The BBC has officially banned Azzam Ameen from conducting political interviews or attending press conferences, Colombo Telegraph learns.
Azzam Ameen
Ameen, who has built a considerable reputation for being a fearless and probing journalist who was also recently adjudged the most popular journalist in social media, has been informed by his superiors that he will not be allowed to do political interviews or attend press conferences.
While reasons have not been given, sources say that the move is possibly related to a recent story filed by Ameen that forced President Maithripala Sirisena to stop the appointment of a controversial figure as Anuruddha Polgampola as the Timber Corporation Chairman.
Sources add, that BBC Sinhala‘s chief Sangeeth Kalubowila, is a close friend of Dharmasiri Bandara Ekanayake, the Senior media Director to the President at President’s Office and both of them earlier worked together at thee media organisation MTV (Sirasa).
“Issue is that. They are trying to control even international media through their links,” sources told Colombo Telegraph.
To read related posts on BBC Sinhala click here
SinhalaMan / August 22, 2018
Can BBC Sinhala not get a Sinhala journalist instead of a Muslim boy?
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Tungsan Yu / August 22, 2018
Sinhala man thats a really stupid question and shows yr bias. A bias which is screwing up this country big time.
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Buramphisincho / August 23, 2018
The days that our people thought that we are the ones to be treated above while Minotirites should not be treated with the same spoon… should be changed.
If ONES living in UK would react going to choose English man to their jobs, not many would be there to do the job.
Wethough cant compare the situations but most sinhalayas even today are not tolerant enough to treat their fellow muslim and tamil brothers equally.
What matters is the langague.. no matter you are black, white, sinhala, tamil, muslim, plantain tamil, weddas or burghers.. this mentality change can take even longer.
That si the reason why Dr Dewasiri from Cmbo UNI reiterates,our peole need more time to sense it.
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Sinhala_Man / August 23, 2018
Dear SinhalaMan,
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I think that you have already broken the record for the highest number of Red Thumbs Down Dislikes on Colombo Telegraph. You got one from me, too. Actually, Tungsan Yu, may already have got his own record – of likes, although numerically way less than you.
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You are probably an adult male Sinhalese.Therefore, nobody will be able to deny you the use of the handle in question. After all, what I see is that nine readers have actually liked your comment, but then 140 have disliked it.
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Early this morning, I found that a guy named “Burt” who has always been saying nice things to me, “scolded” me for your comment.
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So, I’m making this polite request of you: identify yourself as a Sinhalese Adult Male if you must, but please don’t use a handle that so closely resembles mine. You can thereafter troll to (evil) your heart’s content.
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Sincerely,
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Panini Edirisinhe
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Manel Fonseka / August 25, 2018
Panini, I am relieved to see that the comment was not yours after all.
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Manel Fonseka / August 25, 2018
Of course I should have realised you wouldn’t have held such a view. I am coming to Colombo Telegraph after many months and I reacted very quickly without thinking carefully.
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Sinhala_Man / August 25, 2018
Welcome back!
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A few more Manels would do us a world of good.
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Grusha Andrews / August 22, 2018
Sri, I condemn your statement. Sinhala is not just a race. It’s a salient part of Sri Lankan culture, one of the official languages of the nation. One must salute a Muslim man for knowing this language and articulating so fearlessly and eloquently. We are the national sum total of the potential and limitations of all our people, all our languages, all our experiences, expectations, joys, tears and our fears. BBC should employ a competent citizen from our nation made of Sinhala, Muslim, Tamil, Malay or Burgher.
Kindly consider not spreading racism.
Thank you
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Sinhala_Man / August 22, 2018
Dear Grusha Andrews,
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I get the feeling that all those condemning SinhalaMan’s comment appear to have sensed that it hasn’t been me doing a volte face.
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It is gratifying to note that CT readers have good judgement. My other comment was made earlier than this one.
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Uthungan / August 22, 2018
Sinhala Man
“I get the feeling that all those condemning Sinhala Man’s commment appear to have sensed that it hasn’t been me doing a volte face”.
Then do you believe that it is only up to the CT moderator to clear the doubt and expose the fake one?
If so, what are you going do about it?
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Sinhala_Man / August 23, 2018
Dear Uthungan,
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I don’t think that anything can be done about it. No, I don’t think that CT can do anything about this, either. People will have to identify me by my Gravitar, and the fact that I regularly use the underscore (actually it comes on automatically on my devices).
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This happened once before when I wrote some articles about S. Thomas’. An Old Boy (identity still not known) wrote in as Old Codger (done quite innocently, I’m sure). Our regular “old codger” wrote protesting, and the “new” guy responded (not too rudely) and began calling himself “Old codger Redux”. I can’t remember whether they got distinguished by Capital Letters. Those were both decent guys; we have to see what “SinhalaMan” does in future. We can hardly prosecute him as a “fake”!
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It was sensing that nothing can be done about this that I made my earlier comment that appears below this. For some time now I’ve been fussing about how some people making comments about issues in Jaffna do so without revealing identity.
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Another reminder of how fragile “Democracy” is.
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Radical Ideas / August 23, 2018
Thank God…. I knew it was not you. Sinhala_Man, to my knowledge, is principled, senditive and thoughtful individual who tries to keep the balance to his best abilities when commenting…… to the other commentor, please use a unique name and be mindful to respect the choice of the others when keeping a name in this forum….
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Sinhala_Man / August 24, 2018
Thanks, Radical Ideas,
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Your comment has made my day.
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Why on earth doesn’t SinhalaMan say something? We’ve had only that one quixotic question from him.
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Can CT kindly inform us if the “Disapprovals” given to my poor namesake constitute a record for the site?
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Radical Ideas / August 26, 2018
I made a typo… it is Sensitive instead of Senditive………..
Sinhala_Man, we are with you…
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Simon De Silva / August 23, 2018
My beloved SINHALA MAN
I would rather like to call me ” srilanken man”
I HAVE NO IDEA IF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE FOLLOWING COMMON PARLANCE
Baluwalige Unupuruke Dammath Aeda Arinda Bahae waage – dog s tail would no tbe straightened evenf if that would have been kept in a bamboo sheath.
They need more awarness programs to feel themselves as srilankens.
Likewise, there are significant numbers among us sinhalayas that would not want to learn to tolerate our minorities. Each time visiting the country, I get hurt even my lovely ones being that against their own muslim srilankana. Their argument is I am wrong to say, that muslims are also part of the country. One middle aged lady who is used to observe sil for every poya, adds me, those muslims only want to breed themselves only. The other said, sinhalaya would not make children but muslims would do it round the clock so that the would be the majority inthis country in few decades now.
