Shameful attack on media

THE terror attack on the Udayan newspaper office in the North, which claimed two lives and injured two persons, comes as a bewildering shock to not only the media community of Sri Lanka but to all those who champion the Freedom of Expression.

The latter freedom is a cornerstone of democracy and it would be correct to say that what the terrorists have sought to cripple through their dark deed is democracy itself.

Accordingly, we roundly condemn the attack on the Udayan newspaper organisation and call on the law enforcers to bring the assailants to justice speedily.

We also welcome President Mahinda Rajapaksa's condemnation of the incident and call on him to ensure the speedy dispensation of justice in this connection.

There are some important dimensions to the terror attack which should not go unnoticed. One is that it occurred on the eve of World Press Freedom Day, which was celebrated in Sri Lanka with State patronage.

In fact the world community selected Sri Lanka as the venue for these celebrations this year, undoubtedly in recognition of the Lankan State's long-standing commitment to democracy in general and the Freedom of Expression in particular.

As is known, journalists from around the world converged on Sri Lanka for the event. Clearly, the aim of the assailants was to cause embarrassment to Sri Lanka on this memorable occasion. What the terrorists sought to convey was that Sri Lanka was no home to media freedom or diversity.

The Lankan State needs to respond swiftly to this situation. The assailants in the Udayan drama need to be apprehended quickly and brought to justice. No quarter should be shown to these terrorists who are likely to be of LTTE origin, in view of their opposition to the Lankan State.

Besides, maximum security precautions should be taken to ensure that journalists are not prevented from carrying out their duties. They should be provided secure environments to work in.

Ideally, media persons from the rest of the country should come together to denounce the attack on the Udayan office. It should be clearly shown that terror attacks on media persons anywhere would not be condoned by the Lankan journalistic community.

The local media community needs to rise above petty considerations and speak in unison on the need for the dispensation of justice in situations such as these.

Unfortunately, some sections of our media community have a comical tendency to cry "foul" over injustices which occur only outside our shores.

We need, of course, to be sensitive to such issues but it would be absurd in the extreme to turn a blind eye on the plight of our media persons and champion the causes of those operating outside our shores.

All right-thinking persons need to express their sense of moral outrage on the violence faced by journalists.

Clearly, more and more sections everywhere with sins to hide and evils to conceal are resenting the good work done by journalists with a progressive vision. The truth must be protected through a stout defence of journalists.