High-level Ukraine debt talks postponed, technical discussions continue - source

Ukrainian Finance Minister Natalia Yaresko (R) and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk attend the Ukraine Business Forum in Washington July 13, 2015.

 Thu Jul 23, 2015

Debt restructuring talks between Ukraine's Finance Minister and a group of its largest creditors did not take place as planned on July 22 as technical aspects needed to be discussed, a source with knowledge of the negotiations said on Thursday.

Negotiations to restructure $23 billion (£14.8 billion) of debt have dragged on for over four months due to disagreement over the necessity of a writedown on the principal of the bonds.

Talks last week, which included Finance Minister Natalia Yaresko for the first time, showed signs of progress, raising hopes of an imminent deal, but further negotiations at this level slated for Wednesday were called off.

"There was a decision to postpone the principal-to-principal talks and to continue talks between advisers for the time being around technical issues," the source said.

The source did not say when high-level talks would resume or what technical details were being discussed.

Bonds mostly weakened on Thursday after rising a day earlier. The 2017 and 2022 issues were trading about half a cent lower.

The Finance Ministry has warned it may halt debt payments if a settlement is not reached over the summer. Ukraine is due to make a coupon payment of $120 million on Friday and faces a $500 million maturity in September.

(Reporting by Richard Balmforth; Additional reporting by Sujata Rao; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

Malaysia’s underground student prostitution industry

By Murray Hunter Jul 23, 2015 

Malaysia is one of the most conservative countries in Southeast Asia. This is very overt when you wander around the cities and see most Malaysian wearing tudungs, or head scarves. However, student prostitution, even by the Government’s own admission, is rampant.
Malaysia’s Underground Student Prostitution Industry by Thavam Ratna

Thailand Must End Harassment of Researchers and Human Rights Defenders

William Nicholas Gomes, Human Rights Ambassador-Jul-22-2015 

Human rights defender reaches out to the Prime Minister of Thailand for help in correcting wrongdoings.

General Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Prime Minister of Thailand Photo: wikipedia

(LONDON) - July 20, 2015 at 4:56am
General Prayut Chan-o-cha
Prime Minister of Thailand
Royal Thai Government
Government House
Pitsanulok Road, Dusit
Bangkok 10300
Thailand

Your Excellency,

I am William Nicholas Gomes, Human rights defender and Freelance journalist.

I am writing to express our deep concern regarding the ongoing judicial and other harassment of human rights defenders, including journalists and researchers who report on human trafficking, or otherwise bring to light violations of labour and migrants' rights, and the lack of accountability for labour rights violations in Thailand.

A case in point is the upcoming final preliminary hearing on 20th July in a criminal defamation and computer crimes case, brought by Natural Fruit against researcher Andy Hall.

Natural Fruit filed the charges following the publication of a Finnwatch report Cheap Has a High Price¹, which exposed serious human rights violations including forced labour, at the Natural Fruit pineapple processing plant in Pranburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan province. The report findings were based on interviews with the workers at the plant.

If the court, following Monday's hearing, decides to indict him, Andy Hall will be arrested and detained pending bail. He then faces a trial, and if found guilty and convicted, up to seven years imprisonment.

This is just one of four criminal cases brought against Andy Hall following the publication of the report. One case, on criminal defamation charges, was initially abandoned by the Prakanong Court².

Thailand's Attorney General has appealed to have the case reopened. A decision on the appeal is expected in late 2015 or early 2016. The remaining two civil defamation cases are yet to be heard.

Since the publication of Cheap Has a High Price, violations of labour rights at the Natural Fruit Pranburi plant have been partially confirmed by the Ministry of Labour's own investigation.

A Natural Fruit employee, who also gave testimony to the Bangkok Prakanong Court in September 2014, told the court that he had been working at the Natural Fruit Pranburi plant for years without papers and receiving wages below the minimum wage, and that unlawful deductions were made from his salary.

He testified without hesitation that the factory hired dozens of children and commissions for long hours of overtime that were not voluntary.

However, to date no one has been held responsible for the human rights violations at the Natural Fruit Pranburi plant.

We are calling on the Thai government to, without further delay, bring to justice those responsible for human rights violations at the Natural Fruit Pranburi plant in a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial court of law.

Since the beginning of the first criminal case against Andy Hall, several international, independent observers, including the UN Working Group on human rights and transnational companies and four UN Special Rapporteurs, have expressed concern that the ongoing criminal cases against him are an act of retaliation for his human rights work.

