Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) members met with President Mahinda Rajapakse today and handed over a letter seeking his intervention in relation to several matters of hardships faced by journalists, particularly Tamil journalists in Sri Lanka today, Jul 3.

The full text of the letter is as follows:

HARDSHIPS FACED BY JOURNALISTS

Firstly, we the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) would like to thank you for giving us the opportunity, in spite of your very busy schedule, to meet with you.

We the SLTMA seek your urgent intervention in relation to the hardships and difficulties faced by Journalists, especially Tamil journalists in Sri Lanka today.

Founded in 1997, the SLTMA is a non-political, professional based union for Tamil journalists, with a membership of approximately 300 members across the country. This organization aims to protect and improve the working conditions for its members as well as others involved in print and electronic media.

It is apparent that the pressures and the interferences on the media have increased in Sri Lanka. Particularly, in the war torn areas of the North and East and Colombo, many journalists have stopped reporting and dozens of them have fled the country due to increasing fear of their safety. This factor causes a negative effect on journalistic integrity, in which the truth becomes a casualty, and therefore critical journalism is hindered.

Generally, the Tamil journalists have been a target; however threats, murders, abductions and assaults are not confined only to Tamil journalists.

There are several instances of journalists being killed, arrested, attacked, abducted and receiving death threats. No investigation has been completed on the journalists killed in the last 10 years and perpetrators have never been brought to justice.

We are very concerned about the prolonged detention of the Sunday Times Columnist and news website editor of outreachsl.com, J.S. Tissainayagam, and printer and manager of the outreachsl.com Jaseharan and his partner Valarmathi, since 7th March 2008 without being charged. Hence, we earnestly request you to look into this matter immediately, and take appropriate action according to procedures.

The deteriorating situation of the freedom of expression, negatively impacts on the independent sources of information, resulting in damaging the free flow of information.

We humbly request your good self to intervene immediately, in to the destructive situation of the media, and take constructive measures to prevent these incidents, and we also very much appreciate the appointment of a Ministerial Committee on Journalist’s grievances and the SLTMA believes that this Committee will do its best to address the problems faced by the journalists in Sri Lanka.

We also regret to bring to your kind attention that we have not received any reply to the request made by the five media organizations to meet your Excellency to discuss the problems faced by the journalists.

The SLTMA takes this opportunity once again to request you to take notice to the request made by the five media organizations on the 6th of September 2007 on the proposed National Media Policy. (Please see the Annexure). We would like to urge you to immediately implement the recommendations made in the proposal, which will create a proper environment so that a free, responsible and vibrant media that will serve the people will flourish in Sri Lanka.

We the SLTMA firmly believe that your Excellency will take immediate care of these concerns.

Thanking you

Yours truly

R. Bharati R. Sivarajah

President Secretary
______________________
Statement by Nine Media Organizations on the proposed National Media Policy

We, the undersigned Organizations, welcome the government’s recently announced initiative to establish the enabling structures and a culture for media freedom and social responsibility.
It is our collective opinion that the responsibility of the State is to ensure an environment where the freedom of expression is guaranteed. In order to achieve this we feel it is the duty of the State to create the proper legal framework that guarantees these rights and also safeguards the people’s right to information.1
For its part, the Media should be bound by Codes of Practice which will ensure ethical and professional conduct of all media practitioners. These Codes are best formulated and agreed upon by Media Practitioners themselves. Regional and International experience has taught us that these Codes are best practiced when they are self-regulated.

Attempts by governments to impose ethical guidelines on the media in a democratic State go against international practice and the very spirit of the freedom of expression. We, the undersigned will strongly oppose such attempts to bring in guidelines which are backed by punitive laws, under any pretext.

This is also the time to reiterate that we oppose the imposition of strictures on the media through the Regulation Emergency (Prevention and Prohibition of Terrorism and specified Terrorist Activities) Regulations No. 07 issued on the 6th of December 2006.

In the past decade or so there has been an impressive body of work done in Sri Lanka recommending positive changes to the overall media landscape. We call upon the government to refer to recommendations contained in these reports.

Some of the documents containing these recommendations are as follows:

1.The R.K.W. Gunasekara report on media law reform in Sri Lanka (1995)

2.The Sidath Sri Nandalochana Committee on broad basing ANCL

3.The Colombo Declaration on Media Freedom and Social Responsibility of 1998 signed by the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka, the Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka and the Free Media Movement.

4.The media charter of 2005 of SLWJA, FMM. FMETU, SLTMA. SLMMF.

Therefore, we propose to the government that it should immediately implement the following to create the proper environment so that a free, responsible and vibrant media that will serve the people will flourish in Sri Lanka:

1.Enact the proposed Right to Information Bill which has been approved by Cabinet and drafted in consultation with the Media.

2.Amend the existing laws to transform the state owned electronic media: Rupavahini, SLBC, ITN and Lakhanda into genuinely independent Public Service Broadcasters

3.Broad base the ownership of the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd., in accordance with the spirit with which it was vested in the State and ensures its editorial independence.

4.Revive the All Party Lakshman Kadirgamar Parliamentary Select Committee with a view to bringing in a Contempt of Court Act on the lines of a similar Law in the UK and India.

5.Amend the Parliamentary (Powers and Privileges) Act as asked for in the Colombo Declaration.

Free Media Movement
The Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka
The Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association
Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum
Federation of Media Employees Trade Union
Tamil Media Alliance
SAFMA Sri Lanka Chapter
Sri Lanka Press Institute

6th September 2007