For me, not because I have been living on the west, no matter they are muslims, sinhala, tamils, burgher or others, so long they are srilankens. That is how I consider it.
God bless to Srilanka !
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Sinhala_Man / August 23, 2018
Well said, Simon.
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Please note the under score in my handle, and the colour of my gravitar.
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I’m sure that most of our people think as I do, and not like this excuse for a human being. The red and the green icons prove it.
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I never thought that I’d have to be so nasty to a fellow human being; ah, but then the question arises whether this scoundrel should be considered a human being at all. Come to think of it, he hasn’t re-appeared to defend his original observation.
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Please disappear for ever.
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“Swans talk before they die; ’twere no bad thing
If certain persons died before they talked”
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That was Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
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Simon De Silva / August 24, 2018
Hi Sinhala_Man,
I will be travelling to the coutnry in Sep. Shall we meet for a tea ? i AM AFRAID i dont have good old friends in SL to meet up.. so I may have lot more time to hang on with my travels across the country apart from my own program that would restrict to 4 days down there.
I usually pick up my own info each time travelling to the country. I talk to Tuk tuk driver to Uni prof to collect my bits. I love talking to various walks of people.I meet up down there. I am not a journalist, but I need to know what they think is right. Why most seem to spread lies, while others stay mum. I simply dont trust news being published on tabloid and TV channels these days.
I only know Lanken Media Mudalalis are servile to former goons. Just imagine how many adverts are published on Lankadeepa alone. Most of them are just gossips. They dont bring good articles that help changing the malcious mind set of the average.
And that is the reason even if some medical drugs and their prices have been reduced but no praises are read on the news tabloid. Instead they the abusive media senders go after ONLY bank scam… Is bank scam only issue that occured duirn gthe last 3 years in this country.
Today, I see some positive changes – not many seem talking even them.
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Sinhala_Man / August 25, 2018
Thanks, Simon.
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I wonder if you know how to contact me when in Sri Lanka, or even before?
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I do, occasionally, put down my name (as here) and even my email, since I don’t want to hide behind a cloak of anonymity.
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However, it’ll become a joke if I do it too often.
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Bambarapaetikki / August 23, 2018
Grisha,
Please just study the comments being added to some day today videos on YOU TUBE.
Most of lankens (70%) would add their two cts worth, supporting to SINHALA only. Ridiculoulsy they cant even add their thought in decent sinhala.
I believe the wounds are even more festated than we some are forced to think. They only feel that we the sinhalayas should be PUT above altar… no matter miniroties were born to this nation. Even after 30 years of brutal war, they still believe so.
There are media men that promote the kind of thoughts, we the srilankens… sinhalaese bla bla.
We dont have national policies to stand against racism.
Just because former President worked for Reconcilation, was branded as SHE is a bitch bla bla.. using all high abusive sinhala derogatory. Some of them are robe wearing monks that live on the food of the donors.
These extremists should be trained to behave first before providing them anything else.
How to become a good citizen should be taught to them. Kindness is far from their behavours.
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Steve / August 22, 2018
Isn’t he Sri Lankan ?
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Babansincho / August 23, 2018
Was Mr Kadirgamr not Srilanken ? i THINK he is the greatest politcian we have in the recent years in the country. Had not he been there, nothing like TERROR elemination would ahve been the reality.
But larger portion of extremists inbedded in this coutnry would never allow minorities to be treated equally. That is the jealousy and malice they are inherited with. sOME TIME this has nothing to do with them being sinhalaya. Just some people feel they are superior… by being fed with wrongful information. They believe they are superior. But I as sinhalaya know we are no better to other folks.
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aliya / August 24, 2018
Steve,
Sinhala is someone who is above Sri Lankans.
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NoClue / August 22, 2018
Maybe they could not find one smart enough…
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Amarasiri / August 22, 2018
SinhalaMan,
“Can BBC Sinhala not get a Sinhala journalist instead of a Muslim boy?”
Generally Sinhala Journalists can be bought, and those who cannot be bought have fled or killed. Now they are left with Muslim boys, because the Sinhala boys are all recruited as Samaneras, and busy serving Senior Monks. at the Temples.
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Babalathappu / August 22, 2018
Sihalaman@
what matter is not the race but the langague. We have sinhala speaking muslim brothers scattered across the country. So what is the purpose of you guys to raise the kind of questions.
Next time ask better to bring with DNA tests if you really want to see the patterns in there than raising so silly questions.
I have no doubt, you should have been fed with pork milk no mean human milk.
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Sinhala_Man / August 22, 2018
How well he does his reporting is the question.
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Welcome, SinhalaMan. I’ve been calling myself Sinhala_Man for about four years now. Nice to have company. I note that you have a brown Gravatar, while mine is Red.
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Bunjikirilli / August 23, 2018
“How well he does his reporting is the question.”
His questions had often been fearless. But he has never been able to raise them to former President ?
That means even the best performer Journaslist failed to CONTACT former RASCAL president yet even if 3.5 years gone with the current government.
No doubt he has raised all the due questions in an interview for exmaple from that bed pan style mouth piece bearer -Bandula Gunawardhana, as nothing could help him becoming offended.
Question to Mr Gunawardhana was – you did say, that MR so called regime DID NOT sell any of lanken lands to China. But we have the document Sangrilla to have been sold out .. some acres in colombo. This govt only got that converted into a lease.
Answer: Bandula GUnawardhana had to defend himsself saying the land was sold out by MR regime was not the land already exsiting, but the land being built in the sea. Then he never stopped questioning further, that the waters too belong to srilnaka and there, minister could not see any good answers, but had to eat tonnes of nails at the very moment.
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Sinhala_Man / August 25, 2018
The above comment was my initial response to the “SinhalaMan” racist comment. No other comments had been displayed when I “sent this message” to the guy. What I’m now saying is in part a response to “Uthungan”. He had asked what I intended doing about it. My response is that there is precious little that we can dramatically do to counter evil.
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Colombo Telegraph could insist that all those who want to comment should register beforehand, and enter a password before being allowed to comment, or even vote on a comment, with the website keeping a record of voting so as to prevent multiple voting. Don’t we all have to remember far too many passwords as it is? Also, it may increase the cost of running the site. That money has to come from somewhere. I think that it mus be mostly from advertisers; sooner or later the website then gets beholden to advertisers.
