Tamil newspaper office set ablaze in Sri Lanka

[RISING SUN]

Tamil newspaper office set ablaze in Sri Lanka, fifth media attack this year
Three armed men set fire to the printing machine of a Tamil-language newspaper that is critical of the Sri Lankan government, forcing the paper to halt printing, the editor said on Saturday.

The attack on the Uthayan newspaper office is the fifth attack on the media since January in Sri Lanka's former war zone in the north, and the second after the United Nations passed a resolution on March 21 calling on the government to address human rights violations.

"Three men wearing helmets threatened my staff at the printing section and set fire to the main printing machine," Thevanayagam Premananth, the editor of the Uthayan, told Reuters.

Uthayan is the leading newspaper in the island nation's northern peninsula of Jaffna. It has been critical of President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government, and the military.

Last week, an unidentified group of people attacked another Uthayan office, leaving five workers injured.

E. Saravanapavan, a lawmaker with the Tamil National Alliance party, which was linked to the former ethnic Tamil separatist rebels, said the government's failure to take action after previous attacks has encouraged violence against newspapers in the north. Provincial council polls are due in that region later this year.

Police spokesman Buddhika Siriwardena said an investigation is underway.

Lakshman Hulugalla, director general at the Media Centre for National Security, part of the defence ministry, said initial investigations indicated the attack was an "inside job to tarnish the image of the government."
Tamil newspaper office set ablaze in Sri Lanka, fifth media attack this year : Asia, News - India Today

 

[Gandhi G in da house]

Sri Lanka , yet another neighbour of ours that won't learn from its mistakes.

Say hello to another LTTE in a few years , and this time only Lanka will be responsible. None else.

 

[Kazhugu]

Sri Lanka , yet another neighbour of ours that won't learn from its mistakes.

Say hello to another LTTE in a few years , and this time only Lanka will be responsible. None else.

they were responsible for the first time too...only that everyone thought they would have learnt from their mistakes....but no...apparently not....this time they are taking on the muslims too......

 

[Shinigami]

you cant tarnish the entire sinhalese population based on one incident

 

[danish_vij]

some pics of attack.....

 

[Kazhugu]

you cant tarnish the entire sinhalese population based on one incident

Not one incident....this is the fifth this year itself.....and this is just on tamils.....if we consider the attacks on muslims and christians the list lenghthens......

http://www.firstpost.com/world/sri-...laze-fifth-media-attack-this-year-698178.html

 

[Mujraparty]

Buddhist Extremists on the rise , they are targeting everyone . Tamils christians, Muslims .

The undercurrent of racial tensions sweeping through Sri Lanka is gaining momentum. Unchecked and unrestrained by a government appearing to give in to their divisive demands, the terrorist Buddhist group, the Bodu Bala Sena (Buddhist Power Force), is threatening to turn the island into a bloody battlefield.

The Muslims targeted by this fanatical element are not the only minority being subjected to acts of violence. Christians on the island are also under attack.

The authorities are turning a blind eye and the mainstream media chooses to ignore this rising peril. Recently, two churches were attacked by the radical elements of the BBS, and two others forced to shut down due to pressure from these fanatics.

On March 9 in Batticaloa, BBS rogues burned down a church in the middle of the night. On March 17, a mob led by Buddhist monks barged into the Brethren Church in Agalawatte and threatened them into stopping the services.

On the same day, in another part of the country, four monks along with a cameraman went to the Margaya Fellowship Church at Sevanapitiya in Polonnaruwa. They accused the pastor of converting Buddhists and ordered him to shut down the ministry. The police arrived not long after and ‘advised’ the pastor to pay heed to their demands.

At Suriyaweva in Ambilipitiya, monks entered a house church and demanded that the meetings be stopped as they were not registered with the local authorities. On the same day in Weeraketiya, a house church was ransacked.

On March 10, the Assembly of God Church at Kottawa was visited by monks and the police who ordered the pastor to stop the meetings as they had not obtained permission from the local authority. A few days later, the Pentecostal Assemblies Church at Kottawa was visited by a mob led by monks who told them to stop the meetings as they had not obtained permission from the local authority. Another Pentecostal church in Galle was subjected to similar demands and threats.
SUBJUGATION

Last week, a BBS mob led by monks went to the Gethsemane Church in Hikkaduwa and threatened them to stop the meetings. A pastor working in Agnukolapallssa was also threatened with physical assault. The police simply asked him to stop the services. These are all facts gleaned from those who have been subjected to this racial tension in Sri Lanka. Buoyed by their success in the halal food certification issue, the radical Buddhist group seems intent on subjugating the island’s minorities into oblivion.

