Concerns have been raised at the ongoing review of Sri Lanka’s human rights record about blocking news websites including Colombo Telegraph, Sri Lanka Mirror and Lankaenews.
Dr. Anja Seibert-Fohr
UN Human Rights Committee member Dr. Anja Seibert-Fohr had addressed concerns over the blocking of news websites that carry dissenting views and sensitive information and had inquired about the legal framework that has been used to enforce the blocking of websites.
The reviewing of Sri Lanka’s human rights record before the 18-member independent expert committee commenced yesterday and is ongoing today as well.
Related posts;
President Rajapaksa Phoned TRC Palpita To Ask Colombo Telegraph Blockade
Ranil Demands Rajapaksa Unblock Web Sites
TRC Head Palpita ‘Selective’ And ‘Inconsistent’
Dhanapala Steps Down From Dialog Board
Fears For Ad Revenue From Dialog Stops Sri Lankan Print Media From Taking Dhanapala Issue
‘I Give Dhanapala The Benefit Of The Doubt’ Says Radhika
Calling Jayantha Dhanapala A Liar, Or The Tragedy Of Lankan Public Life
Swedish Govt. Appointee Dhanapala’s Unethical Behavior Embarrassment To The SIPRI
‘Dhanapala Must Choose’ Says Saravanamuttu
Picture Evidence: After Dhanapala Addressed BASL Meeting Dialog Blocked Colombo Telegraph Again
Dialog Unblocked Colombo Telegraph For Dhanapala To Address A Public Meeting
Jayantha Dhanapala Is A Liar; Caught Lying Over Silence On Colombo Telegraph Blocking
Jayaratne Says Dhanapala Will Stand By Best Practices, Dhanapala Pussyfoots On Illegal Web Blocking
International Press Institute Urges UN To Ensure Interference With Colombo Telegraph Ends
Article 19 Slams Ban On Colombo Telegraph Website
Dhanapala May Be Influenced By Large Payment He Receives From Dialog – Professor Kumar David
‘Dhanapala’s Position Ethically Untenable’ Says Dr. Pradeep Jeganathan
Sri Lanka Blocks Websites And The President Lies On Twitter
Once Again Colombo Telegraph Blocked; Dialog And Etisalat Tamper DNS Responses
TRC Blocks Colombo Telegraph, Warns Service Providers To Maintain It’s A ‘Technical Glitch’
Colombo Telegraph Blocked, How To Reach Us Now: Sri Lanka Telecom And Mobitel Joins The DPI Club!
Sri Lankan Govt. Periodically Blocked Colombo Telegraph In 2013: US Human Rights Report
History of Colombo Telegraph blocking
First -December 26, 2011 – We are blocked but we will not be stopped
Second – May 8, 2012 – Colombo Telegraph Blocked Again
Third – March 29, 2013 – Sri Lanka Blocks Colombo Telegraph and Selected Tweets: Colombo Telegraph Unblocked
Fourth – August 23, 2013 – Colombo Telegraph Blocked, How To Reach Us Now: Sri Lanka Telecom And Mobitel Joins The DPI Club!
Other attempts
President Rajapaksa Phoned TRC Palpita To Ask Colombo Telegraph Blockade
October 26, 2012 – Colombo Telegraph Was Hacked
August 9, 2012 ColomboTelegraph Password Cracking Attempt Blocked
Freedom House Report: Freedom On The Net 2012, Sri Lanka Is A Country At Risk
Amarasiri / October 8, 2014
Dear UN Human Rights Committee member Dr. Anja Seibert-Fohr ,
Mara and the shills do not want the truth to be known. It is like kind of Inquisition. They have White Vans instead of bonfires to bake.
By the way can you get some Sri Lanka writers, any Sri Lanka writer to write a Common Sense Pamphlet, just like Thomas Paine did for the american revolution in 1776?
What can writers and other do? Expose.. Expose and Expose the Mara regime.
The current perception is that Rajapaksa Hegemony has taken over the UPFA/SLFP and people do not want dynasties.
