Media Accreditation Card: Silver Jubilee

Prasad GUNEWARDENE

The month of March 2008 marks the silver jubilee of the Media Accreditation Card. I do not know how many young journalists in the trade born after March 1983, are aware of the cause behind the birth of the Media Accreditation Card issued annually by the Government Information Department.

I have witnessed many of today’s young journalists using this card as a ‘tool’ to express the power of the profession unaware of the boundaries contained in the card. And at times it is abused in a manner they get into confrontation with the law enforcement authorities.

Because, they produce the Media Identity on their way home after duty for identification. The card is only issued for a purpose and it is stated on the reverse of the card. There has been no alteration in that regard from the inaugural card that was issued in 1983.

Story

The story of the case behind the birth of the Media Accreditation Card goes as far back as March 20, 1983. I am the only victim alive to record this story. The other two are no more. They were Dharmaratne Wijesundere (the then Sunday Divaina) and Henry Rodrigo (Photographer - now defunct Sun Group).

I am left to celebrate the silver jubilee of the Media Accreditation Card with a few others who pioneered its birth. Hence I thought it fit to record the story of the Media Accreditation Card for the education and knowledge of today’s journalists and those who may aspire to become journalists in the future.

Wijesundere, Rodrigo and I had to spend two nights at the Gampola Remand Prison twenty five years ago to give birth to the Media Accreditation Card. We had to travel to Gampola for exactly one year till March 20, 1984 to appear before the Gampola Magistrate, TP Unamboowa. The case was compounded exactly after one year on that day.

The men and the woman who pioneered the issuance of the Media Identity Card to Journalists, to enable the scribes to perform their duties without any hindrance, were the former Minister of State, the late Anandatissa De Alwis, his Permanent Secretary, Dr. Sarath Amunugama, former Director of Government Information Department, Ms. Manel Abayaratne and former Deputy Editor (later Editor) ‘The Island’, Gamini Weerakoon. Now I shall narrate the episode behind the birth of the Media Accreditation Card which now has a history of a quarter century.

This narration is done without fear or favour with no intention to be partisan or cause embarrassment to any of those involved in the said incident.

March 20, 1983 Sunday was a Full Moon Poya Day, and also late Gamini Dissanayake’s birthday. Journalists from national newspapers and the electronic media were invited by late Gamini Dissanayake, Minister of Mahaweli Development to Kadadora, Gampola to cover the ceremony of the laying of the foundation stone to construct the Mahaweli Maha Seya.

The Chief Guest was President J.R. Jayewardene. We journalists were under the care of Ananda Dharmapriya, Press Secretary to the Mahaweli Ministry. After a tired journey we arrived in Kandy in time for lunch.

All scribes agreed that we should ‘warm’ ourselves before lunch in a small way. Chandra Weerawardene, Pictures Editor, ‘The Island’ who was in the team knew the place where the ‘stuff’ was available as the day was a Full Moon Poya Day.

After lunch

After lunch we proceeded to the venue of the assignment. Around 2.30pm we arrived at the venue, alighted from the vehicle and began to trek a mountainous path to the venue. Dharmaratne Wijesundere was in the company of Henry Rodrigo. Both were a few hundred yards ahead of me and Chandra Weerawardene.

Chandra and I heard a heated exchange of words between Wijesundere and a Police Inspector with Rodrigo also screaming. Immediately Chandra and I moved into the scene as we saw the police officer slapping Wijesundere.

Another two cops came to assist the police officer whom we later knew was the Officer-in-Charge of the Gampola Police, Inspector Nihal Dharmadasa.

The policemen were on the offensive as we fought to defend ourselves. In the meelee, the Sam Brown Belt of Inspector Dharmadasa broke for which I was later charged in the Gampola Magistrate’s Court.

Court was told that it was first time in the history of the Police Department, a Sam Brown Belt had been broken or damaged. When the case was compounded, I was asked to pay Rs. 80 as compensation for the belt to the Police Fund.

Much later we understood that Wijesundere had been abusive towards Inspector Dharmadasa. Unable to control his temper, Dharmadasa had been prompted by nature to slap Wijesundere.

Later, we apologised to Dharmadasa in open court. To be fair by Inspector Nihal Dharmadasa, he appeared to be a very polite police officer who later rose to the position of Senior Superintendent of Police.

Immediately after the encounter with the policemen, we proceeded to the venue as there was only fifteen minutes left for the arrival of the Chief Guest, President J.R. Jayewardene. While a posse of policemen deployed at the scene kept more vigil on the movements of Wijesundere, Rodrigo and me, President Jayewardene laid the foundation stone at the auspices time 3.43 p.m.

Manhandling

The occasion was followed by an address by President Jayewardene and Minister Gamini Dissanayake, Gampola District Minister W.M.P.B. Dissanayake too was present. After President Jayewardene left the venue around 5 p.m., I saw a group of policemen manhandling Wijesundere. He was bundled into a jeep and taken away.