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We also have the problem of anonymous commenters, who actually use many different handles. Towards the end of the comments currently seen on this article, Punchi Point argues that even I ought not to be using this particular handle. There are currently many other comments made by me to disavow myself from that initial racist comment. Chronologically, they are later than this. In the fourth comment, as currently displayed, I have given my real name. If you google that you will find articles by me, which display my photograph as well. That solution may not be practicable for everybody.
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So, no real solution to all the problems created by ourselves!
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Mallaiyuran / August 22, 2018
BBC has Sinhala Service, English Service and Tamil service. There is no Muslim service by BBC. That is why the Sinhala Buddhist are firing this Muslim. Rishard has to take this to cabinet and President.
Can BBC Tamil service give chance to this Muslim?
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Uthungan / August 23, 2018
I think there is an Arabic service conduced by the BBC. But here is no Muslim service because Muslims in different countries of the Muslim world speak different languages.
eg.Pakistanis Urudu,Bangaladeshi Bengali, Malaysians & Indonesians,Malay etc. etc.
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Sinhala_Man / August 24, 2018
Dear Mallaiyuran,
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Is there anything that makes you feel that Mr Azzam Ameen knows Tamil well enough to speak on the BBC Tamil Service?
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The thought has just struck me that since he interacts with the BBC so much, he knows English as well. Do we have here then, a possible future President of Sri Lanka? After all, if Barak Hussein Obama became POTUS, (and did a fine job, for all that the lunatic Donald Trump tries to say otherwise) why can’t Azzam Ameen become our President? He seems to be pretty handsome, but by the same token, he also appears too young for 2020. Why not for 2030?
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Actually, by then, the country as a whole may have matured enough to have become a meritocracy, instead of being today’s kakistocracy; but my vote may not get to him: by then I should be pushing up the daisies.
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Real Siva Sankaran Sharma / August 24, 2018
BBC. has language services and not ethnic or religious services. Being Muslim is a religious identity and not a language or ethnic identity. Muslims belong to many language/ethnic/racial groups. Only in Sri Lanka has a religion been made to an ethnic identity by the majority Sinhalese and crooked selfish power hungry Muslim politicians and elite, to deliberately divide and weaken the island’s Tamil population . To justify this artificial identity based on religion , they constantly refer to an imagined Arab/Moor origin for the island’s Muslims, which everyone knows is a blatant lie. A distant male Arab or other western Asian ancestor amongst a few hundred Muslim families does not make them Arabs Moors or anything else. They are still Dravidian Tamils whose religion is Muslim. The Sinhalese rulers and their Muslim hangers on have successfully used this artificial division of the island’s Tamils to rule create chaos hatred amongst the island’s Muslim Tamils and non Muslim Tamils, especially in the strategic east. Divide and rule and finally conquer the ancient Tamil east, for the Sinhalese Buddhist Fascists. Having said this , if this person is very fluent and Sinhalese , he has every right and qualification to work in the Sinhalese service. It is language fluency and not ethnicity that is required. Look at the BBC English services , to see the amount of non white British origin broadcasters. In fact there are two broadcasters of Sri Lankan Tamil origin who are quite famous. George Alagiah and James Coomaraswamy.
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Arivullawan / August 25, 2018
Sharma we all know you are a racist bigot. Most Moors never identify themselves as Arabs. The two are different. Moors mainly were indigenous to North Africa and and a few from Spain. That’s what make Moors different from Arabs. Learn history before farting through your mouth. Looks like your blood boils to see local Muslims not identifying with South Indian or Jaffna Thamilians. Thank God they don’t because the Sri Lanka Muslims are not racist like you or LTTE terrorist sympathizer like you.
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Real Siva Sankaran Sharma / August 26, 2018
Only thing pathetic and sad , is you and the rest of the largely low caste converted Dravidian Muslim Tamil immigrants from South India. Especially their so called cunning, power hungry, selfish lying politicians and elite, constantly denying their actual Dravidian Tamil immigrant origin from South India and pathetically and desperately claiming an Arab origin from the Gulf or now a Moorish origin from North Africa. This despite all the solid evidence, including DNA proving you are Dravidians from South India and the so called Arab/Moor element in your genetic makeup, is negligible and not worth mentioning. Definitely you are not descended from the Jaffna Tamils or other indigenous Sri Lankan Tamil groups and we have never claimed, that you lying opportunistic low caste Dravidian converts from South India as part of us. We do not want to Yuk.
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Real Siva Sankaran Sharma / August 26, 2018
contd: For you information there is no history of Moors from North Africa ever travelling to any part of South Asia including Sri Lanka. Arabs have but not Moors. Get your facts correct pathetic. You are deliberately and pathetically clinging on to an incorrect term given by the Portuguese to all South Asian Muslims ” Moors” . The only Muslims the Portuguese prior to their travels encountered , were the Moors who originated from North Africa and ruled the Iberian peninsular for almost a 1000 years . These people were chased out of the Iberian peninsular around the same time the Portuguese arrived here. When they called all South Asian Muslims ” Moors” it was a religious identity and had nothing to do with race/origin and ethnicity understood and it was not a form of endearment but an insult and scorn. Understood All other South Asian Muslim groups immediately discarded this name ” Moor” as they were not ethnically Moors but South Asians. Dravidian . Indo Aryan or others. They also knew that the Portuguese used this term ” Moor” to describe Muslims in a very derogative and scornful way . This is why they started to persecute Muslims wherever they ruled, including along the western coast of Sri Lanka. Only the pathetic South Indian origin Dravidian, largely low caste converted Tamil Muslims of Sri Lanka pathetically jumped on this derogative term used by the Portuguese for any Muslim ” Moor” and started to call themselves as Moors and claim a Moor/Arab origin, to hide their actual largely low caste converted Dravidian Tamil origin from South India. Every other Muslim group from Africa to Asia discarded this. Look at the face of this BBC reporter and all other Muslim columnists here, do any of them look like Arabs or Moors. They look typically Dravidian and South India that they really are. Stating the obvious truth is not racism but denying your actual origin and pathetically claiming some other origin to make you look good in your sad, sad mind is racism. What has LTTE got to do with stating the real origin of Sri Lankan Muslims. Then I can call you an Arab/Moor worshipping Salafist and Isis supporter. Sinhalese and Muslims have this habit of trying to call any Tamil stating the truth , fighting for just Tamil rights or stating anything they do not like about their racist behaviour , ” LTTE Supporter” ” Tiger” thinking that they can shut them up. You can call me anything you like you fake Arab/Moor immigrant Dravidian Tamil Muslim from South India , it is not going to shut me up.
