Journalists and right activists gathered in front of the Fort Railway Station in Colombo on Thursday to condemn the attack of the provincial correspondent by the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy.
Navy Commander Vice Admiral Ravi Wijegunaratne assaulted Roshan Gunasekera, a local correspondent for The Island and Divaina dailies, while the journalist was reporting navy action to open the port blocked by protesting port workers. Video footage recorded by other journalists showed the navy commander darting towards Gunasekera, assaulting him and using foul language.
“The assault of a journalist by the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy is a condemnable act. The IFJ is seriously concerned by the assault of a journalist by the head of a security force and demands immediate action against him from the Sri Lankan government. Such an incident, if allowed to pass, not only undermines press freedom and the rights of the media but also has a chilling effect on free press.” the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said in a statement.
Photo via Kanchana Kumara [FMETU]
Kugan / December 16, 2016
You all have to be thankful for your fate,good that you all have escape from white van and motor bikes without number plate,he would have orchestrated your final day.
So called journalists where were you all on the last régime hiding under your skirts.
Go and write the truth,educate the people…give true pictures let the people to decide.
,
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Amarasiri / December 16, 2016
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
Under whose payroll are you in to promote Sea Piracy?
Rajapaksas who in 2014 decided to sell the Port to the Chinese because it was a White elephant? See what anura Kumara Dissanayake of JVP is revealing!
Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2014 Agreed rtosell Hambantota Port to Chinese to cover the Loans and Loses with 65/35 Split and in 2016 split due to continuing losses.
[Edited out]
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Jagath Fernando / December 16, 2016
Blown out of propotion.
All striking workers should be kicked out. Workers want to absorbed to SLPA so that they can get paid without working to full capacity just like their colleagues at Colombo port.
Are you aware that Chinese terminal in Colombo handle 2 million TEUs with 1,000 staff where as SLPA handles 2 million TEUs with 8,000 staff.!!!
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nimal fernando / December 17, 2016
To add to what I wrote,
This is in no way to condone what the Navy Commander did but to give another perspective.
It’s true the whole spectacle is undignified. But this is SL, we haven’t still come down from the trees; one leg up, one leg down.
Look how long a little force and a few stern words and an ultimatum from the minister took to end the “strike.” In true SL fashion, these are people who were vowing to die for their “cause!”
SL is a place, where people lick the boots that kick them.
One thing that should be said for the Navy Commander is, he had the guts to do his dirty work himself. Unlike Gotabaya who was a coward who sent out his crazed killers – like Charles Manson – to do his dirty deeds. Now everyone is braying for the Navy Commander’s blood while Gota, in tie and coat, going around the world teaching people how to be “professional.” People are falling at his feet; have to push people away, hardly any room at his feet. Oh! the land of my birth, can you not force one to go through this crap day after day?
In these things, the perceptions – visuals – play a big part; especially in this day and age of instant-media.
The poor sod, the Navy Commander, in that ridiculous kit instantly takes ones thoughts to the thug-behaviour one sees everyday on SL roads. And his weight and physical-appearance do him no favours – well, to put it mildly.
What people don’t realize is that, Che Guevara was a short stumpy guy, but a beret with a star, long hair and a beared could produce an iconic photographic-image that quickened the beat of “revolutionary” hearts all around the world. Well, visuals had no effect, eh?
This was one great handicap of our own great “revolutionary,” good old Prabakaran! Any amount of camera tricks with light and shade or – later – photo-shopping couldn’t have made him look “revolutionary.” The poor sod just looked ugly – as majority of Lankans do. Let’s face it, for a group of people marooned on a small isle, “good looks” aren’t our strongest point, eh? Well, to put it mildly – and had to hide in the shadows and conduct his “revolution.” In the “open” Prabakaran would have looked ridiculous as a revolutionary. So, he made up for it with spectacular “symbolic violence.” Boy, didn’t people take notice!
