Journalists complain to SL Defense Ministry about harassment

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 January 2006, 16:28 GMT]
The official media accreditation issued by the Government Information Department has been disregarded, under Emergency Regulations, not only when detaining Tamil media journalists but also when they carry out their official duties, five media organisations said in a joint memorandum urging the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry's Secretary, Gothapaya Rajapakse, the brother of the SL President Mahinda Rajapakse, to provide an opportunity to meet him and place before him the harassment meted out to Tamil media journalists under the Emergency Regulations, media sources said.

Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance, Sri Lanka Working Journalist Association, Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum, Free Media Movement and Federation of Media Employees Trade Union Thursday warned that the trend is not only hampering journalists but also place their lives at risk.

The memorandum further states that the Emergency Regulations have been used to detain journalists and arrest them and search media institutions.

The memorandum has cited several incidents where Tamil media journalists were harassed and Tamil media organizations searched, sources said.