Attack on news editor exposes post-war state of media freedom: SLTMA

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 July 2011, 13:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA), a Colombo based Tamil journalists association on Saturday condemned the attack on Gnanasundaram Kuhanathan, the news editor of Uthayan Tamil Daily in Jaffna, and said that the attack reported within 6 days after the conclusion of the civic elections has cast severe doubts. The government of Sri Lanka claims that it has has brought media democracy and freedom of expression to Jaffna, but the journalists are continuously harassed and threatened, the media watchdog said.

Another journalist of Uthayan Tamil daily, S. Kaviharan, was attacked on May 28. But, no action has been taken to arrest those behind the attack.

Media workers are facing the same danger as the one they faced during the war, the SLTMA statement further said.

There have been reports in Tamil media to the tone that the Sri Lankan forces, that do not want a democratic environment prevailing in North and East, are continuing a military administration.

Media has the right to publish critical views. Nobody has the right to control the media freedom, the SLTMA said, questioning how armed groups operating with the assistance of the Sri Lankan military could sustain a such control on media.

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