28 March, 2024

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Attacking The Media In Filth, Then Cracking Down On ‘Filthy’ Media

By Indi Samarajiva –

Indi Samarajiva

All too often, this is how the government play goes. Someone, usually a Rajapaksa, says something ridiculous. In this case, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa called a journalist a ‘pig who eats shit’ and said ‘people will kill you’, all over a puppy story. I know. Then, rather than dialing down on the issue, in this case media freedom, the government dials up the crazy, this time by imposing an onerous tax on online media.

Basically, before the media and ordinary citizens are finished being offended by what Gotabhaya said, the Media Minister is asking online media to pay Rs. 100,000 to prevent ‘raw filth’. It’s mind boggling because this is what the Defense Secretary was speaking, including threats to violence, which should be taken seriously cause the last Editor of the Sunday Leader was killed. Literally, if Frederica Jansz was sitting in her usual office, she was at the same desk that Lasantha Wickremetunge was at before he was killed in the streets.

And then the government turns around and imposes an onerous and chilling tax on online news, because they’re purveying raw filth. Does the government want a monopoly on that?

Far too often, the reaction to a government embarrassment is to double down on stupid by making it policy. In this case, a leader threatens a journalist in raw filth, and the government starts cracking down on online media right after. It’s adding injury to insult, and the injury is to the right of speech held by you and me.

Courtesy  http://indi.ca/

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Latest comments

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    I agree with the writer. This is indeed adding insult to injury, and the injury is to freedom of speech, the media, and the truth prevailing. The present regime is doing it’s utmost to gag anyone who dares to speak out, by threatening, insulting, and intimidating. Those white vans are also a useful tool in their quest to do so.
    The Sinhala and Tamil media should also be offended and outraged about this, and show their disapproval to this attempt to stifle the media. They have been noticeably quiet and one wonders if this is because of fear, disinterest, or loyalties. There is absolutely no democracy anymore in the country. The people of Sri Lanka are supposed to bow down to the Rajapaksa’s, hear no evil, see no evil, and certainly not speak of their evil.

    • 0
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      Quite right. Right to Information Bill is a Must and the stupid UNP needs to start a campaign on this, and call for resignation of
      1. Gota the Goon and war criminal (needs no further elaboration)
      2. Marvyn Silva the Goon (Need no further elaboraton)
      3. Bandualla Gunawardene the lying clown who is minister of ed
      4. SB Dissaniyake who cannot speak two sentences in English and militarizing the academia.
      5. Nivard Cabraal the swiss bank hora swindler accountant running the Central Bank, who gets weakly facials and is looting Lanka.
      6. Namal the corrupt, drag racing sports advertising wanna be/ has been putha.
      7. Mr 10 percent and tourism business (needs no further elaboraton)
      Feel free to add to this list!.

      • 0
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        forgot to add to the list of those who MUST GO:
        8. Weerawansa – the racist with the permed hair who has 30 cars and cannot speak English
        9. Pathala Champaka the totally incompetent racist wrapped in the Buddhist flag who is also mortarging the country since he knows nothing about the policy making process
        10. mahinda rajapakse the Czar of all rotting institutions in Lanka!

  • 0
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    Don’t try to fish in mudy water

  • 0
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    What is good for the goose is not good for the gander in this country
    We all have to take it even they piss on our face.

    Media Minister takes the cake.
    This is the result of the weak media, They made them heroes.
    Media has to take the responsibility with out being cry babies.

    Media let down the public.Now its too late.

    Media convicted Gen. Fonseka.You never highlighted the bribery,corruption
    and womanizing by higher ups.Cops arrested consenting adults if they found in a hotel room calling the females a prostitutes.
    Media has become a bunch of losers of stooges of Politicians.

  • 0
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    Media, You cooked your goose ,now you can eat it.
    Its too late now.You let down the public by making some
    third rate politicians heroes.You also told them YES SIR <NO SIR <
    THREE BAGS FULL
    Shame on you.

  • 0
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    I like give the benefit of the doubt to Gota, and I agree, the media in Sri Lanka has a long way to go before becoming responsible. The masses who depend on media for their sole information are sandwiched between the pro and anti media, except in my opinion there is on independent newspaper for the entire country: that is the island.

