'Sivaram was a terrorist journalist' - JHU

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 May 2005, 00:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s hardline monks party, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) this week denounced Mr. Dharmeratnam Sivaram, the Tamil political columnist and military analyst who was murdered on Friday, as a “terrorist journalist” working for the LTTE. Saying Mr. Sivaram was akin to “Hitler’s Goebbels” a statement issued by the JHU's General Secretary, Omalpe Sobitha Thera, said he had “undermined the morale of the armed forces who were fighting the fascist Tigers.” Saying Sivaram should have been arrested according to the laws of Sri Lanka, the JHU urged the government to take stern action against others working in support of the Tigers.

Extracts of the JHU statement follow:

Venerable Omalpe Sobitha Thera (Photo:Lankaweb)

“D Sivaram was not an impartial journalist but a terrorist journalist. … This dangerous man called Sivaram has been killed by another terrorist group opposed to the Tigers. … Working in the guise of a journalist, Sivaram was an important character belonging to the facist Tigers who are crushing the freedom and human rights of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people of this country.

“He reminds us of Hitler's Goebbels. He created the myth that the Tigers' killings are justified. Not only that, he undermined the morale of soldiers engaged in war against the Tigers by giving information for terrorist acts.

“It is shocking that a terrorist journalist who worked behind the scenes to hunt down secret police could be described as 'innocent'.

“To attempt to portray Sivaram, who was the chief editor of TamilNet and an advisor to the Tigers, as an impartial journalist is an act of encouraging terrorism.

“The army knew about him encouraging the murder of those opposed to the Tigers. He should have been arrested according to the laws of this country. It was the government's mistake to let him remain free while working as a journalist for terrorists.

“This (murder) was committed by those that were crushed by people like him who worked in union with the terrorists.

“The government should disarm the Tigers. Many people supporting them are working in various fields. Their activities must also be stopped."

Chronology: