Former journalist Poddala Jayantha has requested Housing and Construction Minister Sajith Premadasa not to name a model village after him, as the culprits of assault on many Sri Lankan journalists still enjoy impunity.
Premadasa recently named four model villages in the Hambantota districts after Lasantha Wickrematunge, Keith Noyahr, Upali Tennakoon and Poddala Jayantha who were attacked by military-affiliated gangs under the watch of the Rajapaksa government. Wickrematunga succumbed to his fatal wounds while the other three fled the country.
Jayantha, a well-known media activist, was abducted by an armed gang that came in a white van. He was tortured by the abductors in an inhuman manner and was left to die on a street in a suburb close to Colombo.
The exiled journalist expressed disappointment with Premadasa’s attempt to further his political agenda by using the names of journalists who became victims of vicious attacks that still remain unresolved. “Justice will be served to when not when you name model villages after them, but when you probe the attacks on them and bring the perpetrators to book.”
Jayantha said he saw no meaning in naming villages after the journalists who came under attack without any serious attempt to apprehend the perpetrators.
He also added that the politicians should not name publicly-funded projects, such as model villages and housing projects, according to their own whims and fancies.
Jayantha, in his letter to Premadasa, said it was appalling that Sirasa, a media organization that came under several attacks under the Rajapaksa government, is now pointing fingers at civil society organizing demanding fair coverage. The journalist asked if Premadasa, a ‘favourite’ of Sirasa owner R. Rajamahendran alias Killi Maharaja, agreed with the media organization’s present conduct.
The journalist asked the Minister to request President Sirisena, who is often held in great respect by the Premadasa, to stop interfering with the investigations carried out by the Criminal Investigations Department. He said it was Sirisena who exerted pressure on senior Army officials and prevented them from divulging crucial information in relation to attacks against journalists.
Shyam / January 21, 2019
I salute this man.
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anonymouse / January 21, 2019
So do I.
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postmodern hate bag / January 21, 2019
I do not. Why salute somebody when all they are doing something which “they think” is right. What’s right to him might be wrong to somebody else. So he is just using these structures and assumptions to opress others. Stop opressing people with your pseudo structures. Let us live the way we want.
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anonymous / January 21, 2019
“What’s right to him might be wrong to somebody else.”
Exactly, it is true for everybody.
” Let us live the way we want.”
You are not supposed to use the word “We” in that case as others might not be with you at all. Is it the ‘Jarapaksa’ clan you are referring to?
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Emil van der Poorten / January 21, 2019
postmodern hate bag:
You couldn’t have found a better pseudonym given what you have to say and how you say it. The term “epitome of hypocrisy” comes to mind here.
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Eagle Eye / January 21, 2019
Has Sajith named any of his villages after the journalists murdered during JRJayawardena and Ranasinghe Premadasa regimes?
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Eagle Eye / January 21, 2019
How about naming a model village in the name of Richard de Zoysa ???
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Sinhale Kumara / January 24, 2019
There is already one. That is Soyzapura.
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Desperate Sinhalaya / January 21, 2019
BP Egale Eye,
You always shoot the messengers.
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Get well Evil Eye, you have no chance truths will never stay permantly burried under the carpet.
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Weatherman / January 21, 2019
Well said Poddala.
This is a good way to gauge the sincerity of Sajith and the rest of Ranil’s group with regard to prosecuting the abductors, and killers and organizers of the regime that was responsible for what occurred with the journalists and others who were critical of MR, Gota and that lot of horrors who are still trying to make a comeback.
Time for pressure to be applied by us all to the wimps in charge!
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JD / January 21, 2019
OHHHHHH, This is saying Sajith Talk to NGOs first before considering any political manoevers. Sajith in his entire life as the Minister for building UDAGAMAs, has built 3140 (157 X 20) houses. What is special these houses building is not handed over to Engineering and comstruction ministry.
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JD / January 21, 2019
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JD / January 21, 2019
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2
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K.Pillai / January 21, 2019
It takes a long long time for a village to evolve its code of conduct, the spirit of honesty, tolerance and simplicity. One wonders as to whether a village can be created.
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WhiteVanned, tortured and left for dead journalist Poddala Jayantha is skeptical about a village being named after him.
Here is a chance for Sajith to prove his sincerity. He may name a predominantly Sinhala speaking village after a disappeared Tamil journalist.
