Mervyn promises he will not harass journalists

Wednesday, 17 December 2008 15:57   
Labour Minister Mervyn Silva has given an undertaking to the Supreme Court that he will refrain from harassing or disrupting the duties of media personnel in the future.

His promise came today (Dec. 17th) when the SC took up a fundamental rights petition filed by a camera journalist of MTV Channel (Pvt.) Ltd.

The petitioner claimed the minister had prevented him from carrying out his duties at the opening of the Kelaniya flyover.

The SC also ordered the minister to pay Rs. 750,000 as compensation for the damaged camera equipment of the media institution.

Sri Lankan Minister Indicted on Charges of Assaulting Journalists

18 November 2008

SOURCE: International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Brussels

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomes an indictment
issued by the High Court in Colombo, Sri Lanka, against Labour Minister
Mervyn Silva and three others accused of alleged violence against
journalists.

However, the IFJ joins its affiliate, the Free Media Movement (FMM), in
calling for the Minister to be stood down from his position until the
conclusion of the case.

According to the FMM, Silva is indicted on nine counts of unlawful
assembly, mischief, robbery and assault involving Sirasa TV journalists at
Peliyagoda on August 4.

The others similarly accused are Dulan Hettiarachchi, Prasanna Ranaweera
and Nihal Chandrawansa (alias Manchi Nihal).

One charge relates to the alleged confiscation of videotapes from Sirasa TV
journalists Waruna Sampath and Saliya Ranawaka as they reported on a
community event.

The remaining charges concern allegations that the four stole money from
the journalists, damaged the journalists’ cameras and assaulted Sampath.

“The IFJ is pleased that the allegations against Mervyn Silva will be dealt
with through the legal system,” IFJ Asia-Pacific said.

“However, such serious charges against a Minister of the Government require
that he be stood down from his ministerial position while the case is being
dealt with by the courts.”

The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 120 countries worldwide.

SC allows media and rights groups to intervene against Mervyn

 

    
The Supreme Court today had allowed intervention by three media ( FMM, SLWJA.FMETU) and two rights groups ( CPA) in the FR case filed by a media station against Minister Mervin Silva. The case willbe taken up on 4th December 2008.

MTV files FR against Mervyn

  
By Susitha R. Fernando
MTV Channel, and one of its journalists who was allegedly attacked, have filed two fundamental rights applications in the Supreme Court against Minister Mervyn Silva and the IGP, claiming Rs. 110 millions as compensation.

MTV Channel (Pvt) Limited and MTV journalistJ. K. A. Waruna Sampath filed these applications citing Labour Relations and Manpower Minister Mervyn Silva, Peliyagoda Police SSP K. D. Somapala, The Inspector General of Police, Peliyagoda Police HQI Jagath Rohana and the Attorney General as respondents.

The petitioners complained that Mervyn Silva manhandled, assaulted and forcibly snatched two video cameras from media personnel attached to the television company who were present to cover the ceremonial opening of the second stage of the flyover bridge at Kelaniya on August 8, 2008, on an official government invitation.

They complained that the media personnel were subjected to cruel and degrading and inhuman treatment and their freedom of movement and freedom of expression were violated by the respondent.

The petitioners stated that, when they were at the scene to cover the ceremony, Mr. Silva had come there and told the MTV media personnel to leave the place. When they informed him that they had come at the invitation of the media secretary of the Minister of Road Development, their cameras had been snatched. When the media personnel protested Mr. Mervyn Silva had grabbed Waruna Sampath by his collar and asked for the cassettes.

This unlawful incident had taken place in the presence of senior law enforcing officials and, unfortunately, instead of providing security they had left the place despite the victimised media personnel pleading for help. Later, when the petitioner went to make a complaint to Peliyagoda  SSP D. Somapala, he had asked the media personnel why they had come to Kelaniya when Mervyn Silva had ordered them not to.

The petitioners also stated that President Mahinda Rajapaksa and several senior government ministers and other groups had condemned Mervyn Silva’s alleged conduct.

The petitioners complained that their fundamental right to freedom of expression had been infringed due to the attack by the minister and the failure of the police to enforce law and order.  They asked court to declare that intimidation by Mervyn Silva against the MTV journalist and his colleagues and his seizure of the cameras and cassettes were wrongful and illegal.      Journalist Waruna Sampath claimed Rs. 10 million as compensation while MTV asked for Rs. 100 million.

MTV files FR against Mervyn

IGP directed to arrest Mervyn

Monday, 18 August 2008 12:27 ( lanka dissent)  

Colombo Additional Magistrate Manjula Thilakaratne today (August 18th) ordered IGP Jayantha Wickremeratne to arrest Minister Mervyn Silva and three others immediately in connection with the Sirasa TV incident. The other suspects named are Kelaniya PS member Prasanna Ranaweera, Nihal Silva alias Munchee Nihal and Dulan Asiri.

