Sri Lanka: Int’nl Journalists Condemn

By B. M. Murshideen

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemned an arson attack on the offices of the Lanka enews and also welcomed President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s call for an immediate investigation.

In a statement released by the IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park yesterday said that the attack on Lanka enews came exactly six months after a similar arson attack on the broadcast facilities of the popular news and entertainment channel Siyatha.

“We are shocked at this incident, which is consistent with a pattern of attempts to intimidate and harass independent media organisations and where those fail, outright attacks on media personnel and premises,” she added. Jacqueline Park also told that it had been reported that President Mahinda Rajapaksa, had ordered the Inspector-General of Police to launch an investigation into the arson attack on an urgent basis.

“The IFJ calls on the Sri Lankan authorities to respond to domestic and global expressions of concern over the pattern of intimidation of independent media which continues long after the end of the country’s civil war,” Park said.

Source: The Daily Mirror – 02.02.2011