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Rohan / August 26, 2018
Now North African origin instead of Arab origin, as the Arab origin myth has been debunked, even by the Arabs. What happens when the North African Moor origin is also debunked, as it will be soon? Iranian? Pakistani? North Indian? Give me a break. How pathetic. Will go to any lengths to deny their actual Dravidian South Indian origin and will claim all sorts of ancestry , however minute but keep on denying their core Dravidian Tamil ancestry, as they think it will not be advantageous to them in the island. Didn’t Islam like all other religions, teach you speak the truth and not lie. When did Moors from North Africa ever visit the shores of this island or India. They captured and ruled Spain , Portugal and many parts of Southern Europe for centuries but never travelled to this part of the world. Have you ever seen how a typical Moor looks and then compare them to the typical look of a Sri Lankan Muslim. There is nothing remotely resembling a Moor or an Arab. Even the light skinned ones look like light skinned Indians and not Arabs or Moors.
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Pandi Kutti / August 26, 2018
Arivillathavan I want to identify my self and all my descendants with Genghis Khan, as I feel that it gives me and them lots of dignity and respect. Much better than the imagined Sri Lankan Muslim claim to be of North African Moor origin. Hope you and the rest of the Arivaillatha Thullukans will not feel jealous and fart through your mouths. Is that something that Thullukans do? Fart through the mouth and think that everyone else also does the same? What a strange crude comment. Shows your Arivillatha upbringing. Moors from North Africa do no such thing but heard some South Indian Dalits do. There you are found your true ancestor.
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Sinhala_Man / August 25, 2018
Dear RSSS,
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I’m afraid that I’m going to make a comment that may not please you much. We should never stipulate for others what their identity should be.
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I’m certain that the predominant DNA of us all is South Indian, but most of us like bragging about ancestry. When we were kids, our class (in a school of mixed ethnicity) was very clearly taught History where we were told that we, Sinhalese, were Aryans. It seemed thrilling, because it tied us to white people who were held in such high esteem etc. We were told that Tamils were Dravidians, but I think it was to the credit that our schools were organised that we didn’t think any the less of them.
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After Grade 6 it was that we came together with Tamil speakers for the Science subjects. Also for English and English Literature (which only a handful read). The so-called Arts subjects saw us segregated. These were the last days of the “old English Medium”.
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The Muslims have always chosen to base their identity on religion. Who are we to stipulate that they shouldn’t. It is desperately important that we find a way out of this mess we are in.
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Quite honestly, I don’t know what the way forward ought to be. I’d like your views on this, please.
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Real Siva Sankaran Sharma / August 26, 2018
Sinhala man, they have every right to base a separate identity based on their religion and no one including me do not object to this. Their parent population in Tamil Nadu, from whom they are descended from, want to be part of the mainstream Tamil identity and proudly call themselves Tamils , their primary identity and their religion , Islam their secondary identity. The South Indian origin Dravidian Tamil Muslims here. for political and economic convenience want their religion and not their ethnicity to be their primary identity , they feel it is better for them, as 72 % of them live amongst the Sinhalese, who are largely anti Tamil and not amongst the Tamils. Despite this they claim exclusive Islamic homelands, in the island only in Tamil areas, based solely on their religion, despite sharing a common language , origin , history and heritage with the rest of the Tamil population and not in Sinhalese areas , where do not share anything in common with the Sinhalese. Strange Don’t you think? The reason is they think the Tamils are now weak and powerless with no one to support them and they can get away with this, with the support of the racist Sinhalese , who will want to further weaken the island’s Tamils. Strange, the Sinhalese now persecute them in their areas but encourage Islamic extremism and calls for Islamic homelands and a separate identity in Tamil areas. This also includes you.
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Real Siva Sankaran Sharma / August 26, 2018
contsd: Lastly an a separate identity should be based on truth and not lies and myths , deliberately done to create hatred and mayhem. The Muslims of Bosnia want a separate identity from their fellow Christian Serbian and Croatian Slavs , with whom they share a common heritage. Therefore they call them selves correctly the Slavic Muslims of Bosnia. The Druze in Lebanon and Israel correctly call themselves Druze Arabs. The Muslim is Sri Lanka should have correctly called themselves Muslim Tamil or Tamil Muslims, if they wanted a separate identity. Not Moors or Arabs and making false claims and brainwashing the island’s Muslim masses who are 100% Tamil Dravidian to hate their actual Tamil origin and heritage on the basis of a fake Arab/Moor origin and worship everything Arab. This is a form of cultural genocide practised by all Sinhalese Sri Lankan governments and the Muslim elite. This is where the problem is. Not their separate identity. You have seem many Muslim bloggers and columnists here spewing hatred and venom against their fellow non Muslim Tamils on the basis of this fake Arab/Moor origin.
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Rohan / August 26, 2018
Sinhala Man , it is only in Sri Lanka that Muslims have based their identity solely based on their religion and not on their origin, However in the rest of the world people who follow Islam or Muslims base their identity on their ethnicity. EG: Arabs, Turks, Malays, Bengali , Kurds, Farsi, Gujarati, Punjabi. In Sri Lanka it has been done deliberately by the Sinhalese establishment to deliberately to divide and rule the Tamils , therefore they encouraged the island’s Muslim elite who wanted political and economic power to claim a separate identity solely based on their religion and not based on their ethnicity , like Muslims in parts of the world have done. In fact in other parts of the world Muslims, even belonging to the same Islamic sect fight and kill each other on the basis of their ethnicity. Turks persecute Kurds despite both being Sunni Muslims. So do Arabs and Iranians. We know what happened to former East Pakistan now Bangladesh. Both the Punjabi and Bengali are largely Sunni Muslims again. So where is this identity based solely on religion? Even amongst Muslims in the rest of world ethnicity takes precedence over religion. It is easy for the Muslims in Sri Lanka to base their identity solely on religion and nothing else, as 99% of them have the same origin, ( Dravidian Tamil)speak the same language at home(Tamil) , follow the same form of Islam(Sunni) . It would have not been easy if a very large percentage of the island’s Muslims were of a different origin or speaking a different language, like in Pakistan , Iraq. Even the non Tamil, Malay and Gujarati Shia Borah Muslim minorities in the island, base their identity not on their religion but on their ethnicity , to distinguish them from the island’s Tamil Muslims. So this identity for the island’s Muslims based solely on religion is a farce and a lie. It is only for the island’s Tamil Muslims and not for the other Muslims. This is island will be a better place if the truth about everyone’s real origin and myths not maintained. Both the Sinhalese and the island’s Muslims should be educated with the real truth , they are not Aryans or Arabs or Moors but are really of Dravidian South Indian origin . Any other mixture is very minimal. It is time that this Aryan origin Mahavamsa myth and Arab. now North African origin (really North African!) Sri Lankan Muslim myth be put to rest for real reconciliation and harmony. People have the right to know who they really are , just like a child , even adopted ones, has a right to know who his or her parents really are and not running behind fake parents and sadly poking fun of their own parents. From your fellow Thomian.