As such, they may have a chilling effect on other human rights defenders and civil society activists working in Thailand and elsewhere to expose human rights violations perpetrated by non-State actors, including business enterprises.³

Therefore, it is of utmost importance that all court proceedings against Andy Hall meet the international criteria for fairness. Unfortunately, the previous hearings have been marred with the prosecution's failure to make full disclosure to the defence of all evidence available to them, Thai authorities' failure to provide critically important information to the defence when requested, and witness intimidation among other issues.⁴

I am calling on the Thai government to guarantee that human rights defenders in Thailand, including journalists and researchers, can carry out their legitimate human rights work without fear of harassment, reprisals, arbitrary detention, criminal charges and unfair trials.

This includes the abolition of the laws that allow for criminal responsibility and possible deprivation of liberty in alleged defamation cases as we consider this a disproportionate punishment and a violation of the right to freedom of expression.

As such, criminal defamation charges against Andy Hall should be immediately and unconditionally dropped.

Yours sincerely,

William Nicholas Gomes Human Rights Defender & Freelance Journalist

_________________________________________

¹- Finnwatch, 2013, Halvalla on hintansa (Cheap has a high price), available at: http://www.finnwatch.org/images/pdf/finnwatch_private_label_web_2_rev.pdf (in Finnish). An English language executive summary of the report is available at:http://www.finnwatch.org/images/cheap%20has%20a%20high%20price_exec%20summary_final.pdf.

² - Finnwatch, 2014, Finnwatch researcher Andy Hall trial in Thailand: Charge is dismissed due to unlawful interrogation process, available athttp://www.finnwatch.org/en/news/216-finnwatch-researcher-andy-hall-trial-inthailand:- charge-is-dismissed-due-to-unlawful-interrogation-process.

³ - For more information please see: http://burmacampaign.org.uk/media/public_-_AL_Thailand_26.04.13_4.2013.pdf.

⁴ - For more information please see: http://www.ictur.org/Eng/Plunkett.html

______________________________

Salem-News.com Human Rights Ambassador William Nicholas Gomes is a Bangladeshi journalist, human rights activist. As an investigative journalist has written widely for leading European and Asian media outlets. William Gomes concentrates on humanity; his advocacy of human beings in dangerous, preventable circumstances does in fact lead to some of our most vital reports, because they give a voice to the voiceless.
William Gomes said, "I am against any form of intolerance alongside xenophobia and antisemitism. I am and will always stand strong in combating all forms of racial discrimination and intolerance any where." Read his letters and reports to see what the new generation of world journalists are doing to preserve human rights worldwide. 

Many patients get more sick because hospitals send them home too soon, patient safety group claims

Many do not record if patients have a safe home to return to

Tuesday 21 July 2015

More than half of NHS hospitals do not record whether a patient has a safe home to return to before discharging them, according to a new report.

Patient safety group Healthwatch England said that while almost all of the 120 NHS hospitals that responded to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request carried out “discharge checklists”, many did not include a record of whether patients had food, water and heating available at home.

Many Patients Get More Sick Because Hospitals Send Them Home Too Soon, Patient Safety Group Claims by Thavam Ratna

Online cancer fakers may be suffering a different kind of illness

July 23, 2015 by Peter Bat And Julie Ellis,

Trust is very important in medicine. Increasing numbers of people are using the internet to manage their health by looking for facts about specific illnesses and treatments available. And patients, their carers and the public in general need to trust that this information is accurate, reliable and up to date.

Alongside factual health websites, the internet offers discussion forums, personal blogs and social media for people to access anecdotal information, support and advice from other patients. Individuals share their own experiences, feelings and emotions about their illnesses online. They develop relationships and friendships, particularly with people who have been through illnesses themselves and can empathise with them.

Some health professionals have concerns about the quality of medical information on the internet. But others are advocating that patients should be more empoweredand encourage people to use these online communities to share information and experiences.

Within these virtual communities, people don't just have to trust that the medical information they encounter is factually correct. They are also placing trust in the other users they encounter online. This is the case whether they are sharing their own, often personal, information or reading about the personal experiences of others.

Darker side to sharing

While online sharing can be very beneficial to patients, there is also a potentially darker side. There have been widely-publicised cases of "patients" posting information about themselves that is, at best, factually incorrect and might be considered deliberately deceptive.