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Amarasiri / December 17, 2016
nimal fernando
“This is in no way to condone what the Navy Commander did but to give another perspective.”
Listen below for another perspective by Dr Ranga Kalansuriya rigarding Navy commander’s Attack.
It is called Self-interest of those who are behind. Listen to the Audio,
https://www.facebook.com/1153824361/videos/10211478729501250/
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Tani / December 19, 2016
Nimal Fernando
Whatever said about the Navy Commander, I too appreciate the way he acted here. You are right about perceptions, they play a big role in the minds of people and as you say, the visuals, too. I get the feel you are no longer a citizen of SL and may be you don’t get to watch the scenario here as closely as I do. No longer we see ‘People are falling at his feet; have to push people away, hardly any room at his feet’, not any more, picture is fading fast now, they have lost the glamour, Mahinda Rajapakse was seen recently at a temple and he does not speak sense and even the poor and uneducated here know that these cronies robbed the country’s wealth, in mass scale,even if you speak to a trishaw driver when you are here, you’d know he’s aware.
Only thing is as you say the visuals, one see them summoned to FCID to give statements for huge scale corruption issues and for collosal amounts they robbed and now placed us in this debt rut, these cronies come attired in expensive business suits and they smile in front of TV cameras showing off all their 32 teeth, and if an ordinary man robbed a fragment of it, he’d be ashamed to come in public, even in his ‘amude’ or loin cloth for that matter and that’s the difference here, anyway I feel, the bottom line is they have lost it all and contrary to your view, they are done. I agree, there are still a handful of people who follow this shameless cast and I can understand those who benefitted by them not deserting them, but why the so called educated seniors like GL Peiris, Vasudeva and Dinesh Gunawardena still holding the torch to these cronies, unless for the only reason to be their hunger for power, anyway a remote hope for them to ride in the Rajapakse bandwagon again!
“SL is a place, where people lick the boots that kick them” may be because creme de la creme of SL decided to desert Mother Lanka and serve in foreign soils, no hard feels, you are free to choose where you want to live, just a thought to ponder…. And if you are someone who did study up to A/Ls here, under the free education benefits Mother Lanka so generously offered even with her meager ‘developing country’ status, all the more reason that you should not talk like this, because you guys too have dodged responsibility and are to be blamed for the state of this country, you refer to as “land of my birth”, it is in today.
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Samuel Jayaweera / December 16, 2016
Very interesting.
Former Leader dares to go that far and request
1)not to sack those working personnels as announced by Govt (this is to keep those uneducated folks palatable)
in the same time
2) Make public statements – may be Govt intends to attack Navy this way, and that is the reason why Navy had to go through all these.
WITH ONE SHOT HE MAKES TO PLEASE BOTH VICTIMIZED SIDES.
THIS MAN IS ABSOLUTLY A NUMBER ONE RABBELROUSER, even if SOME FOLKS MAY INTERPRET IT IS THE POLITICAL MATURITY OF FORMER LEADER.
NO doubt, he has to pay for all these high CRIMES with the lot of high profile abuses deliberatly carried during his second terms (in the post war scenario).
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janaka / December 16, 2016
[Edited out]
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William Sacks / December 17, 2016
We do not have many professional journalists, these are the people who sold their souls for a laptop or a car permit and sometimes even for a bottle of arrack. There are many examples who cannot be named here. At least, we got some good news this time by threatening to sack those strikers. Same should be done with GMOA, IUSF, Bus drivers etc.
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BBS Rep / December 19, 2016
William,
Good idea to sack all these incompetents. But if we sack all rogues and incompetents there will be no one to do anything anywhere. Our countrymen are all rogues and incompetents from the President to the worst of the knaves(as Nimal Fernando says – licking the boots that kick them).
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Annesley Dias / December 16, 2016
The Journalist was only pushed back not assaulted or killed or he had no wounds to show of grievous assault.
Now the port is back to normal. I think the protesters should be charged for piracy.
