Media gagging extends further in Sri Lanka

The government Defense Ministry intelligence service is scanning all external independent web Medias and systematically blocking the ones they consider undesirables to be accessed by the Sri Lankans.

The latest victim of the government’s paranoid gagging is the www.tamilnation.org website. The website provides wealth of information about historical accounts of the Tamil struggle and it is a reference source for many researchers to unearth documentary evidence for their work.

The www.tamilnation.org is claimed to be run by the veteran Tamil nationalist Nadesan Sathyendra. The website justifies the LTTE struggle on the grounds that it has gained legitimacy due to wanton policy of the successive Sri Lankan government against the minority Tamils.

A concerned political research student from the southern town of Galle wrote to the Tamil affairs and pleaded: ‘I wonder if you know that the tamilnation website has also been blocked in Sri Lanka recently. It was one of the sites that I was using for my thesis but I am really handicapped now. I wonder if you can inform the people who are running it. Just felt, I should share my distraught with you’.

The other recent victim of the government gagging is said to be the webmedia Sri Lanka Guardian. Though there is no hard evidence to prove direct government involvement, the web editor is proving to be very selective in publishing pro-government only news items recently. The overtly independent Sri Lankan Guardian operating from Sri Lanka has suddenly turned into a government mouthpiece of publishing exclusively pro-government news and views in its website.

The revelation in the Lakbima under the caption ‘Underworld taking ‘control’ of city?’by Gayan Kumara Weerasingha further confirms the violence groomed by the government using the gang masters of Colombo. We reproduce the revealing news which should be causing serious concerns for the remaining few independent and outspoken media men in Sri Lanka.

‘It is reported that Colombo is once again under the ‘control’ of underworld gangs as political protection has been afforded to gangland thugs. Meanwhile, it is also understood that political high ups have asked police to turn a blind eye as far as these thugs were concerned. In addition police have been warned that if they took action they would have to face consequences.

‘The underworld in Colombo, which for a time was silent, has once again decisively raised its ugly head. A senior police officer said “We are helpless and cannot bring things under control because of the political patronage afforded to gangs”. According to police headquarters, The Olcott gang in Borella, the Karate Dhammika gang in Kaduwela and the Faji gang in Maligawatta were some of the prominent underworld gangs operating flagrantly of late.

‘A senior police officer said “we have been reliably informed that the Faji gang in particular was trying to unite Muslim underworld gangs operating in Colombo and was attempting to take over all underworld activities, thus throwing the police into disarray.” Police were well aware that these gangs were responsible for the large numbers of abductions, extortion incidents and contract killings taking place in the city.

‘Police have also received information that these underworld gangs have demanded and obtained millions of rupees in ransom money from many wholesale traders in Colombo. It is reported that many businessmen have fled the country due to this situation.

‘Meanwhile, a young ruggerite was allegedly abducted and killed by members of one of these gangs recently. The 20- year- old victim has been identified as Chanaka Chaminda Peterson and is said to be a resident of Borella. The victim is said to have been a friend of a son of a top VIP. The victim had been abducted in Narahenpita and murdered somewhere in Thalahena. His hands were bound in handcuffs when police found the body.

‘The victim had often been seen moving around with the VIP’s son and his bodyguards. It is said that a number of police officers who have now been suspended from duty were involved with the gang that allegedly abducted the victim. This gang is said to be enjoying political patronage and thus did not fear the police.

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