Aksharaya, Prabakaran and the Free Media

by Sisira Pereira

(March 29, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) When the film ‘Aksharaya’ was banned due to its improper depiction of obsessed love of a mother towards her son, the Free Media Movement lost no time in condemning the ban and issuing almost 500 words of a press release on the 28.04.2006.

And when the Chief Justice commented in support of the ban of the film in 2008, again the FMM lost no time issuing a press statement of around 700 words and said, "Chief Justice’s comments on film have grave implications for freedom of expression".

And now, when Thushara Peiris, the director of the film "Prabakaran", was robbed off all his money’s worth in broad day light and assaulted by the goons supporting the LTTE in Chennai, while confiscating his millions worth film negatives, we are yet to see any solid condemnation of the suppression of his"right to express" by the FMM!

I would not know if the FMM would ever come out and issue a press release against this blatant violation of human rights of local director by the LTTE goons in Tamilnadu, but if the FMM does come out and do that, I would want to see if the press statement would carry a similar weight and go beyond 700-word mark!
- Sri Lanka Guardian