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hancho pancha / January 21, 2019
This illustrates the Hypocritical contents of our politician minds. They are all sophisticated thieves only interested in making their fill.
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Raj-UK / January 21, 2019
Sajith should also name a village after Richard de Zoysa. After all, Richard was an internationally recognised journalist who was murdered in similar circumstances.
Some years ago, John Snow, the anchorman for Channel 4 News, declined a knighthood stating that he was just doing his job while there were others who deserved recognition for their acts of courage or selfless contribution to humanity. Since then, I have the highest respect for John Snow & now Poddala Jayantha has my equal respect.
Sajith is looking for cheap popularity. If he is truly concerned about freedom of speech, he should be actively engaged in exposing & bringing to justice those who violate human rights instead of building monuments & naming villages after violated people. That is the best tribute he can give them.
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Sandra Aponso / January 21, 2019
Brilliant Poddala.
Sajith should be taken to task by the UNP front line cabinet ministers. He is in bed with MS and during the Constitutional coup he never criticized Shitysena
Sajith is dancing according to Killi Maharaja’s baila music
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desperateasnoother / January 21, 2019
Sandra.
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We stood against SENIOR PERMADAS in 1989. Amnesty international collected signatures there we too added ours. THe pettition was against Premadasa. Premadasa is brutal as Rajaapakshe. Both of them behave so rude on the public stage. These men are the ones that promote mlechcha life styles so that people today are dominated by rascal culture.
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Over 50 K were gunned down or hung by their heads being shot in southern and other parts fo the country – by JVP-UNP insurgency in 89. To that time, just being an undergrad of a local uni, was good enough to be abducted and let burnt on tyre pyres.
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Luckily I left country for my further studies. Many of my batchas were no longer alive to share me what happened then. Parents that lost their sons went mad permamently or those families became life long miserable. One my good childhood buddies- colombo medical faculty, did not return home, late got to know that he had been gunned down. He was not a JVPr but just an another Uni activists ( not proactive though).
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I dont think Premadasa Junior would behave the way marching the same path of his father, but I believe he needs to collect lot more experience first becoming a PM then the President. No doubt, he will make it, there fore, next RW to allow presidency is what I feel. I am not a party sympathiser, but I believe, SLFP and SLPP are beyond all ethics and morals, so only party that can give a lead is UNP. Sarath fonseka should be given law and order under an UNP govt. Then we can expect a greater change in this country , that is crystal clear to me.
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Raj / January 21, 2019
Sajit thinks he is smart but at the end he proves he is the real fool among all the UNPers. Look at this story; now people come to think about those journalists who were killed during his father’s time. Richard de Soyza and Premakeerthi are just two of them. What about the 60,000 young people died in vain during R. Premadasa’s time? Batalanda is another Guantanamo Bay for Sri Lankans. Isn’t it? That’s why UNP can not win any election in Sri Lanka now. Even if people give them a slight chance to rectify themselves (like we did in 2015), the very first thing they do is to rob the nation.
In 2015, just after Jan 08, they started with the most lucrative place: Central Bank. They used Maitree as a cat’s paw to do many unpatriotic and myopic things. Hiding behind Maitree, they thought they could do whatever they wanted. When Maitree realized it, the horse had already escaped. That’s why we can not catch Mahendran and other crooks who got involved in those robberies. UNP’s selective justice with regard to the Rajapaksas is dispicable. The Rajapaksas at least finished the terror war and brought peace to the country. What the hell this UNP had done for the poor; simply nothing. Even bank robbers get their minister posts back! Isn’t that hillarious!!
Look at the case of ‘Sena’! This government has no plan to resolve the issue. Will the UNP companies that imported this ‘pest’ from the US/Africa/India pay any compensation to the poor farmer? No. That will also go to the poor tax payers’ account.
‘Is this a government?’ many Sri Lankans now ask themselves. They have said enough is enough and they will continue to confirm it at the upcoming elections!
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SJ / January 24, 2019
Tamil journals and journalists suffered most in the hands of violators of the freedom of the media.
A number of Tamil journalists have been killed– some by agents of the state, some by agents of the LTTE and some by other Tamil parties.
Strangely little is said nowadays, even by Tamil commentators, about their killings, with the exception of DP Sivaram’s.
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Podala is right.
The biggest tribute to courageous journalists will be to bring to book the murderers of journalists and attackers of the media.
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