The order came after the HQI of Peliyagoda informed the court that initial investigations revealed the four were connected to the incident.

Earlier, Colombo Additional Magistrate Manjula Tilakaratne warned Peliyagoda Police to confine their duty to investigate complaints.

He told the police not to assume judicial responsibilities and to pass judgment over the incident involving Minister Mervyn Silva and Sirasa TV and advised police to be impartial and to report matters to court.

IFJ Demands Sri Lankan President End Minister’s Anti-Media Campaign

 

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) demands immediate intervention by Sri Lanka’s President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, to order an end to Labour Minister Mervyn Silva’s anti-media campaign of interrogation and violence against Sirasa TV.

According to the Free Media Movement (FMM), an IFJ affiliate, Silva reportedly organised a protest by about 100 people outside the Sirasa TV station in Colombo on August 11 to call for a ban on the broadcaster.

Sirasa TV has consistently reported on a series of verbal and physical attacks by Silva against journalists, most notably a violent confrontation between the Minister and the news director of the state-run Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) in December 2007.

More recently, Silva assaulted Thushara Saliva Ranawaka, journalist, and Waruna Sampath, video cameraman, on August 4. As they reported on a bridge opening in Kelaniya, Silva’s verbal threats against them were recorded on a camera, which the Minister then reportedly confiscated.

The FMM reports that none of the numerous complaints against Silva filed with the Sri Lankan police have been investigated “in any meaningful manner”.

The IFJ said that Silva’s attacks on Sirasa TV are highly irresponsible, especially in an environment where Sirasa personnel have been confronting alarming risks and challenges from several quarters throughout 2008, including murder, death threats, harassment and intimidation, slander, and obstruction by local authorities.
 
“Silva’s openly malicious attitude toward the media and hate-inciting speech and behaviour is a gross disservice to the constitutionally guaranteed right to press freedom in Sri Lanka,” IFJ Asia-Pacific said.

“Any encouragement of violence against the media is irresponsible and potentially life-threatening for journalists in a country that has long been considered one of the most dangerous for the media profession.”

The IFJ joins the FMM in again calling on President Rajapaksa to demonstrate a commitment to uphold press freedom and protect the rights and safety of journalists in Sri Lanka by ensuring his appointed minister, Silva, ends immediately his violent campaign against Sirasa TV

Government Minister organises anti-media protest and calls for ban on TV station

 

 The Free Media Movement (FMM) notes that brutish Government Minister Mervyn Silva organized a protest against the MBC network’s Sirasa television station in Colombo on 11th August 2008. Around one hundred men, women and children were bussed in to the city centre from the Minister’s constituency of Kelaniya. The protest was given wide publicity by all State media justifying the allegations made by the Minister against the private media station in their commentary and reportage. 

 Amongst the Minister’s demands was a ban on the Sirasa TV station. Sirasa TV coverage has consistently covered this Minister’s violence against the media, most notably the attack against State owned TV broadcaster Rupavahini in December 2007. For this, the station has borne the brunt of the Minister’s wrath, with journalists repeatedly abused and violently attacked at public functions that it has covered with the Minister present.

 Supporters of the Minister at the orchestrated rally in Colombo shouted slogans that said they were the indomitable force of the President and alleged that the Sirasa television station is pro-LTTE.

This allegation has been repeatedly levelled against all critics of the Government and protest movements including trade unions, for a range of initiatives agitating for higher wages and human rights protection. Although several complaints have been made by Sirasa TV against the Minister, none of them have been investigated in any meaningful manner. 

 The FMM considers the disingenuous rally and spurious allegations by the Minister as a continuation of his attacks against independent journalists in Sri Lanka. We note that this Minister, his supporters and those of his ilk in government enjoy the spoils of unprecedented impunity coupled with the inability and unwillingness of the President, the government and the Police to reign them in. As it is very clear that the Minister enjoys presidential patronage, the FMM holds the President and his government and president responsible for actions.

The FMM appeals to all democratic forces and political parties to campaign for the removal of Minister Mervyn Silva from the cabinet and to demand that Police initiate impartial and speedy investigations into all attacks against journalists by him.

Cage Mervyn Silva, the stray dog’ – protestors

(Lanka Dissent, Friday, 08 August 2008 16:52)   
Political parties, trade unions and civil society organizations today (Aug. 08th) demanded the government immediately ‘caged Mervyn Silva, the stray dog who bites journalists.’

The call came at a protest organized in Colombo by the Five Media, where a large number of participants vehemently condemned the Labour Minister for his continuous attacks against the media.

In the most recent incident, he and his supporters attacked two camera crew of Sirasa TV and snatched their equipment at an official function four days ago.