What can the writers do? Expose. what can the people do? Vote against MaRa and the criminal gang.
Dr. Anja Seibert-FohrKusal, thanks for a very good analysis and exposure. Can you be the Anonymous Author and Produce a Sri Lankan version of Common Sense in Sinhala, Tamil and English? You will do as much service to Lanka, the Land of Native Veddah Aethho, just like Thomas Paine did for America and France.You can expand this write up, and get there.
Say, Because I have Common Sense, I will not vote for Mr. Rajapaksa and their criminal cronies for a continuation of a Family Dynasty, and say that Sri Lanka is a Republic.
Rajapaksa had the opportunity. The power corrupted them. The People are sick of them. They even used Buddhism towards their ends. Even Sinhala Buddhists are fed up them, and they are showing their true colors.
An Anonymous Author like Thomas Paine is needed with a Common Sense Pamphlet to expose the King, King George, the Rajapaksa Clan. Read, the Common Sense Pamphlet , by Thomas Paine, that inspired the American Revolution along with the other events. Common Sense (pamphlet)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Sense_(pamphlet)
Produce a Commons sense Pamphlet for Sri Lanka and say why it is in the best interest of the people of Sri Lanka to remove the King, aka Rajapaksa Dynasty from power and let the Republic be a Republic and Not a dynasty. This Pamphlet, in Sinhala, Tamil and English, need to be sent to each and every Sri Lankan Citizen, just like Thomas Paine’s Common Sense pamphlet.
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Jay Chambers / October 8, 2014
Dr. Seibert,
While you are focusing on this far away island called Lanka, if you take a close look at the world map you will find other countries that you have probably overlooked. I don’t know for what you have the doctorate for, but I am sure with such erudition you will be able to easily distinguish the following countries in the world map – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, U.A.E.. Just take these five for now. Do some comparison of not only Human Rights but also the ability of their citizens to even drive a car on their own. Your gender (female) is not very visible in these countries and are not allowed to even step out of their homes without male relatives accompanying them. Your gender (female) cannot drive a car, vote , hold positions in government and other institutions. Also, there are tens of thousands of immigrant women who are in slave labor throughout these countries.
So if there is a way for you to get “honorary male” type pass, visa you should be able to find out for yourself the practices in these countries and decide whether you should spend your valuable time assessing the merits of focusing on sharks instead of trying to catch tiny sprats in far away Lanka.
You are probably new to this but do check also why some of your long-time UN colleagues have turned a blind eye to these countries. It may be a good idea to see whether some of your colleagues have transparent bank accounts and whether any unaccounted for remittances of large magnitude have reached them while they were in positions similar to yours.
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Piranha / October 9, 2014
She is UNHRC committee member and is looking at other countries as well which you are blind to. Other countries may have HR issues but only in Sri Lanka tens of thousands of civilians were massacred at the behest of the regime in power and the regime is preventing the NGOs from exposing these atrocities.
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anonymous / October 9, 2014
I am sorry Jay, you are a very confused individual. As a person who has worked in four out of the five countries you have mentioned, none of their actions can be compared to what is happening in Sri Lanka. I think you should educate yourself a little bit more about these counties and their ethnic-cultural backgrounds.
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anonymous / October 8, 2014
“Making an arbitrary decision does not amount to justice. Having considered arguments for and against, the wise decides the case” #Dammapada verse 256
Thank you, Dr. Anja Seibert-Fohr for addressing.
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Eusense / October 9, 2014
Colombo Telegraph has blocked many of my posts and does not allow me to post links while it allows others who are anti-Sri Lankan to do so.
Who will raises concerns Over this blocking??
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srilal / October 9, 2014
ITN,Rupavahini, Daily noise etc etc …
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Sylvia Haik / October 15, 2014
This is not true as I have read many of the tripe you and your compatriot Jay Chambers write. Many of them look like regurgitated vomit copied and pasted from questionable journals. Incidentally, every post CT deletes, they mention that fact with your names and I have seen hardly any with your names.
