(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an FMM press release: Hate propaganda against the editor of Tamil Net The editor of Tamil Net, Mr. S. Sivaram, has become the target of a hate propaganda campaign. Last week, state newspapers and a non-state newspaper ran articles accusing him of being a spy for the Liberation Tigers of […]
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an FMM press release:
Hate propaganda against the editor of Tamil Net
The editor of Tamil Net, Mr. S. Sivaram, has become the target of a hate propaganda campaign. Last week, state newspapers and a non-state newspaper ran articles accusing him of being a spy for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a politico-military organisation fighting for a separate state in north-eastern Sri Lanka. The state newspaper article specifically referred to him by his real name and his pen name, and published his photograph for purposes of identification.
LTTE is a proscribed organisation in Sri Lanka, and being a member or associate of it is a criminal offence. In a letter to the Editors Guild of Sri Lanka, Mr. Sivaram said the allegations against him are a distorted version of a report published by another web site. There is no doubt that these are very serious allegations and could endanger his life. Last year, Mr. Sivaram and three other journalists were accused of being LTTE agents by the state media, after they attended a media workshop in the Eastern capital organised by a non-governmental organisation. The three accused journalists have left the country for fear of being unduly harassed and prosecuted. In a letter to FMM, Mr. S. Sivaram said that because of recent hate propaganda carried out against him by state as well as non-state media, he is not able to carry out his professional responsibilities as a journalist in a free and fair atmosphere. He says that since last year, he does not live at home because of concerns for his own safety, but now he is concerned about the safety for his family.
FMM is of the opinion that the hate propaganda against Mr. Sivaram is a clear violation of his right to freedom of expression as a citizen and a journalist. FMM appeals to the media community within Sri Lanka and internationally to condemn this type of pressure on journalists. FMM requests local as well as international freedom of expression organisations to take up this matter with the relevant authorities and to engage them in a dialogue which will help to ensure the safety of Mr. S. Sivaram and create a more tolerant media culture in Sri Lanka.
Sunanda Deshapriya
Convener, FMM
Mr. S. Sivaram’s letter to the Editors Guild of Sri Lanka fellows:
Secretary
The Editors’ Guild
Sri Lanka
Dear Sir,
I write this with regard to an article published in the Sunday 17 June 2001 issue of Divaina. The article, by defence columnist Mr. Keerthy Warnakulasuriya, levels very serious allegations against me.
The said article specifically refers to me by name (as well as my pen name) and has published my photograph as well.
I wish to also draw your attention to the fact that my name is on the so-called list of LTTE spies published on the website www.spynews.net. The allegations in the state media and Divaina are based only on a link to one of my columns in the Sunday Times of Sri Lanka. It greatly amuses me to ponder the curious logic by which a web link to an article by me could be turned into the “fact” that I am an insidious agent of the LTTE.
However, the allegations in the said article pose a serious threat to my life, as well as to my family’s safety.
Criticising me for the views that I hold as a fellow journalist is one thing, but accusing me by name (with a photograph to identify me) of working for a proscribed organisation and urging actions against me are serious and direct threats against my life and my family.
The said article has also given rise to a hostile attitude towards me among sections of the otherwise friendly Sinhala neighbourhood in Colombo where I presently live.
I wish to draw your attention to the fact that my colleague and friend, Mr. Mylvaganam Nimalarajan, the Jaffna journalist who was killed last year by as yet unidentified gunmen in the heart of Jaffna’s high security zone, was similarly accused by a senior Tamil government minister of working for the LTTE.
Mr. Nimalarajan was accused by the minister and sections of the press of having been an LTTE agent even after he was killed.
I would like to point out that such matters should be looked into with due process under the country’s law. If this had occurred in my colleague Nimalarajan’s case, I am certain he would not be dead today, but rather, would be cleared by the law of all accusations against him.
In these circumstances, I cannot but assume that the allegations consistently and regularly leveled against me in the state media and the Divaina constitute a threat to my life.
Therefore, I request you to please do everything necessary to help me carry out my professional duties as a fellow journalist in a free and fair atmosphere. Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
S. Sivaram