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Sinhala_Man / August 27, 2018
Thanks, Rohan.
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I still can’t uniquely identify you, but you’ve written sense.
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However, let us not aim for the impossible. Never mind our Sri Lankan Muslims being unique in some respects. If we can work out a modus vivendi for our life-times we ought to be happy, given the mess that we see around us.
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On Saturday, my daughter and I attended a Muslim wedding. The sexes were totally segregated. Despite going well in time, and not leaving early, even my daughter was not able to identify the bride.
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All the people whom my daughter and I met were very nice. It is the system as a whole that we must aim to change. Women must have equal rights.
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In asking for limited changes, we, too, should be sincere; this should not be an “operation creep”.
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rbh / August 22, 2018
Sinhala Man
Give a great media interview and qualify for the post.
The royal couple was interviewed Mishal hussain Journalist on BBC News, no banned from conducting
interviews of any sources or changing journalist
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sach / August 22, 2018
Hello TamilMan, there is no problem with that.
Sinhalese
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Ceylonee / August 22, 2018
Of course , BBC might get a SIN KELE journalist But the problems is SIN KELE yas always under KASIPPU and KUDU. .. So bbc never takes such a guy ..
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Burt / August 22, 2018
SM:
This question coming from you was a bigger surprise to me than the question itself. You would have a point if he was the only journalist for BBC Sinhala. I dont think that is the case and therefore its a non issue.
On the other hand Cooray being the governor of the NP should be an issue. Couldn’t the government find a Tamils or was it sending a message to the Tamils that Sinhalese are the rulers and they will always be ruling over Tamils.
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Sinhala_Man / August 23, 2018
Dear Burt,
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I hope that by now you understand that the racist comment came from a “SinhalaMan” with a different gravitar. Mine is not red, it’s dark pink, isn’t it?
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I think that I must consider your incredulity regarding the source of the comment as being a compliment. It will complicate matters for us if he continues to call himself that, but I don’t think that this is the only instance. There are two “Fathima”s – the regular one being a nice person.
/
Burt / August 23, 2018
S_M
My Apologies.
I made the mistake of not looking at the handle proper. It did surprise me as it was not something you would write.
/
Sinhala_Man / August 24, 2018
Dear Burt,
.
I think that we must continue to live our lives in the open straightforward way that is our wont.
.
Apologies? There’s nothing that you have to apologise for. Actually, the result of “SinhalaMan” foolishly making that first comment, whatever his intentions may have been, has triggered many comments that I must confess sound like sweet music in my ears.
.
From the moment I saw that initial comment (no others were then displayed) I think I knew how to handle it, although I didn’t quite anticipate the near unanimous condemnation of “SinhalaMan”. It did not cause me a moments discomfiture.
/
Real Siva Sankaran Sharma / August 24, 2018
However the Kandy Mahanayakes do not consider him a true Sinhalese due to his origin, ,caste, religion and did not want him as the governor of the Kandyan Sinhalese heartland the Central Province and the government meekly complied and foisted this man again on the island’s northern Tamils, who really do not want him.
/
Ajay / August 22, 2018
This is a classic diversionary tactic of the trolls – No.1 in their book to divert attention from the issue at hand. Some have obviously fallen for it. The urgent issue the article is trying to highlight is the increasingly menacing interference of Sirasa in the nation’s politics. It has its tentacles now even in the President’s Office and the BBC. The so called “SinhalaMan” could be Shiral or one of the fake journos whoring for Kili.
/
old codger / August 22, 2018
Ajay,
You are on the dot. Killi Maharajah and his tame puppets may be a greater threat to democracy than anything else. Every day their “news” consists more of self-promotion and breathless fake “exposes” than real news. Disgusting.
/
mike / August 23, 2018
SinhalaMan – Fake “SinhalaMan” try taking a cyanide capsule, that will give you permanent mental relief!
/
Buddhist Boy / August 23, 2018
Idiot
/
Patriot / August 23, 2018
People like you are a cancer and need to be removed from this country so others can live in peace
/
Simon De Silva / August 23, 2018
This means we thought things have improved towards the free media, but in real case, it has not …. improved ddrastically.
I do have thousands of questions, as to why they LANKEN MEDIA control organisation allow Derana to add more wrongful information almost every day to the nation.
They make head lines about Rajakashe men, just supppressing other valuable news.
So does Hiru. Why is that the kind fo abuses be allowed today ?
What is the role of Indempendent media commissions ?
It is fine to attack First and SECOND citizens, but in the same time, if some press menwork for former guys.. that should be blocked.
WHY IS THAT STATE TV have not the larger portion than the pvt sector TV senders.
We hardly hear the ITN and SLRC news while being in Europe.
Whenever we switch on to computers we just hear onyl Derana why ?
Why a state allow PVT senders to lead the nation. ?
Depending on how good they are they can mislead this nation or not ?
/
Samson Gunawardhana / August 23, 2018
President seems to have no good advisers
His appointment to FOREIGN offices are far from undrestanding.
That ASP liyanaye saga is unaccpetable.
Former Balige putha did th esame. We see – no difference between MR and current Govt. when thinking about their APPOINTMENTs to foreign offices.. Former MUGABE of lanken hell, appointed even army soldiers to foreign offices. Tea tasters to foreign offices.
There are lot more men that oyu would not even think to have their lives in Colombo were appointed to protect them .
Balige putha Rajapakseh did all the high crimes to this nation.
Even today the bugger to be scot free proves us that current GOVT is no clean at all.
/
DrTgunardhana / August 23, 2018
You cant be a sinhala man that represents our thoughts -, may well be your gentics is mixed. or under educated you should have been to see it that way. Think twice before you add the kind of racial comments. I thnk CT should not allow the kind of illfated buggers to publish thei rthoughts this way. We should bring laws, to shape up anti racism in the country. In Germany, we are not allowed to use some words that could divide the nation. So is the case in Italy too. You cant use the wording as you think is right in public forums. That you can keep within your 4 walls.
How come you raise the kind of a question, while we the srilankens faced all high harms during the last 30 years of war based on racisms and brutalism of high forms.