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Jay Chambers / October 9, 2014
Eusense, I faced the same thing. CT itself is self censoring, why does this pot call the kettle back???
CT, if you have the guts to publish ANY article without censoring I will freely admit that you should not be blocked by anyone, should not be censored. Are you ready for the challenge?
Now don’t tell us that the editor has certain rights. I never use profanities, I never stoop to the level of calling anyone names, you can just read my censored comments and you will see what I have said.
I think the government of Sinhale ( I have now started using the term proposed by the BBS CEO, I feel just like the land of English is England, Scotland, Ireland the Sinhalese should call their country by that name) has all the right to monitor, censor and ban media and material unless all parties such as CT allow freedom of expression to us readers. Let’s see whether you can win us over.
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srilal / October 9, 2014
Ha Ha ….guess who is complaining now , CT is the only respected news portal/forum that any one can find , you must consider yourself extremely lucky to have your racist views published here, mate i’ve got a suggestion to make you though , why don’t you try other patriotic forums (Ada Derana , daily Mirror etc )instead of this anti Sinhale forum , your patriotic comments will never be censored , guaranteed !
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Ram / October 9, 2014
You must represent the ‘editorial board’ of the CT to confirm so willingly that this is an “anti-Sinhala forum.
No wonder the Sinhala have to to bear the brunt of such insolence being described as stupid, moda etc by a semi-literate rabble. The articles themselves are also of varying quality though snippets of wisdom do appear from time to time.
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Robert.R / October 9, 2014
You are confusing me Ram, Jay Chambers and Nuisense.
Is someone holding a gun to your head and making you read and post comments on colombo tele?
If you don’t like it I suggest the weekly letters corner of Daily News. I am sure they will include your submissions.
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Ram / October 9, 2014
Your confusion is not something new. You would love an open field where the anti-Sinahala racist diatribe can continue unopposed.
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Robert.R / October 9, 2014
You are the ones complaining baby, not me. I was merely pointing out that there are alternatives if you don’t like CT.
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Ram / October 10, 2014
The answer is in the above response.
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Native Vedda / October 9, 2014
Ramu
“You would love an open field where the anti-Sinahala racist diatribe can continue unopposed.”
Most of us if not all oppose anti sinhala racist diatribe. However you are confused between Sinhala/Buddhist racist like you and Sinhala or Buddhist people.
Sinhala/Buddhist racists have to learn to live with others.
It should be our religious duty to oppose every Sinhala/Buddhist racist who has a perverted sense of history even the recent ones.
Not enough anti Sinhala/Buddhists diatribe therefor could we have more please. I love to have open field day.
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Eusense / October 9, 2014
rob,
You appear to be weak and easy to get confused. You need to use your brain for a bit. The people who’s names you give write here because there is a need for some serious education for die hard CT readers like you.
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Jay Chambers / October 10, 2014
If anyone thinks that CT is not self censoring, just for fun write an article criticizing their favorite writers. It will not see the light of the day.
High time someone started a website where all the articles that get rejected and censored by CT can be published. I am sure that website will gather a tremendous following.
Sinhale (yes Sinhale, a la BBS – it is simple and easy to use) is a small country recovering from 30 years of terrorism now facing the specter of emerging Moslem barbarism and likely to become a Moslem majority Islamic Republic within 20 years or less. The first shot that the Lanka Jihadis fired was to force or coerce all women to cover themselves head to toe like a bunch of ghosts. And the men sport unsightly, ghastly beards. Next step is assaulting monks, smashing Buddha figures, etc. etc. Sinhala people should not wait for that to happen. CT and others are unpatriotic websites with an agenda to demean, devalue and make fun of the native innocence of the Buddhist Sinhala people. Venerable monks such as Gnanasara and WiraThu are the only way the poor Buddhists can fight back when their leaders are sleeping or drugged by the bribes from Moslems.
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Robert.R / October 10, 2014
Jay, see my comment above !
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Jim softy / October 16, 2014
CT edits our posts, some times, do not allow us to post.
Why UNHRC is not noticing that.
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