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| Thursday, 28 October 2004 |
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by L.B.Wijayasiri in Kandy Jathika Hela Urumaya Kandy district MP Ven. Udawatte Nanda Thera has added his voice to the growing protests by the people of Kandy against the brutal assault on Lake House Kandy correspondent Sanjaya Asela Maturata carried out by a UNP Pradeshiya Sabha member during a party protest rally in Kandy Town on Tuesday. The Thera issuing a statement notes that if a media person is attacked because of his political affiliation, such an act should be roundly condemned by all right thinking persons. There had been instances even in the past where politicians attempted to victimise innocent journalists when these politicians failed to achieve their selfish motives, the statement added. The Thera also told the Daily News that it was interesting to note politicians assault media personnel only when they were in the opposition. "They resort to such low tactics when they fail to act wisely", he said. The high handed and anti-democratic action by a section of those who participated in the UNP protest campaign should be vehemently condemned and legal action taken against the culprits, the Thera added. Meanwhile, journalists in Kandy together with the public will take to streets today to protest against the assault on the correspondent. The agitation will commence at 1 pm opposite the Kandy Clock Tower. Sanjaya who was covering the UNP demonstration in the Kandy Town was set upon and assaulted allegedly by Udunuwara UNP Pradeshiya Sabha member Lagamuwe Jayasinghe. Journalists attached to all media institutions have organised today's protest to condemn the assault and to demand the immediate arrest of the culprit. The victim is warded at the Kandy General Hospital. Meanwhile, the Central Province Media Association in a statement yesterday vehemently condemned the assault on Sanjaya. It is very unfortunate that a political party who always cried for media freedom and democratic and human rights has permitted this type of anti-democratic actions by some of their members, it stated. While condemning the assault, the Association called upon Police to take stern action against the culprits. Meanwhile, the assault on Lake House journalist Sanjaya Asela Mathurata has drawn condemnation by numerous quarters of the media field. The Ministers' Secretaries' Union in a media communique last Monday described the incident as a reactivation of the UNP thuggery against journalists, reminiscent of the assault on cartoonist Yunus and murder of Richard de Zoysa and several other progressive journalists. It urged the police and the IGP to take positive steps to arrest the culprits including the UNP Pradeshiya Sabha Member who launched this attack. The Joint Free Media Coalition in a press release vehemently condemned the assault as a clear manifestation of the UNP ambiguous policy of media freedom, recalling to mind the UNP's cruelties against the media during their regime. It was only during the regime of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga that the culture of free media was safeguarded. The Joint Free Media Coalition is confident that she will take steps to bring to book the UNP culprits who are responsible for this attack and punish them appropriately, stated the press release. Our Kandy Group Correspondents report that the police have so far failed to arrest the UNP Pradeshiya Sabha Member who launched the attack on Lake House Journalist Sanjaya Asela Mathurata. According to them, the police have sent a special team to the house of the Pradeshiya Sabha Member at Lagatuwa in the Kadugannawa area to arrest him, but they were informed by the member's wife that has not returned home since the incident. According to Kandy Headquarters Inspector Edmund Mahendra, on the instructions of DIG Nimal Mediwaka, a special police team has been deployed to take the suspect into custody. Injured journalist Sanjaya Asela Mathurata is yet receiving treatment at the Kandy General Hospital. |
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