Even today, some senior politicians such as former President MR has publicly been promoting racism for his come back, but people in general should sense it right LET alone today. His presidency is officially over but the man s activities run in the background. The kin dof men to come and promote rasicsm in the country should be banned. instead the kind of men to be jailed forever is MY WISH.
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Isuru Abeywickrama / August 23, 2018
Your racist remark is the reason why most of the world is in chaos. Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Burger who the hell cares as long as they unbiasedly reports on news subjects? Also, SinhalaMan, tell us exactly why you think BBC Sinhala should not get a Muslim person to report? You do realise that BBC Sinhala actually refers to the language and not the race right? Or are you that retarded that you think it only means the race? People like you show exactly how far our society has gone down the drain. – Isuru Abeywickrama, a non racist Sinhalese Man with friends from all races and creeds.
/
Nuwan / August 23, 2018
Your are simply an idiot
/
Raj / August 23, 2018
Sinhala Man
What’s your problem? If Azzam has a good command of the Sinhala language, why not? He may believe in a different faith but he is a Sri Lankan & should not be discriminated on religious grounds. Will your logic apply to Christians too?
/
Anonymous / August 23, 2018
This is what happens when journalists ask the correct questions to expose corrupt individuals.
I have watched some of his interviews and feel these kind of journalists should be encouraged and promoted not silenced! Bad show BBC Sri Lanka. Report the head of BBC Sri Lanka to BBC International #BBC
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Anonymous / August 23, 2018
Journalism is Sri Lanka is becoming a joke. They hype up stories that will lead to no prosecutions and rile people up over nothing. Why won’t they ask questions and unearth information that can and will lead to real prosecutions? Media will distract the public with stories about Arjun Aloysius and his campaign contributions towards politicians (not criminal and will not lead to any prosecutions) did they ask for lawyers to be brought in to make such campaigning contributions illegal!? No. Why are they not exposing the Rajapaksas Criminal activities and the relevant information that can/will lead to prosecutions? What about all the killings under the Rajapaksas and the low profile citizens who were white vaned too? What about the cases of the Rajapaksas personally assaulting citizens of Sri Lanka? Why is the media not allowing these to surface? Why no complete list of everyone white vaned?
Any journalist starting to ask the relevant question instead of playing along to the local media circus is silenced!
This comment by “SinhalaMan” is a classic distraction tactic to prevent the readers from asking the correct questions and pull them back into the media circus they want you to be distracted by.
They want to desperately silence the voice of this BBC journalist and any others who catch onto his style of journalism and follow the same lines of constructive journalism and refuses to be a part of the media circus.
/
ceylonee / August 24, 2018
FIRST TIME I SEE THE unimaginable AMOUNT OF ”DISLIKES ” for a Baudda SIN KELE ya who proves he s a RACIST and may be linked to ROWDY SENAs from Srilanka..
Also mind is relaxed and joyful to think there are Peace loving , learned and moderate Buddist people from SriLanka.
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Your mom / August 24, 2018
Retard
/
John / August 24, 2018
Retard brainless fuck
/
Anaam / August 24, 2018
Sinhala man, sorry to say you sound pathetic.. maybe you should avail yourself for the role…hahaha funny & pathetic.
/
Shiyaz Jiffry / August 24, 2018
?. Why don’t you try joining BBC.
/
Jo / August 24, 2018
Sinhala is just a language . Just like Tamil and English. I don’t see anything wrong here
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A Muhsin / August 24, 2018
bloody hell yes , could apoint a sucker bum after all we are living in a bogus paradise
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Manel Fonseka / August 25, 2018
I am shocked by you, Sinhala man.
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Sinhala_Man / August 25, 2018
Dear Manel Fonseka,
.
Could you please clarify?
.Who has shocked you?
.
SinhalaMan with a brown Gravatar or
Sinhala_Man with a dark pink Gravatar?
‘.
This is the problem when people with outstanding intellects like you, and also wanting to think the best of everyone in the world have to come to grips with the real world.
.
/
Sinhala_Man / August 26, 2018
Oh, dear Manel Fonseka,
.
Something that I learnt quite recently – turning letters in to bold.
.
But one must remember to “unbold” – else there’s havoc lower down. I’m testing to see if I can make amends myself.
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Punchi Point / August 29, 2018
Now the bold is repaired… I hope
one
two
three
and four
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Fayaz / August 25, 2018
Very very intelligent response!!! We need more people who think like this to develop our nation!!
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DADA / August 26, 2018
Here We Go Again another (MODAYA)
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NonResident / September 1, 2018
Racist!
/
Babalathappu / August 22, 2018
Dear CT,
This journalist is the only independent journalist we have now in SL. All other calling them self Nidahas, but behaving other way around. Now for example CB has been part of Derana.
So called guys such as CHAPA BANDARA or the others have now been becoming beloved men of Derana and Hiru being caught by the sums offered to them. Chapa has never uttered a single word on as to why Fomre president WAS absent in the parliament on the day the debate on NYT article regarding his gained bribes during the campaign.
This is a very bad news actually. I hat off to this EXCELLENT FEARLESS journalist we ever had in SL during the last few years.
/
Grusha Andrews / August 22, 2018
I condemn this wholeheartedly. Thomas Jefferson said ” a government without a newspaper is more deplorable than a newspaper without government”
He said:
“The people are the only censors of their governors: and even their errors will tend to keep these to the true principles of their institution.
To punish these errors too severely would be to suppress the only safeguard of the public liberty. The way to prevent these irregular interpositions of the people is to give them full information of their affairs thro’ the channel of the public papers, & to contrive that those papers should penetrate the whole mass of the people.
The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.
But I should mean that every man should receive those papers & be capable of reading the”.
Incapable politicians can never understand these truths.
/
Desperate Sinhalaya / August 23, 2018
Not Just this, President to abuse SIRASA for his telecasts too should be condemened.
I think he has given the authortiy to telecast things against UNPs.
They the sirasa parrots carricatured by their bosses raise question one behind the other about Bond scam, in the same time, they have no questions as to why former THUGS robbed out that much of statefunds.
And the facts how much of the former loans should have to pay back should also be discussed loudly.
Sirsas has been misleading this nation.. not respecting FREEDOM of expression given to them today than had ever been in the darker days of Balige putha Rajaakshe.
/
Ajay / August 22, 2018
This proves the alleged shady deals between the meddler Kili Maharaja and the hypocrite Sirisena. Kiliya is intimidating everyone by weaponizing Sirasa in the most obscene manner. He has his tentacles in the President’s Office through Sira’s perverted media unit. Shiral Laktilleke is the arch schemer of the whole thing. The BBC can fire Sangeeth Kalubowila if it wants to. But in the case of Dharmasri Bandara Ekanayake, even Sira can’t do anything. Kiliya has him by the balls.