Blogger Belle Gibson built a huge following after writing about being diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of 20 and the experience of having just months to live. She blogged about her illness, treatment, recovery and eventual relapse while developing and marketing a mobile phone app, a website and a book. Through all of this she advocated diet and lifestyle changes over conventional medicine, claiming this approach been key to her survival.

But Gibson's stories were later revealed to be part of a tangled web of deceit, which also involved her promising to donate money to charities but, allegedly, never delivering the payments.

In one sense, people's trust was broken when they realised they had paid money under false pretences. In another sense, they may have followed Gibson's supposed example of halting prescribed treatments and adopting a new diet and lifestyle when there was no real evidence this would work. But, at a deeper level, people may feel betrayed because they sympathised and indeed empathised with a person who was later revealed to be a fraud.

The truth was eventually publicised by online news outlets and Gibson was subject to complaints and abuse on social media. But there is something about the anonymity of the internet that facilitates this kind of deceptive behaviour in the first place. People are far less likely to be taken in by this sort of thing in the real world, but they are online. And it destroys people's trust in online resources across the board.

Trust in extreme circumstances

Despite this, the moral outrage generated online by this kind of extreme and relatively isolated incident may be misplaced. There is evidence to suggest that people who do this may actually be ill but it's a very difference sort of illness.

Faking diseases or illnesses – often described as Munchausen's syndrome – is not unique to the internet and was reported long before its advent. The Roman physician Galen is credited with being the first to identify occasions on which people lied about or induced symptoms in order to simulate illness. More recently, the term "Munchausen by internet" has been used to describe behaviour in which people use chat rooms, blogs and forums to post false information about themselves to gain sympathy, trust or to control others.

Whichever way we view people who post such false information, their behaviour raises the question why people with genuine illnesses still share such intimate details when the potential for dishonesty from others is so evident. Our new research project, "A Shared Space and a Space for Sharing", led by the University of Sheffield, is trying to understand how trust works in online spaces among people in extreme circumstances, such as the terminally ill.

We need to know why people trust and share so much with others when they have never met them and when there is so much potential for deceit and abuse. It is also important to identify people who fake illness online if we are to ensure there is public trust in genuine online support platforms.

From black July 1983 to manifestos for peace

Wednesday, 22 July 2015

The rampant violence that engulfed the Tamil people 23 July 1983 and days that followed discredited Sri Lanka internationally and signaled the brain-drain among the Tamils that would impact the future economic and political trajectory of the country. It also led to a costly and brutal war that lasted until May 2009, tore up the fabric of society and undermined the national economy.

Underlying both the anti-Tamil pogrom and the protracted war stemmed grievances of the Tamil people and the failure of their attempt to draw attention to them in a peaceful and non-violent manner. However, 32 years later, conditions in Sri Lanka have changed so that a political solution has become a viable prospect.  The experience gathered in the work done by the National Peace Council for over two decades convinces us that our fellow citizens are now more willing to accept, and commit themselves to, a political solution that ensures justice and security to all.

We should also not forget those who saved the Tamils from those who incited and carried out the pogrom of July 1983.  There are many accounts of Tamils, including NPC members, attributing their escape from injury and death to their Sinhalese and Muslim neighbours. We are grateful to those who risked their own lives to allow Tamils to hide in their homes or take them to places of safety.

During the past six months we saw an encouraging reduction of the fear psychosis in society and positive steps taken towards the reintegration of the ethnic and religious minorities into the mainstream of society.  However, the early dissolution of Parliament on June 26 due to the political deadlock between the government and opposition means that many of the unresolved issues that existed prior to the presidential election continue to be present for exploitation by racist extremists.

In this time of commemoration of Black July, public attention is focused on the forthcoming general elections.  Election campaigns provide an invaluable opportunity for public education.  We call on our political leaders who seek genuine change in the country to bravely and honestly address the key issues that Sri Lanka as a country needs to resolve.

From the perspective of the National Peace Council there are several key issues impacting  the future of the country that relate to relations between the ethnic and religious communities   which require attention by the political parties in their election manifestos and in their campaign statements. These are,

• The issue of post-war accountability and reconciliation.  We believe that the truth of what happened during the three decades of the war must be known to the people, and accountability sought, with reconciliation rather than punishment as the primary goal.

