by Melani Manel Perera

Five media organisations write to the secretary of defence, criticising his intimidation of two journalists "guilty" of participating in a protest over the violence of the armed forces against "inconvenient" reporters.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - The government of Sri Lanka was behind the kidnapping and beating of the journalist Keith Noyahar, of the national newspaper "The Nation", which took place last May 22 in Colombo.  This is the claim of five large media organisations that have promoted a protest demonstration, with chants of "Stop violence against journalists".  The same five groups have written a letter to the secretary of defence, Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the younger brother of president Mahinda Rajapkase, condemning his pressure on reporters who participated in the demonstration on May 23. The Sri Lanka Working Journalist Association (SLWJA), the Federation of Media Employees Trade Union (FMETU), the Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum (SLMMF), the Sri Lanka Tamil Journalists Alliance (SLTJA), and the Free Media Movement (FMM) signed the text.

The letter denounces the fact that Gotabhaya Rajapakse called to his office Sanath Balasooriya and Poddala Jayantha, president and secretary general of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA), who in his eyes are guilty of taking part in the demonstration on May 23, aimed at criticising the armed forces.  According to the secretary of defence, "it is unacceptable to criticise the armed forces while working at a state newspaper".

With their missive to Gotabhaya, the five organisations reaffirm the right of freedom of the press, and emphasise that the declarations of the state official "clearly reveal the real condition of human rights and freedom of the press in the country".

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