Sri Lanka's disappeared journalists' wife says she was insulted by state officials at UNHRC session

The wife of Sri Lanka's disappeared journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda, Sandhya Ekneligoda said after returning to the island from Geneva that she was insulted by the officials of Sri Lanka's delegation to US Human Rights Council.

She said that after participating in a side event at UN Human Rights Council on March19th 4 p.m. in which she spoke about disappeared persons of Sri Lanka, state official Douglas Wickramarathna asked her how she could become a victim since she came smiling. She further pointed out that certain others that gathered around her said they knew what happened to her husband and warned her not to betray the country.

Denying such allegations, she said she achieved her target of focusing the attention of the international community to the problems of the disappeared persons of Sri Lanka through her representation at the UN Human Rights Council.
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Media under attack in Sri Lanka fights back

Lasantha Ruhunage, the Secretary of Sri Lanka Working Journalists' Association has complained to the Election Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya against the alleged election malpractices of Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

Ruhunage a journalist of Ravaya newspaper says “Defence Secretary requested the people to assure the victory of Milinda Moragoda and later he addressed a campaign rally that supports UPFA candidates."

He argues that senior public officers do not have political rights. He further argues that the Defense Secretary's move is against the establishment code and amount to misuse of public assets.

Meanwhile, five media organizations of Sri Lanka vehemently condemned an action what they call as high handed by Moratuwa [p;ice of Sri Lanka.

The police is alleged of erasing a footage of a journalist of Sirasa TV Indika Sri Aravinda.
Issuing a joint communique, the five media organizations urged the Inspector General of Police to conduct a fair investigation on the police action.

The five media organizations, namely the Sri Lanka Working Journalists' Association, The Federation of Media Employees Trade Union, The Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum, The Sri Lanka Tamil Journalists Alliance, The Sri Lanka Chapter of the South Asian Free Media Association and the Free Media Movement say this action is violation of people's tight to be

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Activists from Colombo now in Jaffna to express solidarity to colleagues there

Free Media Movement (FMM), some other NGOs and activists of South Sri Lanka are now in Jaffna to hold a protest campaign tomorrow in Jaffna city to express solidarity to the bereaved journalists there.

A group of 40 journalists from Colombo left for Jaffna this morning to express their solidarity with embattled journalist community in Jaffna, said FMM secretary Sunil Jayasekara to media.

The Free Media Movement led group includes a number of media organisations as well as few human rights activists.

They expect to hold a peaceful demonstration in Jaffna city tomorrow noon together with journalists form Jaffna.

They are also to visit news editor Gnanasundaram Kuganathanhas of Uthayan daily in Jaffna hospital, who is recovering from a fatal assault on him by an unidentified gang on 29th July.

Pro-opposition Sri Lanka Mirror website reported that this is a historic occasion in strengthening solidarity and enhancing mutual understanding between journalists working in Jaffna and Colombo. The website added in a pleading tone they they would expect their right to protest and association will be respected by the state security forces in Jaffna.

Are they telling "Don't beat us! We're Sinhalese!"??? They never made such statements before they held protests in Colombo.

Forget Jaffna. It is in fact a good move to have such activities for activists of Colombo too, first to get rid of the fear psychosis they are engulfed in now.

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