• There needs to be appropriate compensation and reparation to enable the conflict affected populations a fresh start in their lives, with the institutional reforms to sustain this change.

• The rights of ethnic and religious minorities need to be guaranteed and protected both through the rule of law and the manner in which future generations are educated to respect the diversity and pluralism in our country.

• Speech that incites hatred or violence against those of other ethnic or religious communities needs to be prohibited by law.

• There needs to be a just political solution in which there is a fair sharing of power between the ethnic and religious communities through the devolution of power, but also including mechanisms for power sharing at the level of the central government in a manner that recognizes the plural nature of our society.

These are sensitive issues that have evaded resolution for decades and therefore the resolution of these problems must be done in consultation with the people and by taking them into confidence and not by ignoring or by-passing them.  After the general election, the new government that is elected will need to face many problems and find solutions to them.  The people need to be told of the problems that should be solved for the country to march forward.   People's participation in national problem solving will ensure that the solutions agreed upon are implemented and will be sustained in the longer term.
- NPC -

LeN previous report : ‘Desperate discarded Rajapakses plot and plan to re capture power via LTTE..,’ confirmed by Aluthgama 'bomb' !!

(Lanka-e-News-22.July.2015, 11.30PM) It is only a few days ago  Lanka e news  posted a report under the caption ‘ Desperate discarded Rajapakses plot and plan to re capture power via LTTE.’ This report was fully  confirmed  day before yesterday(20) , when a bomb that can go off  via remote control exploded  near the Aluthgama bus stand close to a lamp post . Though no one was hurt , a large  explosion was heard  when  a cracker like contraption with a circuit   contained in a box went  off.

Just as Lanka e news predicted in its previous report three days  ago  , and based on the police statement, the mendacious website of Wimal Weerawansa gave a huge publicity to this falsely  claiming that ‘a remote controlled bomb exploded along  the route taken by Mahinda Rajapakse.’

Based on the Lanka e news earlier report captioned ‘ Desperate discarded Rajapakses plot and plan to re capture power via LTTE,’ this  incident confirming this report constitutes a plan of the deposed, discarded, drowning Rajapakse who  like a drowning man is clutching at even a straw in utterdesperation. 

With humiliating defeat at the forthcoming elections ominously staring in the face of Mahinda Rajapakse , it is the diabolic traitorous plan of his and his corrupt cronies who are equally or more frustrated to explode a similar smoke bomb in the midst of a meeting of Mahinda , and make a din that this was done by the LTTE . And , after a new government is formed,  for his corrupt and criminal following of politicians and supporters in order to win the sympathy of the masses  to allege ‘the LTTE had raised its head again , and is going to murder Mahinda Rajapakse,’ thereby seeking to make Mahinda a hero out of zero which position he is now in.

With this end in view , former DIG Chandra Wakishta who was the Director of TID and CID during the Rajapakse era has been enlisted. Already Wakishta is now in Kurunegala to engage in all the sly and illicit activities in connection with Mahinda’s election campaign.

It is well to recall when Wakishta was the Director TID and CID , the weapons that were seized from the captured LTTE suspects , proper records were not maintained by him regarding all the weapons that were collected from the LTTE suspects.Some only were officially recorded while the others were  hidden .Among those arms that were hidden were Claymore bombs , Detonators, hand grenades , pistols, Sniper weapons, and various kinds of bullets of the LTTE. When murders were committed for the Rajapakse regime to suit their fancies, these hidden weapons were used . That is, these weapons were strewn beside the bodies after committing murder to create the impression that these crimes were committed by the LTTE.

Until now , nobody knows where those weapons that were collected from the LTTE  are , except Wakishta who is fully aware.

In the circumstances , worse criminal and brutal scenes than what were witnessed at Aluthgama today can be expected in the future , as the Rajapakses whose fate is already written on the wall are certainly going to indulge in the worst bloody and ruthless criminal activities in a do or die battle to win elections. Going by their past brutal bloody ruthless maniacal greed for power they can even devastate a whole country and decimate a  whole population , if only the Rajapakses can fulfill  their single selfish  hope that they , their families along with their corrupt crooked cronies alone  can thrive and  survive – one of the ways to cover up all their past crimes and the countless more  including those fincial crimes to be exposed by the FCID.