Among the political leaders who participated in the demonstration were Sri Lanka Freedom Party Mahajana Wing’s Mangala Samaraweera, United Socialist Party’s Sirithunga Jayasuriya and Wickramabahu Karunaratne of the Democratic Left Front.

The United National Party’s General Secretary Tissa Attanayake and MPs Dayasiri Jayasekara, Sagala Ratnayake, Ravi Karunanayake, Lakshman Seneviratne, Jayalath Jayawardena and Johnston Fernando were also present.

Co-convener of the August Fourth Movement Saman Ratnapriya, Chairman of the Ceylon Teachers Union Joseph Stalin and Former Convener of the Free Media Movement Sunanda Deshapriya also participated in the protest.

Carrying placards and shouting slogans against Mervyn Silva, the demonstrators marched from Kollupitiya Junction to the Police barriers at Liberty Roundabout close to Temple Trees.

Speaking here, President of the Working Journalists Association Sanath Balasuriya and political leaders stressed that the thuggery being unleashed by the Labour Minister was not a personal action.

They accused that President Mahinda Rajapaksa was protecting the Labour Minister and using him to repress the media, trade unions and political opponents.

The speakers said that they fired the first salvo against this organized repression, and warned of stronger action if the present regime led by President Rajapaksa did not halt their acts of thuggery and violence against the people.

Why should Mervyn Silva be removed from the authority of power

 

The controversy over Minister Mervyn Silva which is now echoing in the country is not just a matter of media freedom. The minister’s undisciplined, uncivilized and violent behavior is a deep rooted problem connected to the protection of law and order and the civil society of this country. Hence the Prayathna Peoples Movement urges all professional organizations and other mass movements to come forward immediately to stop this menace.
The assault on the Sirasa journalists, Sampath Waruna and Saliya Ranawaka who were assigned to cover the state function of declaring open the second stage of over head bridge at Kelaniya and snatching their cameras forcibly by Minister Mervyn Silva and his goons creates a deep shock not only among the media fraternity, but also among civilized society of this country. Why this person is takes law in to his own hands in this manner? From which authority does he obtains this power? Why is that the Police who are vested with the responsibility of protecting law and order are unable to take direct action in this regard? There are a number of questions which have arisen again along with this incident for which no answers could be found.
There is no need to remind the long history of threats, intimidation, abuse and assault on the journalists of this country by Minister Mervyn Silva. But one thing is very clear. It can not be concealed that his mode of behavior is a part and parcel of the suppression of Media that is happening in this country. This situation is analyzed at length in the Media release by Prayathna Janatha Movement issued on 30th of May, this year. We have warned that the abduction and assaults on Mr. Keith Noyahr, the Associate Editor of  ‘The Nation’ and the indirect threat on life made by the Secretary, Defense on the President and Secretary of the Working Journalists Association who demonstrated against such abduction and assault, is a looming dark omen of a military rule. It is clear form the recent incident that a shadow of a cruel hand of a political mafia goon squad now supplements the shadow of a military rule to suppers not only the media, but also the entire civil society.
Minister Mervyn Silva behaves in the manner of a lunatic who has taken the law in to his own hands due to the fact that the rulers are unable to punish him even after the incident caused by him at the National Television. The reason so far given by the Police is that there is not enough evidence to take legal action on such incidents. But all the photographs, evidence and the photos of the suspected people are clearly made available on the reach incident. We have evidenced how cleverly our Police springs in to action on a common incident of crime. But the unenthusiastic and dampened way, the Police is taking action regarding on incident that happened in front of thousands of people and viewed by lacks of people throughout the country over the T.V. will be quite adequate for the people to lose faith on the institutions that protect the law and order of our country. In fact, it is not a problem regarding a person, Minister Mervyn Silva. It is a problem regarding the government to which be belongs, and a problem regarding the integrity, will and the ability of the leaders of that government for good governance.
This violent behavior of Mervyn Silva and the stubborn silence of the government indicates to us that Mervyn is trying to protect the social – political gains and profits which he receives from the present government. Then the citizens of this country may have to think what these gains and profits are.
If the responsible authorities are not taking proper action to tame this person, there is only one action left for the people of this county. That is to seek the assistance of courts to protect their rights as enshrined in the Constitution. If the Police is not prepared to constitute legal action against Minister Mervyn Silva, the people have the right to go to courts with all these evidence. We earnestly appeal to civil society organization of the country to immediately mediate in this matter and educate the people. Just issuing a statement condemning an incident, when such incident happens will not serve the purpose. At this juncture the civil society organization of this country should understand the threats and challenges that they are faced with. The Prayathna Janatha Movement which is very concerned over this incident assures the people that they will be quite awake and attentive continuously regarding the steps to be taken in the future.  

 

Kelly Senanayake
General Secretary
Prayathna Peoples Movement