On this program Sanjana Hattotuwa talks to Frederica Jansz, Former Editor-In-Chief, The Sunday Leader.
(Date of first Broadcast October 14,2012 – courtesy Young Asia Television)
httpv://vimeo.com/51209453
Video:Interview With Frederica Jansz
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Merril / October 13, 2012
To have a free flow of information and a diversity of viewpoints and interpretations of issues and problems, the media have to be free, otherwise there is no democracy.
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Binaramaliee / October 13, 2012
Meril, what are u talking about ? :((((
Do we have democracy at all today under the today^s rulers ? It is not even worth to discussing about democracy so long the nation is sleeping while the marauraders keep looting the country. Demo crazy would fit better to describe the present-day situation in the country.
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mike / October 13, 2012
I concur. With a MAD dictator at the helm, what can one expect? I wish Frederica all the best in her endeavours for further advancement internationally.
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Haran / October 13, 2012
Enjoyed watching the interview of Frederica Jansz with Sanjana Hattotuwa.
Well done – congratulations.
Frederica Jansz can be compared to ex-PM, Margret Thatcher of UK.
Frederica stands by her policy.
It is an honour to say, Frederica is an “Iron Lady”
It is not an easy task to work against a dictatorial regime in Sri Lanka
Frederica has to very cautious!
In this earth, a very few stand by their policy and Frederica Jansz is one of that.
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Binaramaliee / October 13, 2012
The problem is that the leaders of the country today are not that smart with their policies. Even if people in Kelaniya area are being blackmailed by Mervin (most controversal minister in MR ‘s cabinet), country^s leader seem to be paying a blind eye.
If the leaders of the country today were open as Frederica has been, nothing can stand on our way to becoming like Singapore.
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Haran / October 14, 2012
Agreed.
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janaka / October 14, 2012
Singapore is hundred years ahead and the uneducated uncultu
red helping Hambantota shower can never catch up.
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Donald J Gnanakone / October 13, 2012
What a farce of an interview it was, by Sanjana who did not ask any hard questions although he is aware of most of the facts..
It is strange that FJ now talks about a formidable team with Sonali Samarasinghe, who legally speaking was the widow of the murdered widow of the founder and Editor in Chief of Sunday Leader, Lasantha, although it was only for 13 days.
Sonalie Samarasinghe was the sister in law for life now of owner and chairman of Lal Wickrematunge, who cuts a sorry picture that he could not afford to pay for a regular column from Sister in Law (Machal) Sonalie, who after all was a senior journalist and wife of the brother Lasantha.
Who is Fredereica kidding? or more directly fooling…
So Sunday Leader did not have any editor for 3-4 weeks in January 2009?
It is a fact that Lal was trying to sell the newspaper even when Lasantha was alive. It is never the Editor’s job or role to initiate talks for a newspaper to go for an IPO, bring in investors or the sale and paid a commission and compensation of a princely sum of over 10 million rupees!!! So did Lal the seller pay for services rendered as broker and editor “In Chief”..
Sanjana avoided questions such as compensation and applying for an Australian Visa for political asylum claiming her life and her children’s life was in imminent danger… Her boys are over 24 years and that was world news about the rejection as she gave public interviews to the international media, as if she has been wronged by the Australian government rejecting a political asylum..
There are new documentaries and books on Lasantha, which would be more revealing than this one sided interview to promote as if Asanga has been unfair by the editor…despite giving her a generous 10-11 million rupee financial package and more from Lal!!!!!
After spending over 100 million rupees by paying Lal for 72% of the newspaper, the buyer has the right to have his own editor to shape the new direction and protect his investment… Sunday Leader after Lasantha’s murder had totally changed, even with Frederica as Editor and lost most of it’s loyal readership…
There are more skeletons that will fall from that cupboard.
[Edited out]
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Dilan / October 14, 2012
Donald J Gnanakone
Don’t talk anything thorough hat!
You are defending a wrong man because you want to get into good books with Asanga, whom you claim as a friend.
Has Asanga personally told you anything about his deal?
Defending Asanga means you are defending a friend of dictator!
You being a Tamil has not learned anything about the Sri Lankan set-up, because you are always play one sided game.
By the way what happend to you friends Ranil and others of the UNP.
Stop taking side and look at the grievience done to an Editor of a news paper which was frequent attack of President Rajapaksa’s dictatorial regime.
Keep it mind, I am not going to reply again.
By
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Jeremy Holmes / October 13, 2012
Great interview…..A sad day for Sri Lanka.
The concept of an investor or investment advisor getting involved in the Sunday leader for financial gain through IPOs or any other instruments to raise money is a laughable one…Frederica I am sorry..you are a great journalist and someone to be admired…but your understanding of how the financial markets work lacks depth!!
This was a strategic play from the very early stages…..the end game being to acquire the paper and control it or shut it down.