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Native Vedda / December 16, 2016
Annesley Dias
“The Journalist was only pushed back not assaulted or killed or he had no wounds to show of grievous assault.”
That is what the former war criminal told the media:
Minister Sarath Fonseka said yesterday the Navy Commander had not attacked a journalist but he had only pushed him away from the security circle and that everything had happened in an acceptable manner.
dailymirror.lk.
You should go back to the original video clip and see for yourself. The thug in uniform tried to use his bare hands to neck snap the journalist.
RW is in agreement with what the thug in uniform did to the unarmed journalist. He has given the thug a photo opportunity and published it on Daily Mirror.
Instead the thug should have been charged for assault and battery.
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Spring Koha / December 17, 2016
True True…
How often have we heard these statements….
1) “We only wanted to scare-off Wasim Thajudeen” “He panicked and crashed his car”
2) “We only planned to frighten Lasantha but he somehow he got in the way of the bullets and, too late, we found the bullets were live. What to do”
3) “The surrendering terrorists were coming to us carrying a white flag and with hands up…..one of the privates panicked and fired. Sha, what a shame” “No terrorists were killed in the winning of our glorious war, OK?”
4) “This man Roshan was asking silly questions and I wanted to talk with him but when I got close he put his neck into my outstretched hands” – Captain Haddock.
Only in the Miracle of Asia.
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Native Vedda / December 18, 2016
Spring Koha
Thanks
Please bear with me are you saying 18,000 in 1971, 60,000 or more between 1987 and 1990, from 1981 to 2009 ?????? committed mass suicide?
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jim softy / December 16, 2016
Are these people funded by JO or Mahinda Rajapakse himself ?
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AJ / December 18, 2016
I heard they were funded by the BBS terrorists
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bo / December 16, 2016
Agree that the journalists should not be beaten up, but arrested and dealt with according to the law if they cross lines where they should not venture. Otherwise they deserve support and assistance to perform their duties.
Do not agree that press freedom is a blanket authority for the journos to do whatever they want in public. They are also subject to laws and regulation, as well as to good manners expected of them by the public.
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Amarasiri / December 16, 2016
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ),
//“The assault of a journalist by the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy is a condemnable act. The IFJ is seriously concerned by the assault of a journalist by the head of a security force and demands immediate action against him from the Sri Lankan government. Such an incident, if allowed to pass, not only undermines press freedom and the rights of the media but also has a chilling effect on free press.” the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said in a statement.//
Yes, this is a despicable act. Actually it is criminal act, unless the Journalist has trespassed the premises, and did not leave when asked to do so.
By the way, do you have list of despicable acts committed during the 10 years of Mahinda Rajapaksa rule?
By the way, do you have list of despicable acts committed during the 2 years of Maitripala Sirisena rule?
Isn’t the list too long? You can add this despicable to your list.
Do you want to contact the President Sirisna? After All 6.2 million voters voted for him. Currently he is in cahoots with Rajapaksa crooks and cronies, based on the stolen billions as “Santhosams”.
Anyway, the Harbor workers had no right to Stop foreign Vessels from entering or Leaving, and it was the Duty pf the Navy to Protect the Foreign Vessels from the Sea Piracy of the Harbor Workers.
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Dealdasa Horapaksa / December 16, 2016
Hiru Derana and Sirasa their Journos are despicable and all out to change regime and install the previous rogue government.
Yahapalanaya its time to act now before its too late.Rather than breaking parties in to two its high time to put the mega fraudsters and murderers to face justice,
Justice delayed justice denied.
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Simon De Silva / December 16, 2016
If Yahapalanaya COULD change years long infiltrated all appalling levels of abuses and corruption, like it is the case with SWITCH on/off, I simply believe, then I should have WON lotto dozens of times sofar.
However, much pledges made by politicians on the west, do work as it is promised by those european leaders. I still rememember at the time, Dr Merkel became first female Chancellor of the united Germany, outgoing Chanzellor dared to say ” Kirche sollte lieber in Dorf bleiben – Overestimating must not be done”.
