Time to defend Nation's gains - SPUR

The Society for Peace Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka (SPUR) in a media release unreservedly condemns the killing of Lasantha Wickramatunga, Editor of the Sunday Leader Newspaper and the attack on the Maharaja Sirasa Television Station.

SPUR earnestly hopes that the Government will leave no stone unturned in apprehending the culprits and taking legal action to punish them using the full force of the law. We also urge the Government to take immediate steps to prevent further incidents of this nature or any other form of lawlessness which can only destabilise the country and tarnish its image in the eyes of the world.

"SPUR does not agree with the editorial lines taken by the Sunday Leader and Maharajah TV Stations in relation to the struggle of Sri Lankan nation to preserve its territorial integrity in the face of Tamil Tiger terrorism. We also feel that the political philosophies of these institutions were at odds with the aspirations of the majority of the Sri Lankan people. However, we do not in any way condone the attempts to silence the democratic right to express their opinion. The Sri Lankan people are more than capable of making their own conclusions based on the information available to them from a variety of sources.

"Sri Lanka's ongoing victorious drive against the LTTE is being accomplished by the tenacity of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his team, the heroism of the Defence Forces and the will of the Sri Lankan People. We therefore urge utmost vigilance by the Sri Lankan Government and all patriotic forces to prevent unscrupulous elements including LTTE fronts, local and international subversive forces or plain 'political goons' to create any social or political instability at a time when Sri Lanka is emerging victoriously from one of the dark phases of its history.

"At a time like this, SPUR strongly believes that the freedom of responsible expression can be used to further strengthen the country's democratic framework, the SPUR release adds.