Category: Politics

Aug 04, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s major opposition political parties have backed calls for an end to government intimidation of the media and demanded it ensure the safety of journalists. Eleven political parties have signed a joint statement defending media freedom in Sri Lanka and requesting the authorities to safeguard media freedom and guarantee […]

Aug 1, 2008 (LBO) – Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh landed in Sri Lanka to attend the 15th Summit meeting of the South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation to be held in Colombo this weekend. The city has been under tight security pending the arrival of regional leaders. Prime minister Singh arrived in the island […]

July 29, 2008 (AFP) – The leaders of South Asian rivals India and Pakistan are to meet in Sri Lanka this week for their highest-level talks in 15 months and to see if they can hold together their embattled peace process. Relations between New Delhi and Islamabad, who have fought three wars since partition in […]

July 24, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka will on Friday mark a quarter of a century since the country’s worst ethnic riots claimed scores of lives, but 25 years on there is little prospect of peace on the island.In July 1983, the country — where ongoing fighting in a civil war between Tamil rebels and […]

July 18, 2008 (AFP) – Journalists covering Sri Lanka’s war with Tamil Tiger rebels are being harassed despite a government pledge to take action to protect the press, a rights group said Friday. The Free Media Movement (FMM) reported eight incidents of threats and intimidation, just two weeks after a ministerial committee was formed to […]

July 8, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s main opposition Tuesday accused the country’s military chief of orchestrating violent attacks on journalists critical of its battle against Tamil separatists. Opposition MP Joseph Michael Perera told parliament that a recent wave of beatings and other violence against journalists was carried out by a “special team” under the […]

July 6, 2008 (AFP) – Media activists in Sri Lanka are organising a boycott of the upcoming South Asian summit in Colombo in protest at escalating attacks against journalists, a report said Sunday.The Lakbima News weekly said several media outlets had agreed in principle not to cover the August 1 summit of the South Asian […]

July 3, 2008 (AFP) – A former Sri Lankan Tamil guerrilla leader expelled from Britain returned Thursday after serving a brief jail term on immigration charges, officials said. Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, also known as Colonel Karuna and who was jailed in London in January, was escorted back to Sri Lanka, airport officials said. Karuna, who led […]

July 3, 2008 (AFP) – The United States said Thursday it had “strong concerns” about Sri Lanka’s deteriorating human rights record and escalating attacks on the local media.Deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs Evan Feigenbaum expressed US concerns to Sri Lankan authorities during his four-day visit which ends Thursday. “We […]

July 2, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s continuing attacks on the media is a conspiracy to discredit the government, President Mahinda Rajapakse said, while the latest assault against a mediaman and a UK embassy staffer drew new condemnation.At a time when the government was fighting terror and implementing development projects, there were moves to de-stabilize […]

July 02, 2008 (LBO) – The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) and the Newspaper Publishers Association are offering a reward of five million rupees for information on the assault on journalist Namal Perera.Informants could give information that lead to the arrest of the assailants by calling 0033 147 777 414 or sending emails to helppresssrilanka@gmail.com, […]

July 2, 2008 (AFP) – Hundreds of Sri Lankan reporters and cameramen staged a protest outside President Mahinda Rajapakse’s home Wednesday demanding an end to a wave of killings, abductions and assaults against journalists.Media workers’ associations peacefully demonstrated outside the main access to Rajapakse’s Temple Trees residence while dozens of unarmed police stood behind yellow […]