A free press-A prerequisite for peace!

by Graham Williamson

(January 17, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) The World Peace Organisation is an International body concerned with the maintenance of sustainable and durable peace across the globe. One prerequisite for peace is the free flow of news and information which eliminates suspicion and rumour. Wherever there is a breach, it is our prime duty and responsibility to protest.

The unfortunate and shocking assassination of Lasantha Wickramatunga, the popular Editor of the “Sunday Leader“newspaper based in Colombo , Sri Lanka , is one that needs to condemned unequivocally by any civilized society.

It is a death knoll for the country’s freedom of expression, especially for voices of dissent, and marks a final blow to independent journalism. It should not be taken as an isolated incident but a culmination of a chain of events that are aimed at gagging a free media in Sri Lanka .

The present Sri Lankan Government has never wanted to see the “other side“ but has insisted on implementing draconian laws (violating all norms of the Rule of Law) which has gagged and even put behind bars those expressing dissent, whether they be journalists or Parliamentarians.

Beginning with Nimalarajan (an upcoming youthful journalist from Jaffna), the outspoken journalist Sivaraman, Nadesan (an analytical journalist from Batticaloa), the disappearance of investigative journalist Richard de Soyza, to the vociferous parliamentarians Joseph Pararajasingam of Batticaloa (gunned down while he was at prayers on Christmas eve in the church), Raviraj and Maheswaran of Colombo (murdered on New Years Eve while coming out of a Hindu temple) and now to Lasantha Wickramatunga.

The Government were not being able to gag the “Sunday Leader“ from running stories of corruption and their draconian measures. When however, the latter was allegedly described by the President of Sri Lanka in October 2008 as a “terrorist journalist“ this surely gave a green light for real terrorists to ‘gag’ the paper?

Despite Government professions of regret the destruction of the Sunday Leader’s press and the recent vandalism of the country’s main MTV channels’ machinery, are examples of state investigations that never lead anywhere.

It is only when Lasantha’s culprits are brought before justice that the day will dawn for the free media to once again play its role for the nourishment of democracy in Sri Lanka.

(The writer is a Chairman of the World Peace Organisation) - Sri Lanka Guardian