CPA Executive Director receives death threat
[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 August 2009, 15:34 GMT]
The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) said in a statement that its
Executive Director Dr.Pakiasothy Saravanamuthu had received anonymous
death threat written in English language and posted to his residence Thursday
morning. According to the contents of the letter, Dr. Saravanamuthu will be
killed because Sri Lanka stands to be deprived of the European Union’s GSP Plus benefits in October, with resultant job losses, due to information supplied by Dr. Saravanamuthu to Ms. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU’s Commissioner for External Relations.
CPA said it unreservedly deplores this despicable attempt at causing
fear through the use of threats of physical harm, and through such
acts, to stifle free expression, dissent and debate. CPA says it is equally concerned over the increasing emasculation of the civil
society space for the discussion of public policy choices. “It is contemptible that CPA’s position, held consistently and
publicly with regard to the policy and legal issues involved in the
extension of the GSP Plus scheme has been distorted so as to contrive
a rationale for this letter. CPA has consistently argued that the GSP
Plus benefits MUST be renewed, and that Sri Lanka should use the
opportunity to also strengthen its human rights protection framework
by complying with international law. We regret that our constructive
contribution to this public policy debate has been perversely
distorted and deliberately misunderstood in some quarter,” the CPA
statement said. Dr. Saravanamuthu and the CPA will be lodging complaints with the
relevant authorities for speedy investigation and necessary remedial
action in this matter, the statement added.
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