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justice / August 22, 2018
Related posts about BBC Sinhala, show a number of apparently ‘disciplinary’ actions
against Sinhala journalists. Are they British citizens?
This is shocking, in a British media organisation.
/
JD / August 22, 2018
BBC is highly politicized place. I think this journalist tried to be an investigative journalist. That did not work with the Sri lankan political set up. Ainhala man is a pro-Tamil because he is half tamil and is a protestant. I suppose this Sinhala man is a muslims and not the same sinhala man who writes here often. BBC is also a highly politically corrupt, working for spy agencies place. So, a Muslim in Sri lanka would have written biased articles in order to thrive in BBC.
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rbh / August 22, 2018
Sinhala Man
Give a great media interview and qualify for the post.
The royal couple was interviewed Mishal hussain Journalist on BBC News, no banned from conducting
interviews of any sources or changing journalist
/
Chun Paan / August 22, 2018
So even fearless BBC succumbs under Sirisena pressure. ho ho ho
/
JD / August 22, 2018
I tgink, it was Maithripala Sirisena’s word was the important. MY3 knows for three years he did not do anything and just every corruptions to occur. Now he is preparing for the elelction he does not like publishing anything negative of him. That IS THE TRUE PRESS FREEDOM. YOU WRITE NEGATIVE ABOUT ME. YOU WON’T GET NEWS. In this MY’s people asked BBC to remove him. AZZAM AMEEN has two choices. HE can claim to be in the corrupt lot of jouralists and can write crap. but, there are successful world journalists who right against these people too. It is your choice.
/
Burt / August 22, 2018
In other news:
WHY IS GANASARA STILL ON A HOSPITAL BED AND NOT IN A PRISON CELL?
/
JD / August 23, 2018
BUTT HEAD BART: MAha Venerable Ghanasara had been requested by Vatican to be appointed the NExt POPE in order to save the Catholic church from Evangelists.
/
Burt / August 23, 2018
Dimwit:
Hay moron Pope’s are never appointed.
/
Babalathappu / August 24, 2018
Had the conviction been ona Muslim or Tamil – would the person be treated that way ?
I mean this country is treating SINHALAS and other folks so differently.
In the same time, we tell to world we have a good and reliable law and order systems and not external bodies need to intervene our issues….
I think WE ARE IN A JOKER s country.
/
shankar / August 23, 2018
white vans are not there anymore ,but the concept of gagging journos is still there it seems.
/
Douglas / August 23, 2018
Just see how the comment column got diverted from the main topic of “gagging” a journalist by the BBC, starting with an unwarranted remark by “Sinhalaman”. This is a good example to show how the Srilankan “Slave Voters” react and decide on matters of National importance. This Journalist, Mr. Azzam Ameen, in my opinion , shines above many, many of those self styled “Journalists”. I have seen him at various media briefings and the way he conducts himself is par excellence compared with the rest. He is very composed and the quality of questioning is very prompting to elicit information from the person who heads the briefing. For comparison, please watch “SATANA” programme and observe the “Quality” of the “Journalists” who are tasked to elicit information. Some of them act like “Prosecution” Lawyers, while some act like “Jack in a Box” while still others behave like “Mariya Kade” prostitutes or even worse. But this man, Mr. Azzam is far above expectations and it is a pity that he has been “Debarred” from attending the most important Media briefings that we look forward to obtain information. This means, if true, we have lost “Right To Information”.
/
Mudson Amerasinghe / August 23, 2018
yes Douglas true,
Satana is set up to attack UNP and Ranil. The cheap Media coolies of Killi Maharaja will go to any extent to destroy Ranil. Although Ranil has his faults.
/
nadarajah / August 23, 2018
a good decision by the BBC ,This chap thinks he has a right to bully and disrespect people under the cover of journalism
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Good Sense / August 23, 2018
It is seen that all kinds of censorship is taking place, not merely closing down the media institution, but getting the bosses to practice “Self Censorship”. I have heard that BBC applies similar techniques to their own media men in UK. MY3 camp can say that during my time, journalists were not abducted, assaulted or murdered and that is a hell of a lot of improvement. But the sole purpose of either party is to silence the journalist. Something may be considered as better than the other but in any case, the freedom of speech is lost.
/
watcher / August 23, 2018
Son of SL has no ethnicity or religion… Its unfortunate to insult a man who is doing his job.
/
hancho pancha / August 23, 2018
Since this story has taken a racial deviation, I have been pricked into make a personal comment. I came to this world with a label Singhalese strongly glued on to me. As I got exposed to the wide world outside I became very embarrassed by that label because I discovered that the Singhalese are like thin bamboo: hollow inside and freely sways with the wind.
/
A.I. Athas / August 23, 2018
Azzam has been acknowledged as a professional
journalist by the Sinhala Service of the BBC for
his journalistic judgement. It has been good. It is not
because he is Ameen, Ananda, Ashokan or an
Almeida.
It is unbelievable that he should be suspended from
interviews and news conferences. The Sinhala service
is an offshoot of the BBC which is known both for its
high integrity and accuracy.
Surely, they cannot be influenced by some Tom, Dick,
Harry or a bureaucrat complaining? That stinks. Azam
don’t ever be disheartened. This is a challenge for you.
Overcome it by continuing to tell the truth.
/
K A Sumanasekera / August 23, 2018
Isn’t Channel Four part of this BBC?
Why does a Sinhala Man want to work for BBC unless he is UNP?…
/
watcher / August 23, 2018
Ch4 is not part of BBC… All BBC services have BBC name with ch number.
Ch4 is commercial TV and BBC is govt. own
/
Fareed / August 23, 2018
Azzam Ameen is great journalist in the wold now
/
Thengai Srinivasan / August 23, 2018
Sinkhala Journos could be bought over through a cup of coffee.
MR tried this with Callum Macrae but it failed.
/
Punchi Point / August 29, 2018
It was most probably because Callum Macrae was already bought by the Global Tamil Forum and the LTTE.
/
Jayantha de Alwis / August 23, 2018
Azzam Ameen is the only journalist who is capable of interviewing Sri Lankan mega crooks. By removing him, BBC have partnered with the crooks and criminals of Sri Lanka.
/
Sam Fernando / August 23, 2018
But he too has not had the chance sofar .. to come with a broad interview with former goons.
