by Melani Manel Perera

In Sri Lanka, journalists remain the targets of security forces, and of intimidation on the part of the political authorities. The latest aggression against a state television journalist ignites protests in the sector.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - The situation of freedom of the press in Sri Lanka continues to deteriorate.  After the denunciations of the violence against journalists in the former Ceylon, contained in the 2007 report of the U.S. State Department on human rights in the world, in a few days it has become clear that the worrying phenomenon will not improve with 2008.

The sector is under simultaneous attacks by the state security forces - which suspect it of complicity with the Tamil separatists - by the government - which is pushing to manipulate information on the civil war in its favour - and by bands of "unknown aggressors" who are breaking into the homes of reporters or attacking them, with impunity, in public places.  The latest episode had as its victim the vice director of the state broadcaster Sri Lanka Rupavahini Cooperation (SLRC), Anurasiri Hettige. Hettige, who is also a labour union leader, was stabbed multiple times while waiting to take the bus to work on March 14 in Colombo.  He is now out of danger, but the incident has sparked a protest strike by employees of the broadcaster: since Friday, all programming has been suspended, except for news programs, until president Mahinda Rajapakse guarantees the end of the intimidation against the press and the persecution of its leaders.

Hettige's case - his colleagues denounce - is the fifth of its kind against personnel of the SLRC.  Suspicion is directed toward the labour ministry directed by Mervyn Silva.  In December of 2007, Silva ordered a search of the broadcaster's studios after the news director refused to publish one of his press releases about the inauguration of a new bridge in the country.

• Sri
• Lanka
• freedom
• press
• journalists
• attacked
• violence
• protest
• strike