But to this date, she is even more popular to every houshold irrespective of the various unexpected tensions emerged from opposition parties on the controversal asylum reforms.
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Dolalanga Manike / December 16, 2016
Let me add you my thoughts in terms of the mentioned MEDIA mafia activities.
HIRU – DERANA make every efforts to get their man back- who is MR.
Hiru would do the job by hook or crook – since the rapist/drug kinpin/murder convicted Duminda (their sibling) can only be set free, if Musalaya Rajaakshe woudl be back.
This is a day dream actually.
DERANA – is doing a servile service to their men – there is no whatsoever quality of the the news being spread by Derana.
They continue with all kind of KATTADIYA programmes, that came up in the high days of Royal aastrologer overwelemed the country .
SIRASA – is doing the job for MR and Sajith Premadasa.
Did you guys watch the programmes of DJ most misterable broker of all times for MR and Sajith – the selfish creature is invited for a few programmes weekly or monthly held by Sirasa.
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Silva / December 16, 2016
Mahinda sets up the Journalist to try and provoke an incident and the poor navy officer lost his cool and fell for the trap…
They need to be trained to handle these situations better.(Europ is the best for effective and well planned response for dealing with these situations with least confrontative approach but highly effective) Even though the journalist was clearly set up to create an incident if the navy had handled things in a professional manner and swiftly arrested all those protesters/pirates holding these international vessels hostage and charged them for piracy this incident could have been avoided!
The reluctance to take stern action with proper procedure is only going to lead to the Rajapaksas setting up more block like this for the Government…
Get the SL Military, Navy, Air force and police training from European countries to deal with these situations because we can expect more of these incidents in the future thanks to the Rajapaksas.
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Punchiburampi / December 16, 2016
MR dares to add his thoughts so shamelessly today.
One would pose him the question, why so called intelligent person failed to take the steps during his high days though being blessed with 2/3 of parliamentary mandate. At the time, with weakened perfomrmance of Opposition, he could already achieve all these constitutional reforms so easily than the current duo have been harrassing to do. All these to have happened, he should have been honest. Unfortunately, the man s true colours are still not known to own people.
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nimal fernando / December 16, 2016
Sure, there were better ways to handle the journalist.
But, a much bigger brouhaha is been made of the Navy commander’s shove and a slap than that was ever made of Lasnatha Wikeramatunga’s brutal murder and subsequent cover up.
No blood, guts and Jell-O pudding on the pavement. No one got killed.
Albert said everything is relative.
It seems, freedom is back with a vengeance in good old Lanka.
Time to rejoice?
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Douglas / December 16, 2016
Native Vedda: You said: ” A thug in uniform……” What are you talking about. Go back to the video clip and LEARN from the Field Marshal -( the one and only in Sri Lanka). That is the appropriate “UNIFORM” of a sailor who pilots a ship. There are only TWO who are qualified to steer a ship in Sri Lanka, (according to FM) and the one in that “UNIFORM” is none other than the present Commander of the Navy.
Yesterday, he (the Navy Commander) presented a report on the incident to the Prime Minister, and he (PM) commended the Navy Team for an excellent job done. What the “Report” contained we don’t know. You would have heard the Sinhala saying “Horage Ammagen Pena Ahanawa”- (seek the advice from the mother of the thief). Another question arises here. Normally, a report is submitted by the Security Chief to the person who ordered the “Mission”. Now we know WHO ordered the “Mission”. Where was the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces at the time of the “MISSION”? This indicates things to come and be ready. Relax and ENJOY the NEW form of GOOD GOVERNANCE, Is it THUNDER before shower or the other way around?
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srinath.gunaratne / December 16, 2016
I think everyone got the message,
Do you really have to disrupt public with this protest that nobody care two cents?
Looks like They are going to protect the navy chief?
