Three days after visiting UN Human Rights High Commissioner Navi Pillay warned that Sri Lanka was becoming increasingly authoritarian and said critical voices were silenced in the country, often permanently, the powerful Secretary to the Ministry Of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday said “illegal media sources” were engaging in false propaganda to damage the country’s image internationally.
Gota
He said it was the responsibility of every citizen, political group and media organisation to “exercise their democratic freedoms with responsibility and not engage in unlawful activity under the guise of exercising their freedoms.”
The Secretary MOD who was delivering the keynote address at Defence Seminar 2013, differentiated between ‘legitimate’ media channels, newspapers and websites that “freely operate” in Sri Lanka and “illegal sources” that engage in “false propaganda.”
Gotabaya Rajapaksa warned people should not abuse freedoms guaranteed through democracy with ulterior motives. “Rights and freedoms must always be exercised with responsibility; if not, negative consequences could ensue for the country at large,” he said.
One month after the military allegedly opened fire at a public protest for water in Gampaha, the Secretary MOD said: “In our democracy, there is ample freedom for people to demonstrate with regard any issue that they feel is important. This is a healthy sign of a vibrant democracy. However, when people go beyond peaceful demonstration and engage in violent protest, incite violence or act in other undemocratic ways, they exploit and abuse democratic freedoms. Certain groups with vested interests exploit legitimate demonstrations to show the country in a bad light-some of them confront the police, cause disturbances and even riots, and create a very negative image about the country internationally.”
The Secretary MOD warned that subversive elements with ulterior motives may use modern technology and connectivity to portray the country in a negative light.
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gamini / September 3, 2013
What is there for anyone else to project the tyranny, if anyone saw this bugger’s impunity and arrogance being interviewed over TV is enough evidence of proof the Psychopath he is?
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Leelage Amma / September 3, 2013
Gota little brain works in this way. We all are worrieda bout our security, but he feels ” srilanka is one of the safer places”. Cant this bugger at all read and write ? This is the mentality of the Gota… my god.. apita buduma budu sarnai. :(
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I am no muslim / September 7, 2013
If you cannot gauge ‘Sri Lanka is one of the safest places on earth’ then you must be either a stupid man or living in a remote place like a frog in a well.
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Ben Hurling / September 4, 2013
Gota’s word is law.
Sri Lanka does need a constitution, a judiciary, a parliament or an opposition. All institutions are useless. A waste of time and public funds.
Rajapassa family clan is the only institution now.
Gota has a lot of opinions about everything. About how we should live our lives. Just live according to his directives. you will be OK.
Otherwise you are doomed as a citizen of Sri Lanka.
This unelected, highly powerful, unaccountable civil servant or De Facto President of SL will not let you cross any red lines, he has drawn for you. He controls all men with guns.
Just do as Gota says. And survive!
What a pathetic country we have become after 65 years of so called “democracy”.
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Native Vedda / September 4, 2013
Ben Hurling
In a Majoritarian system of governance did you expect anything else?
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I am no muslim / September 7, 2013
Where do you live Vedda, tell us what do US men with guns do in Afghanistan.
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kk / September 4, 2013
Reading of your writing is enough evidence of proof the Psychopath you are
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Namal Perera / September 3, 2013
Media who write and talk the truth and expose the corrupt Regime become illegal Media or supporters of Terrorists. Those who cover up the corrupt Regime are termed Patriots.
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Park / September 4, 2013
Illegal Media, is it the function of the Secretary of Defense to call a media illegal, what right he has? He can call the illegal forces, illegal but he has no right to call any media illegal. After all he is only the Secretary of Defense. Pillai becoming increasingly authoritarian… what a joke, who has been increasingly authoritarian after the war, was it Pillai or Gothabaya? Who has been threatening editors of news papers and media personnel?> Was it Pillai or Gotha? One should not spit looking upward, the spit will fall on that person!
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kalu kumaraya / September 4, 2013
This man who has a small brain has been a real curse for the country.Hope at least Navi pillay could send the right message to them during next UN sessions.He has become a puppet of China for his and his swollen headed brother’s survival and whole country will have to pay for that one day.He is not a suitable person to hold such a high profile post.We need and intellectual to do that job who has more responsibility towards the country and people.
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abhaya / September 4, 2013
Navi pillay will produce a stupid report, Diasporas will have diaherria for a bit . india and the US will vote against SL in the HR sessions while still getting involved in wars and getting their own killed. Sri Lanka will still be at peace .
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DeSelva / September 4, 2013
the problem with this guy is he is in command of 500,000 deence forces and decorated generals sitting in their camps in dry NE ..nothing to do so this guy is trying to keep them pumped up with all sorts of imagined unreal threats such as ….illegal media, insular minorities, western government want to change the destiny…..
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mike / September 4, 2013
There is no element of truth in this [Edited out]’s statement. The British Foreign Minister (Hague) is also scheduled to attend CHOGM in November. I sincerely hope the Rajapassa Brothers will get a recommendation to The Hague. Time is running out, we should eliminate these bastards!
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abhaya / September 4, 2013
I listened to Gotas speech . it was perfectly reasonable if you listened to the whole thing . you can take one sentence out of it and take it completely out of context and raise hell about it .
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Sooriasegaram / September 4, 2013
Open discussions are essential for the advancement of our people and the country. It also increases the country’s short term as well as long term security. Suppression of free speech does the opposite. Security through heavy militarization is only good for short term. It is not sustainable in the long term – also it consumes a very high percentage of our hard earned GDP, which is needed to elevate the quality of life of our people, especially the most disadvantaged sections of our people. It is immoral to overspend on defense.
Openly expressed views of British people and the members of parliament has prevented an unnecessary military attack on Syria, which would have killed tens of thousands of innocent people. One man’s decision is dangerous as we have seen in the case of Iraq.
Sri Lankan people are very literate and sensible people. Their opinions must be allowed to be heard freely.
Soori
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Wickramasiri / September 4, 2013
I don’t blame the Defence Secretary. He can say what he likes. Intelligent people will accept or reject what he says based on their powers of reasoning. I blame Mahinda Rajapaksa, our President. He is the most powerful person in the country, and if he says there is democratic freedom here after experiencing a political life of over 45 years, then he must be an ignoramus or a blatant liar. The country is definitely moving toward authoritarianism, in fact he should know that it is now the worst it had ever been. No President before has been this dictatorial. No amount of sycophantic writings, or control of the media, no amount of speechifying to gaping citizenry, no amount of charm can hide the fact because we the citizens experience it every day in our daily life. It cannot be hidden because it is our country which we own collectively, not merely the President and his party. As a Sri Lankan I will not stand to be dictated to, and deplore the current attempt to subjugate all independent, upright, and brave citizens, and replace them with servile yes men. This is how a country can deteriorate. This is why good men oppose this government.
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Patriot / September 7, 2013
Wickramasiri,
‘Sycophantic writings’!
Is that what we read in most articles here at CT? Is that what we read in Daily Mirror and Sunday Times and other private new papers? Is that what we see at numerous news readings at private tv channels and hear at Private radio channels?
Intelligent people can know the truth. We are not blind for we can judge by the results at the coming up elections.
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Sanjay Karuna / September 4, 2013
That is right Gota! If you can’t Beat them, Join them on CT! Don’t Ban them!
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chatura / September 5, 2013
War crimes!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJxLxXtTYQg
Check this out, if you commit crimes against humanity, sooner or later you will have to pay.
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NAK / September 12, 2013
“if you commit crimes against humanity, sooner or later you will have to pay”
Tell that to Bush,Cheney and Rumsfeld!!
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