After I alighted from the stage, the cops set upon me, one of them twisted my right hand, bundled me into a jeep, trampled me while being taken to the Kadadora Police Post where I saw an injured Wijesundere seated on the ground. Henry Rodrigo’s whereabouts were not known at that time. We later heard that he and Chandra Weerawardene had managed to escape to Colombo hiding under a seat in a vehicle.

After being detained for a few hours at the Kadadora Police Post, we were produced before the JMO, a lady doctor and taken to the official bungalow of Gampola Magistrate, TP Unamboowa. Despite the Police urging to remand us for two weeks stating investigations were incomplete, the Magistrate ordered that we be produced in court the day after.

The Magistrate told the Police that journalists had many engagements and they could not be remanded for a period of two weeks. Following the Magistrate’s order, we were driven to the Gampola Remand Prison and held in an 8x8 small cell with another suspect who had travelled ticketless in a train.

In the night men resembling the looks of cops in civvies arrived near the cell to threaten us. The Chief Jailor locked the cell. We asked for a telephone call to inform office. The Chief Jailor brought his telephone close to the cell and I informed my Deputy Editor, Gamini Weerakoon where we were and urged him to come to court to bail us out.

In court

Accordingly Gamini Weerakoon drove to Gampola in the early hours in his red colour Volkswagen car to bail us out each at Rs. 250 cash bail. On that day, both Wijesundere and I were brought to court handcuffed together paraded through the Gampola town in the busy hours of that morning for public view in a manner in which dangerous criminals were usually brought to court in the bygone era. Henry Rodrigo too surrendered to court, remanded for two days and released on bail.

Released on bail, both Wijesundere and I arrived in Colombo. Wijesundere was hospitalised at the Cooperative Hospital, Kotahena. I suffered a dislocation of the bone on my right hand which was fiercely twisted by a policeman. The Media-Police clash hit headlines in the national press.

It was the topic of discussion at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, March 23, 1983. President J.R. Jayewardene told his ministers that he would personally go into the matter to find out the truth. Cabinet spokesman, Anandatissa De Alwis assured a full and fair inquiry into the incident. The Police charged us for attempted murder, assault and obstruction of their duty.

Before the commencement of the weekly cabinet press briefing, Minister De Alwis called me to his office and saw my right hand swollen , I told him what happened at Gampola in detail. At the press briefing he expressed regret over the manner the police had treated us and stated he would personally direct to treat my wounded hand.

A newspaper report in ‘The Island’ on March 24, 1983 written by BC Perera stated - “State Minister Anandatissa De Alwis yesterday showed concern about an injury sustained by ‘The Island’ Reporter. Prasad Gunewardene in Sunday’s incident involving the police and pressmen at Gampola and instructed his Private Secretary to take Prasad Gunewardene to the Chief Priest of the Kotte Rajamahaviharaya for urgent treatment.

The minister who met Gunewardene just before the Cabinet briefing saw that one of Gunewardene’s hands had apparently suffered a dislocation of the bone as a result of being twisted in Sunday’s Police incident. The monk is a specialist in the treatment of fractures and dislocations of bones and ligaments.

Proposal

At the cabinet press briefing, the then Deputy Editor of ‘The Island’ Gamini Weerakoon who later became editor for many long years, complained to Minister De Alwis about the cruel and inhuman treatment afforded to us by the police and raised the following questions;

Weerakoon: Mr. Minister, our men have been brutally assaulted. It is sad the police has taken the law into their hands to charge them for attempted murder, assault and obstruction of duty. Then what about the obstruction of duty of the journalists invited by the Minister of Mahaweli on that occasion? What guarantee could you give them at future assignments?

Minister De Alwis: Gamini, I will explore ways to ensure the safety of all journalists in the future.

Weerakoon: Why don’t you introduce a Media Accreditation Card under the signature of a responsible officer under you to enable journalists to execute their duties without let or hindrance?

Minister De Alwis: It’s a good suggestion. Will it work Gamini?

Weerakoon: If you introduce it with authority, I feel it will work

Minister De Alwis: Yes Gamini, the proposition is worthwhile as you say because pressmen could have an identity and an authorization by the Government.

Weerakoon: Why don’t you speed up the process to prevent such ugly incidents in the future?

Minister De Alwis: Yes (turning to his Secretary, Dr. Sarath Amunugama) Sarath instruct Manel (Manel Abayaratne-then Director of Government Information) to get this Media Accreditation Card out at the earliest.

Weerakoon: Thank You Mr. De Alwis, let it happen early...

Accordingly, Editors were instructed to submit the names of all journalists to the Director Information and the Media Accreditation Cards were issued within weeks. It was Gamini Weerakoon’s suggestion that realised to the issuance of the Media Accreditation Card following our clash with the Police at Gampola. This is how the Media Accreditation Card came into being twenty five years ago.