In the previous report of the 19 th of  Lanka e news , it was revealed as follows: 

“Meanwhile  those opposing the special security detail  provided to Mahinda Rajapakse have gone to courts to make a request that he should like the other candidates  contest elections sans the special security . The Rajapakses on the other hand have hatched a conspiracy to counter this and exploit it to their advantage.That is ,use the ex LTTE members who are now with them to launch a fake attack on Mahinda , and paint a picture that this was a traitorous attack of the LTTE at the behest of the opposition , with a view to winning over the racism oriented votes. 

Wimal Weerawansa the grade nine qualified moron who is most infamously famous for his  unguarded forked tongue , at the recent Anuradhapura rally inadvertently blabbered about this plan and plot. This blabbermouth said, may be those who are clamoring to withdraw the special security of Mahinda are conspiring to send a bullet through Mahinda. This statement of Weerawansa is being construed by political analysts as a signal of the hidden plots of the Rajapakses in store. “

Read previous report : ‘ Desperate discarded Rajapakses plot and plan to re capture power via LTTE’-  the whole truth with evidence !

---------------------------
by     (2015-07-22 18:58:14)

Wigneswaran calls for united effort to achieve Tamil nation's aspirations

Photograph: Tamil Guardian

 21 July 2015

United and coordinated action between the homeland and Tamil diaspora is needed to achieve the Tamil nation’s aspirations of redeveloping the North-East, seeking justice for genocide and finding a political solution based on the Thimphu principles, said the Chief Minister of the Northern Province during a visit to the UK last week.

A full English translation of his statement made on Friday can be read here.

Addressing a full auditorium at the annual lecture of the International Association of Tamil journalists (IATAJ), CV Wigneswaran said,

“Offering the humanitarian support to rebuild our land is a short term goal. For this your support is needed. Ensuring justice for the genocide that was committed is a medium term goal – for this too your support is needed. Finding a political solution based on the Thimbu principles is a long term goal – that too must take place with your support. I end my talk trusting that you will give your understanding and support for all of us to work together with dedication for this.”

Condemning the failure of Sri Lanka’s new government to address Tamil issues, Mr Wigneswaran said the Northern Province was working to facilitate a mechanism that would allow the diaspora to contribute to the North-East, adding,

“Rebuilding our society and our lands by our own people will be paying respect to and offering to those who sacrificed their lives for us. At the same time it will be an answer to those who are destroying our nation.”

Mr Wigneswaran highlighting that several regimes had ignored Tamil sentiment and deceived Tamil politicians, said,

“However, none of the majority government that have till now come to power have given a responsible response to the Tamil struggle. Instead they have been ignoring our demands. Whenever they are at a tight juncture, in order to resolve it, they have called upon Tamil leaders for support. In the end we have been deceived. We need to put a full stop to these acts of deception. We cannot henceforth be a nation that is deceived.”

Reiterating comments made by the previous speaker Dr Suthaharan Nadarajah of the University of SOAS, Mr Wigneswaran, said,

“Within the majoritarian state it is not possible to find a solution to the ethnic problem – this is something we have learnt from many incidents throughout history. The professor spoke of this earlier.”

Drawing on Dr Nadarajah’s comments highlighting the permanent internationalisation of the ethnic issue in Sri Lanka, Mr Wigneswaran called on the next Tamil generation to work with the homeland to increase "international support" for the Tamil cause.

The Chief Minister said, 

"I believe that the younger generation who live here, can democratically and within the laws of where they live, struggle for the rights and justice of their loved ones in Ceylon. The professor mentioned this earlier. We need to tell the world what we need. We need to take this forward. Therefore to do this - all youth, unite."

Stressing the need for any political negotiation with the Sri Lankan government to start from the Thimphu principles, Mr Wigneswaran said,

“Those engaged in finding a political solution must act holding the Thimbu principles in their mind. Steps towards a political solution must be taken on the basis that within international law the Tamil people have a right to self-determination.”

Condemning the new government’s failure adding the need for a victims based approach to justice, “across the world” to come forward and “increase international support for the cause.”

Drawing on a Northern Provincial Council resolution calling on the international community to investigate the ongoing genocide of the Tamil people, Mr Wigneswaran, added,

“If progressive Sinhala people will join the struggle to find justice for the genocide committed against the Tamil people, it will pave the way to see a political solution to bring out a lasting peace. It is only if the truth is known that true reconciliation can be sought. You may recall that the South African commission for called the “truth” and “reconciliation” commission. The South African people understood that only if the truth is known that reconciliation can be created.”

