01-12-2006, 07:49 PM
Be it Sinhala – be it Tamil- it's a news paper-keep your hands off", hundreds of journalists shouted in front of the Fort railway station in the capital on Thursday.
Several Tamil journalists have been detained and questioned during search operations in Colombo and the suburbs.
A protesting Tamil journalist speaking to Elmo Fernando said that the police and security forcers disregard the accreditation cards provided by the Director of Information.
Dhanaraj Of Thalam FM said, “the authorities say that these accreditation cards could be forged easily, but that's not an acceptable reason to harass Journalist”
President of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, Sanath Balasuriya said that the security forcers are using emergency regulations to harass Tamil journalists.
Responding to a question at the cabinet press briefing media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said that the probleam has been already resolved with discussions with editors of Tamil News papers
He said “I don't see any purpose of these demonstrations”
Sunanda Deshapriya, convener of the Free Media Movement said “All governments give empty promises when it comes to protecting journalist ,not a single perpetrator has been punished although so many Journalist have been assassinated".
The Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance, Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum, Media Employees Trade Union Federation and Free Media Movement that organised the protest say that security forces had assaulted Tamil media persons who were covering a demonstration in Jaffna recently and were not accepting their media accreditation card.
They also alleged that photographers of two Tamil dailies have been subjected to inquiry for taking photographs of Tamil people when they were arrested and detained in Colombo police stations.
Security forces searched offices of two Tamil dailies published in Jaffna recently, said a press release issued by these five media associations Monday.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/20...12_journo.shtml
Several Tamil journalists have been detained and questioned during search operations in Colombo and the suburbs.
A protesting Tamil journalist speaking to Elmo Fernando said that the police and security forcers disregard the accreditation cards provided by the Director of Information.
Dhanaraj Of Thalam FM said, “the authorities say that these accreditation cards could be forged easily, but that's not an acceptable reason to harass Journalist”
President of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, Sanath Balasuriya said that the security forcers are using emergency regulations to harass Tamil journalists.
Responding to a question at the cabinet press briefing media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said that the probleam has been already resolved with discussions with editors of Tamil News papers
He said “I don't see any purpose of these demonstrations”
Sunanda Deshapriya, convener of the Free Media Movement said “All governments give empty promises when it comes to protecting journalist ,not a single perpetrator has been punished although so many Journalist have been assassinated".
The Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance, Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum, Media Employees Trade Union Federation and Free Media Movement that organised the protest say that security forces had assaulted Tamil media persons who were covering a demonstration in Jaffna recently and were not accepting their media accreditation card.
They also alleged that photographers of two Tamil dailies have been subjected to inquiry for taking photographs of Tamil people when they were arrested and detained in Colombo police stations.
Security forces searched offices of two Tamil dailies published in Jaffna recently, said a press release issued by these five media associations Monday.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/20...12_journo.shtml