Well, we do not have a publicly elected prosecutor, do we?
It is politicians who decide who to prosecute or not!
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DESHAPREMIYA / December 16, 2016
HOW COME WE LOSE SIGHT OF THE FACT THAT THESE TRADE UNIONS HIJACKED TWO FOREIGN VESSELS INSIDE A PORT AND THIS IS A CRIMINAL ACT. DO WE CONDONE SUCH ACTS? THIS IF NOT CONTROLLED IN TIME WOULD HAVE LED TO SHIPS BOYCOTTING THE PORT IN FUTUTE AND INSUANCE PREMIUMS HITTING HIGH DUE TO RISK OF HIJACKING.
THIS REPORTER SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER , AND WE THINK THE NAVY COMMANDER SHOULD HAVE ACTED IN A MORE RESPECTFUL MANNER BUT WE SUPPORT THE WAY HE QUELLED THE RIOTERS.
WE AS A NATION CANNOT TOLERATE SUCH ROWDY ACTS FROM ANYONE. THE THUGS FROM MEDAMULANA ARE TRYING TO START THEIR STUNTS AGAIN, THE GOVT MUST ACT WITH MORE IMPUNITY TO QUELL THESE.
IF THE COUNTRY IS TO PROSPER DECIPLNE MUST B INSTILLED IN EVERY ONE.
HAVE A BRODER DIALOG WITH MASSES ON ACTIONS OF GOVT AND EDUCATE THEM SO THEY WILL THINK TWICE BEFORE RESORTING TO THIS TYPE OF ACTS ON OPPOSITION INSTRUCTIONS
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Burt / December 16, 2016
Where were you guys when Navy, Army and Police was used to abduct citizens in white vans and do assassinations in some cases.
With the exception of a few media was part of the problem, the same people that were licking Rajapaksa’s slippers are now screaming brutality from the roof tops.
I just got one thing to tell you guys: Karma is a B!tch.
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Silva / December 17, 2016
Burt, yes things are much better with this government but the people of this nation should push them to higher standards that’s how a country progresses. Yes there will be those Mahinda supporters trying to blow these incidents out of proportion to try and make the government look bad.
But as a citizen who wants a better Sri Lanka one must always push for improvement where ever possible regardless of the government in power.
We don’t want our country going down a regressive path once again…
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Siri / December 17, 2016
Yes, now all have the freedom, let them do it to the hilt. All shades of protests in all nooks and corners of the country is the national pastime for all these kinds of suckers. Owning to this, people’s daily grinds are coming to a screeching halt, in all the directions the roads are in choker blocks. Man, by this, they don’t give a break for the normal forks to lead a good lives.
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BBS Rep / December 19, 2016
We are all getting a bit lost here. Many people are beginning to blame the journalists.
Take a moment to ponder. There were armed soldiers maintaining a line between the strikers and the journalist. The Navy Commander is pushing and jumping over his own armed security men to wring the neck of the journalist. And let loose a barrage of choice Mariakade invective.
If the Navy Commander can be condoned for acting in such a indecorous, and criminal manner just imagine what it tells about the rest of the country.
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JP Piyadasa / December 19, 2016
Where were all these journos when Lasantha Wickrematunge killed, Eknaligoda made to disappear, Upali Tennakoon beaten, Fredrica Janz threatend with life and made to flee country ?
And this journo has ignored the orders by Navy and gone into the high security area declared for the operation to release ships which were held for virtual ransom ?
Definitely they had the political backing of those who are pathetically craving for a comeback and this was the first time in history that such high handed action displayed when agitating for demands by port workers, of course they were temp workers, permanent staff would have acted more responsibly here, doubt very much if Chinese Company would hire them, no Sri lankan employer ever would.
Must appreciate the Navy Commander whatever allegations against him for promoting Yoshitha Rajapakse in the post and so on (Lot of officials acted in fear during the last regime, because they feared for their very lives).
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