands to eradicate selling cigarettes
(Lanka-e-News-18.Sep.2013, 11.30PM) The Sri Lanka (SL) Sangha terrorists enjoying the patronage of the pro China Rajapakse terrorism is contemplating another new terror campaign , but this time against the sale of cigarettes. Athureliya Ratane the monk, who is a JHU M.P. and an ally of the Rajapakse regime threatened to take the law into his hands to achieve his goal. Of course this breaking of the law rather than abiding by the law, is the order of the day under the Rajapakse regime and its government goons. 

“There are about 50 to 60 smokers dying for a day. In order to stop this we shall be starting a campaign to sweep away all smoking in the city. Halting smoking by force is for sure. As no one can exploit the law to die via smoking we shall take that law into our hands. We reckon this as halting the people from dying.” Athureliya Rathana said the campaign is being commenced today in conjunction with the 150th birth anniversary of Anagarika Dharmapala. While waxing boastful about how unlawful he can be he launched his terror campaign.

Athureliya said , ‘we thought of starting the campaign at Kiribathgoda and the commemoration of Anagarika Dharmapala’s birth anniversary today has coincided with the campaign’ .So saying Athureliya launched the terror campaign.

This Sangha group that is licking the boots of the Rajapakses and sniffing their loin cloths remained silent when the Rajapakses shot and killed protestors including students when they demanded drinking water at Rathupaswela. These monks from the junks could not talk as their mouths were too full with the bones provided at the Rajapakse dhana functions when Roshan Chanakas and Anthonys were killed by the MaRa regime. These so called saviors taking the law to eradicate smoking have no eyes to see or ears to hear when the Rajapakses are inviting the Australian casino Kingpin to open a casino empire in the heart of Colombo with a 30 year old tax holiday . When the Rajapkses were digging for illicit treasure in Temples, these monks instead of objecting to this illicit Rajapakse treasure digging obsession anxiously helped them to go on digging showing the places of treasure , and even by a single word did not raise objection. Ven Medhananda openly told that he showed Gotabaya Rajapakse the places of treasure .

The Rajapakse regime that is allied with him had granted 300 liquor licenses . He is keeping his eyes closed to all this while opening only his mouth to say hypocritically ‘mathata thitha’. He is also the same monk who said , there is nothing wrong in giving liquor dhana at Temple trees . 

Though campaigning against sale of cigarettes is not incorrect , these monks have no right to take the law into their hands and determine what should be sold in shops. That of course is terrorism . The most intriguing and ridiculous part of the melodrama is :these stupid imbecile monks are trespassing on their limits trying to forcibly determine how many children should be produced by a family, what dress women must wear; what shops should they visit. . 

Now, these idiots are going even further and had taken the laws into their hands to forcibly decide what should be sold in shops.

Secret Budgets And Massive Contracts: Sri Lanka Falls Into ‘Critical’ Risk Band – Transparency International

TSeptember 19, 2013

Sri Lanka is placed in ‘critical’ risk band with Libya, Syria, Eretria, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, DRC and Yemen by Transparency International UK’s Defence and Security Programme (TI-DSP) new report.

Read More

Russia says U.N. report on Syria attack biased

By Steve Gutterman and Oliver Holmes'-MOSCOW/BEIRUT | Wed Sep 18, 2013 

(Reuters) - Russia denounced U.N. investigators' findings on a poison gas attack in Syria as preconceived and tainted by politics on Wednesday, stepping up its criticism of a report Western nations said proved President Bashar al-Assad's forces were responsible.

Russia Says U.N. Report on Syria Attack Biased by nelvely

Agenda Plus: Press Freedom in Sri Lanka

by Daniel Kitts Tuesday September 17, 2013

This Saturday, September 21, Sri Lankans Without Borders and the South Asian Journalists Association are hosting the Lasantha Wickrematunge Memorial Lecture at Ryerson University in Toronto. At the lecture, Sri Lankan and Canadian journalists will discuss the troubled state of press freedom in Sri Lanka, four years after government forces defeated the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Those interested in registering to attend the event can find out more on the lecture's web page. 

To get a better sense of the situation in Sri Lanka today, I spoke with someone who will be taking part in Saturday's lecture. Sanjana Hattotuwa is the founding editor of Groundviews, a citizen journalism website based in Sri Lanka. He spoke to me from just outside Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital. You can watch our conversation above. 

Related: 

• Debating Sri Lanka's Future
• Sri Lanka's Other Minority

War on journos continues; another editor fled the country

by  Sunil Jayasekera-Wednesday, September 18, 2013

( September 18, 2013, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Senior journalist and Co-editor of the Sunday Leader newspaper Ms. Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema fled Sri Lanka to a North American country on 17th September 2013, according to reliable information received by the Free Media Movement (FMM). Her journalist husband Romesh Abeywickrema, the editor of the business section of Sunday Leader and their 12 year old daughter too has left the country.

Since 2005 when the last phase of the war started more than 80 journalists have fled Sri Lanka and Mandana Ismail is the latest victim of continuing war against journalist in Sri Lanka.

Large number of media workers including journalists have been killed, abducted, assaulted, media institutions have been set on fire during since 2005 but no killing, abduction, assault or arson has been investigated and no perpetrator has brought to justice.

An armed gang which included former army personal broke into their home on the 24th August at night and spent nearly 3 hours going through their files looking for some documents. After failing to find the documents they were looking for the gang had threatened that they will have to abduct Journalist Mandana Ismail. But timely arrival of police on a tip off prevented them executing there threat.

Two weeks later on the 8th September, an unidentified gang had broken into her house again to take away computers.

Speaking to media journalist Mandana Ismail expressed her suspicion that police is trying to cover up the real reason behind the so-called robbery.

She had received several death threats after she raised her suspicions that the gang was not looking for valuables but for some documents. She and her family lived in hiding, moving from house to house since the break in burglary of her residence.

Meanwhile the leader of the opposition Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe told the parliament that Mandana Ismails's residence was robbed to take away or destroy some documents related to an illegal deal made between a young politician in the "top brass" and the Indian "Krrish" company.

FMM calls on Government of Sri Lanka to end the impunity which has become the shield for attacks against media and journalists in Sri Lanka and bring all perpetrators to justice. FMM reiterate it's request that Government of Sri Lanka should invite the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression Rights to vist the country in order to obtain help to speed up these investigations.