Adding that the claims of genocide were not newly found, he said, 

"The use of the term genocide was not brought by me. Mr Chelvanayagam used it first. He submitted a notice of complaint to dignitaries taking part in a Commonwealth Conference in September 1974. In that he clearly outlined the Sinhala nation’s genocide against the Tamil nation. Therefore we cannot back track from the position that what happened to our people was a genocide, despite the name calling and complaints."

Refuting news reports that the US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Nisha Biswal had told him to stop speaking about genocide, Mr Wigneswaran said,

“In fact, she said that we will not ignore the Tamil people’s expectations and aspirations and we will continue to work for a better life for them.”

Responding to a question from the Tamil Guardian asking how his view on the Tamil ethnic issue had changed during his time as Chief Minister of the Northern Province, Mr Wigneswaran said,

“It has been crystalised now. I was born and bred in Colombo… so therefore I had a different opinion of everything with regard to politics. Only after coming to the Northern Province and having discussions with the people and listening to the complaints of the people have I understood their predicament, plight and aspirations. It is because of those things that there has been a change. My outlook has changed."

"This is why I say that the Tamil leaders must be very careful that they do not allow themselves into a position of appeasing the Sinhala thoughts and politicians. There is a tendency for those who live in Colombo, naturally, to please the Sinhala people around them. They do not want people with whom they are in the best of relationship with to feel unhappy. So we automatically water down our thoughts, when we talk to them. If we take that over to the political arena, without knowing the consequences, it may affect the feelings and future of our people. If we do that, we are being extremely hard on our Tamil people."

"So if you ask me what the 1.5 years have done to me. It has changed my outlook. It has taken away my Colombo outlook to have a Northern Provincial outlook. That provincial outlook has been formulated around the people around me. You feel humbled by the expectations they have.”

See Dr Suthaharan Nadarajah's statement in English below.

Rajiva Wijesinha Should Resign From UPFA National List: Liberal Party

July 22, 2015

Secretary General of the Liberal Party, Kamal Nissanka issuing a press release states that party has not signed a Memorandum of Understating (MOU) with United Peoples Freedom Alliance.(UPFA)). He further states that though the party supported the common candidate at the last presidential election, with resurgence of forces representing former president Mahinda Rajapaksa to enter into politics through UPFA , party was divided in its opinion and was in a dilemma as to choose what sort of a political line to be followed. Party notes that one of national committee members in the absence of a MOU has attempted and succeeded to place his name in the national list of UPFA. In the absence of a duly signed MOU inclusion of Dr. Rajiva Wijesinha’s name in UPFA national list has created number of debating issues within the Liberal Party.

Dr. Rajiva Wijesinha

Secretary General of the Liberal Party says; “Further, Dr. Wijesinha’s shifting of allegiances from various political alliances within a very short period, first to Maithri – Ranil combination, and then to criticize Ranil and the attempt to show as a Maithri supporter and then indirectly to praise Mahinda Rajapaksa and then directly align with the Rajapaksa camp caused much tension in the Liberal Party.

“In recent times, Dr. Wijesinha initiated a massive campaign against Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe in social media, namely Facebook against the wishes of the Liberal Party. However the Liberal Party is well aware that Wickremesinghe maintained great tolerance and showing his maturity had not replied to any comments in the Facebook. Through the criticism against Wickremesinghe he was able to reach more closely to Rajapaksa camp in the UPFA. Dr. Wijesinha voted for the 18th Amendment in 2010 against the majority view of the Liberal Party and proved himself non valuable to the Liberal Party. However with great pressure from the party he abstained from voting in support of the impeachment against the Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake.”Read More

Journalists call for political commitment for media reform and freedom of expression

