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Committee
to Protect Journalists
UNITED KINGDOM: Sri Lankan journalists in London receive threats New York,
March 25, 2004-The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is very concerned
for the safety of journalists working for the London-based Tamil After the station began broadcasting in the United Kingdom and in Sri Lanka on March 1, the Voice of Tigers (VOT), the official broadcaster of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), issued a report condemning the station and its journalists as "traitors." The VOT reports were rebroadcast on a local Tamil station in the United Kingdom. Soon after, TBC journalists began receiving anonymous death threats. During one live broadcast of a call-in show, two callers threatened the life of V. Ramraj, TBC's program director. An anonymous caller also threatened Ramraj's wife, saying she "will be wearing a white sari soon," implying that she will soon be widowed. Direct threats have also been made against program presenter Sivanthy Sivasubramaniyam, political analyst V. Sivalingam, and volunteers who help run the station. On March
22, a caller demanded that the TBC stop broadcasting for 10 days, or
Ramraj and Sivasubramaniyam would be "finished," according
to TBC Staff at TBC have informed the local South Harrow police station about the threats and have taken steps to trace the calls. No suspects have been named so far. The TBC was first launched in 1999 by Ramraj, a former anti-LTTE Tamil activist living in London. After about two years, the station closed for financial reasons. It was relaunched with private investment and began broadcasting on March 1, 2004. Through an arrangement with the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, a government-owned broadcaster, TBC is able to broadcast one hour of their programming every day in Sri Lanka. In February 2002, the Sri Lankan government reached a cease-fire agreement with the LTTE, which waged a 19-year battle for an independent homeland for the ethnic Tamil minority. A recent split in the leadership of the LTTE has threatened the cease-fire. "CPJ urges British authorities to ensure the safety of the TBC journalists," said CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper. "Physical threats should never be tolerated as a means to intimidate journalists." The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an independent, nonpartisan organization dedicated to the defense of press freedom around the world. For more information about press conditions in Sri Lanka, visit www.cpj.org. ******************** |
AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE "We are also appealing to all parties contesting the elections to put human rights at the heart of their agenda," said Amnesty International. "Their manifestos must make clear their specific commitment to undertaking constitutional and legal reforms that will ensure protection and promotion of human rights, ending impunity and ratifying international human rights and humanitarian standards." "The potential for serious and widespread human rights abuses during the campaigning period is now a major concern," said Amnesty International. There are already reports of over 100 election related incidents of violence, including 40 party activists who have been injured in clashes in southern and north-central regions, after the close of nominations three days ago. Four people were also allegedly abducted by the LTTE in the east since the elections were announced. During the last election called in December 2001, 47 murders of political party members by their opponents and attacks on election monitors were reported. "We are particularly concerned that candidates and supporters of Tamil political parties not allied to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) - which the LTTE is backing in the elections -- may become targets for assassination," said the organization. These include candidates of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) standing as independents, the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) (V), and the Democratic People's Liberation Front (DPLF). The LTTE are suspected to be behind the assassination and attempted assassination of over 50 members of Tamil political groups and several Muslim civilians since the cease-fire came into force in February 2002. "We welcome the assurance given by the LTTE military leader, Colonel Karuna, at a meeting with Major General (retd) Trond Furuhovde, head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), on 11 February in Batticaloa, that the LTTE would continue to respect the cease-fire and would not resort to violence or interfere in elections in the east," said Amnesty International . "In view of the vacuum in the provision of law and order in the northeast until agreed interim administration arrangements are established, we are appealing to the government and the LTTE to ensure the right to freedom of movement and right to freedom of assembly and association in areas under their control during the election period." Amnesty International also called on the government to investigate and punish anyone involved in attacks on political party members contesting the elections and election observers, especially among their own supporters. Background On 20 January 2004 President Kumaratunga signed an agreement of cooperation between the main constituent of the People's Alliance (PA), the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP; People's Liberation Front) to form the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA). Four more parties have since joined the UPFA including the Muslim National Unity Alliance (NUA), the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP; People's United Front), the Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPLS) and the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP; Lanka Equal Society Party). The JVP is opposed to the devolution of power to the LTTE and strongly supports a unitary state. It is said to be opposed to the terms of the cease-fire agreement and third party facilitation in the peace process. On 7 February the President dissolved parliament and called parliamentary elections, four years ahead of schedule. This was followed on 11 February, by the dismissal by the President of all 27 non-cabinet ministers and 12 deputy ministers, from the government. Two new ministers of Information and Mass Communication have since been appointed. Concerns have been expressed about the failure to establish an independent Election Commission, provided for by the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution which came into force on 3 October 2001, to oversee the electoral process. The Commissioner of Elections recently announced that polling booths in areas held by the LTTE would not be allowed and that polling stations would be clustered in places controlled by the Sri Lanka armed forces. Observers have recommended that national and international election monitors are on the ground throughout the month leading up to the election and that freedom of movement for voters going to polling stations should be ensured around election day. |
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The
Sri Lanka Democracy Forum is a global network of activists committed
to promote democratisation and inter-ethnic co-existence in Sri Lanka.
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