The play was based on “Show a man dieing of thirst… some water”giving him all sorts of options as to what he can do to get some to drink ie give him a dream….then one by one shut down the dreams till the dieing man is left with no options but to take the last possibility on offer to get the water or some relief…an offer from the advisor to buy!!
By the way the dieing man in this case would have been very happy to die if he had not been shown the water!!
The new look sunday leader with the controlled editorial content is probably going to continue for another year or less before the new investor repackages and passes it on as another dream to some other naive person who thinks he is going to make money in a “me too”newspaper without an editorial edge in a small market that is Sri Lanka…
The benefit to the investor is not a monetary one….he has just done a huge favor to the people in power and so for… in his terms… a small investment… he has achieved what all the thuggery,murder and mayhem could not do before!!A great win and great kudos and lots of govermnent sponsored money to come with it!!
World wide print publications are struggling to survive and they are a dieing industry…they are mostly kept going by people with ideals and a history in the newspaper business.They are certainly not being picked up by investors!!
Other than of course investors with a vested interest who have an agenda which has nothing to do with running a profitable newspaper!!
One has to ask one self in the above context “Why would a “high flying investor”that has been known to do some of the biggest deals in Sri Lanka bother about….in financial terms… a “minnow”like the Sunday leader?
Sad,Sad Sri Lanka…how my heart bleeds for you…a country that stumbles from one internationally negative crisis to the next…a country that cannot even look at itself in the mirror and realise and understand their place in the world and what they have to achieve as a nation to even be noticed internationally as a possible legitimate investment destination!!
What investors see now is a compromised legal system,a currency thats becoming an extremely high risk proposition,a stock market thats been manipulated by owners of Ad Agencies, a President who was one of the greatest human rights campaigners when he was a politician and today who condones or ignores gross abuse of human rights..a Central Bank Governor who looks and sounds like he is running a finacial brothel catering to the highest bidder,A parliament that has members who accuse people of assaulting themselves,a police command who slap lesser officers to maintain discipline,Army officers who make accusations one day and then deny them the next…this list could run into pages and pages in the same vein!!
And then to the people you meet in Colombo who are completely blinded to the reality of how Sri Lanka is seen intternationally…it almost seems like they dont read their own partially free newpapers and certainly not any international ones!!And they genuinely and with a lot of feeling say “macang come and invest in Sri lanka you can make money”!!
Yes my dear dear friends….I can only answer you in Lasanthas words….”And then they came for me”!
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John / October 14, 2012
Well written Jeremy, I cannot agree more with your views and concerns I’m sure are shared by many ‘right thinking’ people in this country.
In Sri Lanka, people by habit shoot the messenger or rather recognize the person but not the problem though staring at every one whether readers of the Leader or not.
As for me, FJ was a revelation to journalism in SL having been accustomed to similar publications in democracies. I’m already becoming used to the mundane politically correct stuff dished out to the public by most other papers in SL? I do miss the trademark FJ editorials which alas are no more – what a sad demise of a great self-believing journalist ….. over a ‘puppy story’!!
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Issac Newtom / October 14, 2012
Fredrica Jansz did a lot good things but she did the biggest betrayal at the behest of Ranil & MR by running the white flag story and ruining the chances of the General and this kakul matuwa did irreparable damage to General Political career . Senior Journalist like her should have been more careful or she did it for selfish reasons to be the journalist of the year . When i put this on Sunday Leader She blocked it on online edition !!! She is not the rose she is pretending to be . Hope she will answer this !!!!
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gamini / October 14, 2012
Issac Newtom for your information the story of the white flag runs thus. After VP allowed the Tamil civillians to leave, although it was hyped that they were held as a Human Shield, the rest of the LTTE with VP were to surrender to the govt. Forces to take them as prisoner as agreed with VP earlier. Sarath Fonseka was out of the country and on orders of the American command Gota had them bombed and the rest were captured and massacred. Although SF came out with this story as he was not involved, due to pressure from the Americans fearing they would be exposed and Gota threatening SF he would be dealt for treason, SF had to retract his story. Now all are quiet for the fear of the American involvement who from day one was supporting MR and are yet continuing to do so.
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David Blacker / October 15, 2012
What you saw in your dreams shouldn’t be posted as fact, “Gamini”.
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gamini / October 15, 2012
Hello David long time no see! Let us wait and see whether it is my dream or your hallucination. The plot of the Drama was obviously not discussed at your level, but with the very top in the Forces and you were not privy to such information. So all of you were led to believe what was dished to you from the MCNS. Further do you know the reason why the Americans wanting to question SF, when he went to the US before the last Presidential Election, did not persue detaining him? David you know only one side of the picture. My strong advice to you is better keep quiet if you do not know the truth. Let us wait and see whether the GOOD will over run the EVIL at the highest of places in the World, for the TRUTH to come out.