    I think this is the first step in the right direction, next Lake House must be set free of any political subsitition, and may be Rupervahini too.

    • 0
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      What a load of Rubbish. The Island is definitely not independent

    • 0
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      distance:
      The Island is an independent paper? Are you out of your mind? Don’t you read Shamindra Ferdinando who is, in fact, the half-educated equivalent of Keheliya who is TOTALLY uneducated?
      The brother of one of Mahinda Rajapapaksa’s senior ministers OWNS The Island, in case you didn’t know.
      Better to shut up and let people think you are stupid than to open your mouth and confirm the fact, my friend!

  • 0
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    I like give the benefit of the doubt to Gota, and I agree, the media in Sri Lanka has a long way to go before becoming responsible. The masses who depend on media for their sole information are sandwiched between the pro and anti media, except in my opinion there is one independent newspaper for the entire country: that is the island newspaper, I would say the weekly edition.

    I think this is the first step in the right direction, next Lake House must be set free of any political subsitition, and may be Rupervahini too.

  • 0
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    All these unique perspectives on current issues in Sri Lanka are great but they are not reaching the vast majority of the people. If people must truly digest the real situation in Sri Lanka every article written in English should be accompanied with a translation in Sinhala; and hopefully, the ability for rural populous to access those articles with ease.

    Unless effective ways and means to spread alternative views can be found, government propaganda through government media will continue to form the opinions. That is why majority of the people think that everything is going great with lots of roads and carnivals. Bet Rajapaksas would rather have people think that Sri Lanka is a constant Rio-Carnival (sans sexy ladies, of course).

  • 0
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    I feel sorry for the people of Sri Lanka. It won’t be any better than Middle Eastern countries. Hope it will not end up fighting for lost freedom one day with many deaths of innocent people.

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    Sri Lanka must be the only country in this planet that is considered shit/eating/pig, as filth. What do you call the real filth what we use in Sri Lanka?

  • 0
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    We have more important news than published “Bringing Puppy Dog story”. We do not have to have Secretary Position to bring Puppy dogs to Srilanka. These Journalists try to aggravate Gota and get some more funding for news agency. I agree with those who response in earlier post, Srilankan Journalist never help public, what they did all those years, wrote filth and never help to unite and prosperity of Srilanka. So now you pigs could eat more sh… . Great job Gota, treat the Pigs with their own language

    • 0
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      Except you all others seem to have realized it.

      By her interview ONLY many got to know deep the state assets have been abused by the govt officers incl. MR himself.

      More of your sort can only help them strengthening their dicatarian governance.

      Let alone, at this juncture, you need to grasp it. Tomorrw will be too late

      • 0
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        Samson:
        Once you learn to speak and write basic English, perhaps someone can arrange for a lobotomy for you so that you might (technically, at least) claim to have a brain.

  • 0
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    No terrorism or dictatorships will ever succeed in Sri Lanka. The history has shown it many times. The more suppress the masses the more people will rise up and faster and quicker. It is peoples power with their freewill which will decide and guide Sri Lanka to it’s required destination. If anybody in the GOSL hierarchy understand this it will be good for them.

  • 0
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    Glad the writer has seen the light. it is merely 9 months ago that the writer and his dad was fully behind the regime whilst trying to capture power within the city of Colombo. why the change of heart has the Rajapakse regime not given you any responsibility. The current regimes dictatorial nature has not developed overnight.Principles over personalities any day.

    • 0
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      Hardy:
      The only light this writer – Indika Samarajiva – will see is the light illuminating his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! He is an unmitigated opportunist who now works for YET ANOTHER government-owned and controlled paper having slunk out of the Sunday Leader where he played fifth columnist for the longest time. He is on a par with Shamindra Ferdinando et al in the matter of writing grammatical sycophantic rubbish in support of this corrupt lot.

  • 0
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    U.S. Government imposes Internet control under Presidential Order – New York Time.

  • 0
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    What happened, Indi?

    Working for a newspaper owned by the Rajapaksas after being a Fifth Columnist/Agent Provocateur at The Sunday Leader didn’t quite work out? Have you pursued opportunities in the City of Light now that your guru/mentor seems to be quite firmly ensconced there? I’m sure that would pay infinitely better than working for Malinda Seneviratne!

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