Have you ever seen MR being interviewed by him ? I have not seen any youtube video in wihch those with mounting allegations faced interviews. This media men have failed to bring any good interview yet with former goons.
/
Uthungan / August 23, 2018
The BBC is not the same as it was before Margret T and it has become worse after Blair. Azzam Ameen’s position should be considered in that regard.
/
K.Pillai / August 23, 2018
Rather belated questions.
Was/Is Azzam Ameem an employee of BBC? If not, how can BBC bar him from Media Conferences and Political Interviews? If BBC did not bar him, who did?
Is the ‘BBC Sinhala‘s chief’ Sangeeth Kalubowila employee of BBC? Or part time BBC and GoSL?
/
Punchi Point / August 24, 2018
The fake SinhalaMan must not be allowed to post under that name since there is one person who is using that username already. This is what happens when one uses generic ethnic, religious terms which a few other millions also can use, as usernames, without using some imagination and finding a neutral username. I really can’T understand why CT allows this type of comments or behaviour. Surely CT must see that this plain and pure trolling and spamming. Talking of journalists and journalism, this site Colombo Telegraph shows the pathetic state of journalism in Sri Lanka and also what a pathetic lot we all are. There should be some sort of discipline and rules. Every article is flooded with undocumented and un-sourced comments about imaginary sunken continents, genetic studies which no one has heard about and all sorts of race theories. Please have some strict comment policies and demand that the commentators provide references to their claims. Otherwise all articles will just contain irrelevant stuff about Tamil-genes in Sinhalese and nonsense etymologies and before long you have to handle comments on how Tamils crossed the imaginary Kumari Kandam and went to Egypt to build the pyramids (which is ofcourse from the Tamil Periya Vidu meaning big house). Just look at the hundreds of articles published here for the past 3-4 years – its the same comments repeated over and over again. Also if possible allow more than 10 days and a couple of hundred more words for comments so that those of us who don’t live in CT could write a decent comment when we have time and follow the discussion.
/
Meenachchi / August 24, 2018
Mr. P. Point,
Why are you upset at only one aspect of the comments?
“Otherwise all articles will just contain irrelevant stuff about Tamil-genes in Sinhalese and nonsense etymologies and before long you have to handle comments on how Tamils crossed the imaginary Kumari Kandam and went to Egypt”
Isn’t it just as ridiculous when some people swear on the authenticity of the Tooth Relic, or the 3 visits of the Buddha to SL? Or the absolute first claim the Sinhalese have on this country?
If you input garbage, others will do it too.
/
Pissu Hutan / August 24, 2018
Who cares ? Half of the country don’t know who this idiot is. He was fired from sandeshaya which is owned by BBC. Sandeshaya is also known as the cesspit of BBC. It’s funny how some people think of sandasheya so highly. But they don’t realize how badly BBC treats sandeshaya. Sad.
–
–
Next thing, If you think cowards in the current government can influence a foreign organization you are sadly mistaken. They don’t have guts to do something like that. This government accepted the war crime allegations against our military. They can’t get more cowardly than that. All they can do is kissing a z z of the white western masers.
/
Desperate Sinhalaya / August 24, 2018
You should be born ballige putha not to have got. Even Army commander would not disagree if soldier woudl have commited crimes to be investigated.
You the guys have been abused by former rascal Rajaakshes. I mean, be them soldiers, Medical Doctors, Engineers or any others, if they commited crimes, regardless of their status, should be punished according to the prevailing laws.
Just raising that they saved the country, to leave and enjoy them with impunity should not be allowed. You and I if we commited crimes, we are both should be charged.
But ballige puthas of your nature are forced to think that you have the right to enjoy impunity.
It is the older story Pissu balu hutan, learn it from me.. and my 10 year old grand son, you guys shhould see it today, if not when ?
We are not supporting anyone but law bound men of this country.
Be them tamils, sinhalase, muslims or anyothers, they should all be treated with prevaaling lanken lawas.
We respect this INDEPENDENT journo.. we should have more of them. He has balls to raise the questions unbiased.
He is btw a real srialnaken. Not a slave of political group, as you would lick the balls of some extremists.
/
Arjuna / August 24, 2018
Azzam has denied there ever was such a ban
/
Nimal / August 25, 2018
Where?
/
dayapala thisera / August 24, 2018
What happened to the money ;laundering son of the astrologer -it is said that he has been on an attack on Azam and now campaigning for MR in Colombo is mr Jliana who is in charge turning a blind eye
/
K.Pillai / August 24, 2018
If I may digress.
How many of us keep track of the CoI revelations about the bookkeeping of SriLankan Airlines?
Both teams in the home vs home finals do not even raise their eyebrows at the sight of the feeding frenzy.
/
Sinhala_Man / August 25, 2018
Dear Punchi Point,
.
At this point in time, your comment about the undesirability of handles like mine being allowed is almost the last – follwed by also relevant points made by “Pissu Hutan” and “Arjuna”. All handles will carry connotations – mine is potentially racist. An actual name is objective, and since a living human is uniquely identified, connotations become irrelevant. I have given my Birth Certificate name in a comment which is now physically the fourth from the top.
.
I gave myself the controversial handle so as to send messages to Minorities that not all Sinhalese are racist, and to make fellow Sinhalese cogitate on how we should treat minorities. So, I did the wrong thing for the right reasons.
.
I don’t know Mr Azzam Ameen at all. “Pissu Hutan” says that we’re blowing this out of proportion, Arjuna quotes Azzam as contradicting the whole story. Nonetheless, I agree with the main point made by most commenters that the BBC has a language service, not one beamed to any ethnic group. However, think of the majority of the audience. In practice, they are likely to be ethnic Sinhalese, who would not expect reporting by a Muslim, since in our experience most Muslims speak Tamil. Nobody has dared say that yet; it is a politically incorrect statement. We’re supposed to use euphemisms.
.
As for word limit, and period limit, those were ushered in less than a year ago. Before that I had made thousand word comments two years after an article had appeared in CT. But few readers are likely to navigate there to see them, and try reducing 1K words to 600: the writing usually improves. Having done that, divide comment into two parts.
.
No panacea for terrestrial problems, and I have little faith in things celestial.
.
“The last temptation is the greatest treason:
To do the right deed for the wrong reason” . – T.S. Eliot
.
But then, the words are spoken in a dramatic context, by Thomas Beckett, minutes before he is murdered. Should he court martyrdom, so as to acquire “eternal” fame?
/
Hitang Hutang / August 25, 2018
In other breaking news. Appaya has gone to medamulana to check out the 6feet grave.
/