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ayanthirkg / October 14, 2012
FJ you rock! All those suck ups go to hell
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Senguttuvan / October 14, 2012
Gamini – You say the Americans are involved in wiping out VP and the LTTE. The Rajapakses, the Sinhala supremacists and others say it was the Americans that kept the LTTE/VP alive with collusion from the
Norwegians. There are far too many contradictions. What is not accepted is the reality on the ground. In not allowing the Tamils their legitimate dues we have brought all this on to ourselves and the country is about to collapse – with one noted analyst claiming here we are close to a Sovereign Debt default. The latest controversy where Gotabaya calls for the repealing of the 13th Amendment can only bring us further alienation and trouble. It will also subject the regime to much internal tension.
Senguttuvan
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gamini / October 15, 2012
Senguttuvan, The Americans kept the LTTE/VP alive and kicking up till they had deals with MR, whom they are backing now, although unseen. Please do not believe because I say so. See for yourself from the events that has already taken place. The deletion of the 13th Amendment is a foregone conclusion which I mentioned elsewhere. The remaining lot of LTTE, i.e. KP et al including Sambanthan will have to agree as the 13th Amendment will be the UNWRITTEN part of the Constitution that will be given to the Tamils of the NE, where the Rajapaksas will drum to the ears of the Moda Sinhalese that it has been deleted. Another Victory for MR, for the Moda Sinhalese to Celebrate. Last time VP got played out. This time around I think the rest will.
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Senguttuvan / October 15, 2012
Gamini – The yanks have had us in the post-2009 period lock, stock and barrel. The Rajapakse Bros are beholden to them in more than one way. 2 of the Brothers are caught into the Green Cards process. So Sarath Fonseka – that exposes the hollowness of the American system of Visa Lotteries. The Americans can put the screws on the Bros on their own unaccountable assets and investments in the US and elsewhere. If Blake/State lose their cool, they will use the WB/IMF to create havoc because we have borrowed far, far more than we can produce the resources to pay. The Rajapakses can fool the local yakkos – not the yanks and the injuns.
The 13th amendment is part of a solemn agreement that is part of a protocol between 2 countries. It cannot be “deleted” to ones whims and fancies – as you do in a computer keyboard. Gotabaya once more exhibits his ignorance when he hoarsely calls for its removal, which is a function that falls within the ambit of our Parliament. The elder brother is more balanced than this but may enjoy the heat generated. Your other speculation is possible from a clique known for deception and trickery. Like in the FUTA case, when the going gets tough the Rajapakses will meekly surrender despite initial brouha, using different escape routes.
Senguttuvan
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gamini / October 16, 2012
Senguttuvan, you seem confident that the 13th amendment will not be abrogated. Well what happened to the Merger of the North and East, that was also part and parcel of the same Accord? I agree it is a strategy allowing the third world Leaders to rob and bank in the Swiss Accounts, as then only the Americans have leverage to blackmail these leaders to get them to do what they want as otherwise they lose all including their lives. If you believe that the Rajapaksas will be taken to task by the Americans for abrogating the 13th Amendment, you mark my words that it will be the reality very soon. Yet nothing will happen to the Rajapaksas as there is a lot more they have to deliver to the Yankies, before they become redundent.
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Senguttuvan / October 17, 2012
Gamini (Oct 16) You probably know GoSL has a poor record among the leading Govts in the world for their callous disregard to honour sovereign commitments. Blake put it in record recently in so many words – and he was speaking for a very important and responsible Govt.
I do not say the Rajapakses cannot seek a repeal of the 13th – but what I say is they should not – in the interests of our history of honouring our international obligations. But with changing times circumstances too can change. After all its a quarter of a century now and both the Sinhala and Tamil sides want a review. The way to go about is to initiate bilateral talks with the Indians to secure the necessary rational changes through the diplomatic path. Remember the moment we talk of repealing the 13th Amendment Jayalalitha and friends will use the opportunity to ask for the repealing of the Kachaitivu Protocol – a much weaker and badly done agreement.
Senguttuvan
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gamini / October 18, 2012
Senguttuvan, you are still relying on Robert Blake and America to deliver? It will only happen if pressure is enforced by Louis Arbour, Navi Pillai, Gordon Weisse crowd, pushes this beyond Robert Blake and crowd for the UN to act. Not otherwise.
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Asela K / October 18, 2012
Margaret Thatcher my foot! You dont need asylum. You need to go to a mental asylum frederica jansz. You were the broker in the business deal and you got a good cut. So quit complaining. There are people with worse problems
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billy / October 28, 2012
Janz is all about Yarns. She does not say what this other matter is that she met Asanka for the first time? Was it not so that Asanka could lobby her to stop a story she was to print that was detrimental to him? This was the typical sunday leader deal. in essence they had Asanka by his short and curlies! But the deal maker he is, asanka made sure he got the better of lal and frederica.
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