Category: Politics

July 1, 2008 (LBO) – The United States has condemned the attack on a UK embassy staffer and journalist, calling it a “brutal and unprovoked” attack and said it was concerned at the suppression of media which was essential for democracy.The US said it hoped that a high powered ministerial committee appointed to look into […]

June 30, 2008 (LBO) – The United States embassy in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo has re-opened after a suspicious powder was found to be harmless, the embassy said Monday. It said visa and other appointments postponed during the closure are being re-scheduled. The embassy was closed to the public on June 25. An embassy […]

June 30, 2008 (LBO) – Unidentified men armed with clubs have attacked freelance journalist Namal Perera and a UK High Commission (embassy) staffer Monday evening in Colombo, colleagues said. Perera and UK High Commission political officer Mahendra Ratnaweera was assaulted in Colombo’s Narahenpita area Monday. They are being treated at a nearby private hospital. Monday’s […]

June 30, 2008 (AFP) – A senior British High Commission officer was beaten and his car smashed by unidentified attackers who tried to grab a reporter travelling as a passenger in the vehicle here Monday, police said. Political officer Mahendra Ratnaweera was severely injured in the attack while his passenger, freelance journalist Namal Perera, also […]

June 22, 2008 (LBO) – Twenty nine media organisations around the world have urged the United Nations to put pressure on the Sri Lankan government to protect journalists in the island. The organisations affiliated to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that journalists in Sri Lanka […]

June 22, 2008 (AFP) – India has signalled to Sri Lanka that it wants to see an end to the island’s military campaign to help solve the decades-old Tamil separatist conflict, diplomats and officials said Sunday.In closed-door talks over the weekend with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and top officials, India’s National Security Advisor M.K. […]

BELGRADE, June 17, 2008 (AFP) – The International Press Institute has highlighted the oppressive conditions for media in a number of countries, including Zimbabwe and Russia, officials said. The IPI board “unanimously” voted to keep Ethiopia, Nepal, Russia, Sri Lanka, Venezuela and Zimbabwe on its “watch list” of countries where press freedom has significantly deteriorated, […]

June 17, 2008 (AFP) – A French charity demanded on Tuesday an international probe into the execution-style killing of 17 of its employees in Sri Lanka in 2006 after denouncing local investigations.Paris-based Action Against Hunger, or ACF, asked the French government and the European Union, among others, to set up an international panel to probe […]

June 13, 2008 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government pressured independent newspapers not to publish critical stories during a visit by a European Union delegation to the island earlier this week, a media rights group said. The statement said that journalists working for several newspapers told Reporters Without Borders on condition of anonymity that during […]

May 31, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka needs peace proposals acceptable to the main political parties and the Tamil speaking community to put pressure on the Tamil Tigers to resume peace talks, a senior government minister has said. The proposals would also assure Tamils that their aspirations and grievances will be addressed by any future […]

OTTAWA, May 30, 2008 (AFP) – A Canadian suspected of using his studies as a cover for terrorist activities was awarded a 5,000 dollar prize for his entrepreneurial talent by a Canadian university, The Globe and Mail reported Friday.Suresh Sriskandarajah, 26, was arrested in August 2006 in Ontario at the request of US authorities who […]

May 31, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan media groups have expressed grave concern over what they said was an ‘unofficial’ visit to the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) by soldiers. The SLPI and media rights group Free Media Movement (FMM) said the visit appeared linked to recent threats and assault on journalists, coming soon after […]