By Himal Kotelawala-22 July 2015
A collective of journalists and media activists yesterday called to the attention of all political parties contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections a series of recommendations for media reform and freedom of expression in Sri Lanka that included the adoption of the much-hyped Right to Information Bill and the repealing of the controversial Press Council Act.
Issuing a joint statement, representatives from several journalistic bodies such as the National Secretariat for Media Reforms (NSMR), the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA), the Free Media Movement (FMM), the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) and the Department of Mass Media of the Sri Palee Campus of the University of Colombo, said that while there had been some progress made since the presidential election in January this year, in terms of media freedom, more had to be done in order to ensure an environment more conducive for a free and fair media. Such policy, legal and structural reforms, the panel pointed out, would require the combined will of all political parties in the fray.
At a media briefing held at the SLIP yesterday that doubled as a presentation of the recommendations to representatives of political parties contesting the 17 August polls, the panel, headed by the Chairman of the NSMR and Head of Department of Mass Media, Colombo University, Dr. Pradeep Weerasinghe, urged all parties to give a firm commitment to their 10 recommended measures for meaningful media freedom and reforms.
Science communicator and media researcher Nalaka Gunawardene, who serves as an advisor to the NSMR, said that in the wake of the 8 January polls several steps had been made in the right direction with regard to media freedom and freedom of expression. 
These included steps being taken to end threats against and pressure on media organisations and journalists; the unblocking of arbitrarily blocked political websites, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution recognising the right of access to information as a fundamental right and the Government’s open invitation to exiled journalists to return to Sri Lanka.
What with an important election around the corner and an increasing number of political parties contesting on a platform of change, the media collective pointed out, it was important that contestants be informed of exactly what changes needed to be made to ensure media freedom and freedom of expression in the country. 
In this regard, according to the joint statement, the panel said priority must be given to adopting the Right to Information Bill which was finalised in May this year, with input from media stakeholders while the Press Council Act No. 5 of 1973 should be repealed. The Government-controlled Press Council should also be abolished and in its place the Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka (PCCSL), the self-regulatory body established in 2003, should be strengthened with its scope expanded to cover broadcast media.
International freedom of expression standards
Civil and criminal laws including the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the Official Secrets Act, sedition laws and rules on contempt of court and parliamentary privileges that may curtail media freedom by posing various restrictions on its function should be reviewed and revised to bring them in line with international standards of freedom of expression.
The panel also touched on the various atrocities committed against their journalistic brethren in the recent past, calling for an independent Commission of Inquiry with a mandate and adequate powers to investigate past killings of, threats to, disappearances of and other attacks on journalists, media workers and media outlets, with a view to ensuring that those responsible are prosecuted and that appropriate compensation is paid to the victims and their families.
Improvements recommended in other areas included broadcast regulation, providing for, among other things, proper planning in relation to the frequencies allocated to broadcasting which recognises public, commercial and community broadcasters, and obligations for broadcasters to be balanced and impartial in their coverage of politics and other matters of public concern. The panel called for the establishment of an independent Broadcasting Authority to regulate the entire broadcasting sector in the public interest. 
Additionally, any broadcasting regulation introduced should support the development of community broadcasting services. The three state broadcasters - the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and the Independent Television Network - should also be restructured into independent public service broadcasters that enjoy editorial independence and have a clear mandate to serve the public. 
The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. (ANCL or Lake House) also needed to operate independently of the Government, said the panel and recommended that a public consultation to determine the most suitable course of action in this regard.
Among the measures recommended to political parties is a firm call for a review of laws and regulations that permit censorship such as the Public Performance Ordinance. No prior censorship should be imposed on the media but courts can review media content for legality after publication on an urgent basis where necessary. 
There should also be no attempts to limit online content or social media activities contravening fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and international conventions, the panel declared, adding that restrictions on illegal content may be imposed only through an independent judicial process which ensures that fundamental rights to access information and freedom of expression are not hindered.
Lastly, the State should respect and protect the privacy of all citizens, the joint statement said, with strict limits to the state surveillance of private individuals’ and entities’ telephone conversations and electronic communications. However, in the event that it was deemed necessary, such surveillance should only be permitted with judicial oversight and according to a clear set of guidelines.
Pix by Lasantha Kumara

reginald sole poll politico to accept media collective invite

Former UPFA Parliamentarian Reginald Cooray was the only representative of a political party contesting the upcoming polls to accept the media collective’s invitation and attend the presentation. 
Speaking to the media at the event, Cooray highlighted the virtues of freedom of expression as one of many democratic freedoms, going on to state that crimes against the media should be investigated. However, he said that the media should also take steps for self-regulation and discipline and ensure that its freedom was not misused. 
While speaking in support of the recommendations made by the panel of journalists, the former chief minister also alluded to a double standard among the media fraternity in calling for the independence of state media when journalists working for privately-owned media were not truly independent themselves, often having to toe the line of their superiors and proprietors.