The Muslims, Tamils and Christians along with sensible Sinhalese Buddhists all have reasons to be alarmed. The government is playing politics by not reacting while the situation threatens to get out of hand. It will certainly not be a good thing for the country. So far, the minorities have been very restrained in reacting to these acts of personal transgression against their beliefs. The Muslims, in particular, are very disturbed by the attacks of these unruly Buddhists, who have been targeting their practices and beliefs.

Factual events of Buddhists chasing Muslim women and tearing off their clothes have been recorded and reported to the police. Their religion has been slurred and subjected to ridicule through crude drawings and posters. Their mosques have been attacked and burned. Their shops and business have been raided, and the BBS is warning off all customers from patronising their establishments.

SHOCKING RHETORIC
As one Sri Lankan charged: “Disgraceful and distasteful anti-Muslim rhetoric is being ‘dished out’ by more than 25 anti-Muslim websites. The Sri Lanka government is fully aware of all these sites and the provocative and insulting posts ranging from desecrating our Creator, our Prophet (PBUH), our Holy Book, etc but [it] just ‘looks the other way.”

Another Sri Lankan from whom I borrowed the title for my column had this to say: “I am an 83-year-old Muslim, and my physical condition is such as to make me unable to move or travel to Makkah. While all this is happening against the Muslims of my country, the Arabs are supplying oil, and also giving aid. If we do not get the support of the Arabs and Muslims, what are we going to say when we stand before Allah. My tears have not ceased since these attacks started in our country. I am old now, but what are we going to leave for the next generation of our fellow Sri Lankans? Your brother Ismaeel.”

The government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa is playing a dangerous game by not forcefully putting an end to this tide of racial tensions. Sri Lanka is becoming an unsafe place to visit for business or pleasure as any moment now, the island could become engulfed in another chapter of bloody racial violence. Arab and Muslim countries must take decisive measures for the protection of all of the island’s minorities from these radical elements. It is increasingly apparent that the Sri Lankan government is unwilling to do so.

Tariq A Al Maeena is a Saudi socio-political commentator. He lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.–Gulf News
Tears of Muslims in divided Sri Lanka

 

[INDIC]

Not one incident....this is the fifth this year itself.....and this is just on tamils.....if we consider the attacks on muslims and christians the list lenghthens......

http://www.firstpost.com/world/sri-...laze-fifth-media-attack-this-year-698178.html

If 57 Muslim countries turn against Sri Lanka, it would be a big problem for Sri Lanka. Although I don't expect Pakistanis or Bangladeshis getting concerned about Moors.

 

[Kazhugu]

@eowyn the truth is rajapaksa govtt has terribly mis-managed the economy by needlessly borrowing money and investing in high cost projects that are not giving adequate returns....the cost of living is going up and there is a general discontent at the nepotism of the rajapaksa clan.......so to divert the attention of the people and make them keep voting for them....these rajapaksa brothers..especially gothabaya...are invoking the boogeymen of tamils and muslims to stoke sinhala chauvinism thus keeping the vote bank intact......

 

[Skyline]

Don't get rushed to blame for Sinhalese when there is some violence. There was a some group of Tamils protest against TNA party meeting few weeks ago.


Saravanapavan is member of parliament, representing TNA. but this news article does not mention one thing..he is the owner of this newspaper too.

 

[RISING SUN]

Don't get rushed to blame for Sinhalese when there is some violence. There was a some group of Tamils protest against TNA party meeting few weeks ago.


Saravanapavan is member of parliament, representing TNA. but this news article does not mention one thing..he is the owner of this newspaper too.

Mate, if you want news paper to print abcd of every news, then I afraid their business is done for good times. I am posting the related lines which you will have to go through. E. Saravanapavan, a lawmaker with the Tamil National Alliance party, which was linked to the former ethnic Tamil separatist rebels, said the government's failure to take action after previous attacks has encouraged violence against newspapers in the north. Why would a news paper randomly pick the name of Saravanapan if there is a relationship between these two. The concerned lawmaker was directly related to news paper(It's common thing mate, even a normal person can understand this.). So apparently you ignored this line. If a poster like me can understand this basic concept who doesn't know anything about Sri Lankan TAMILs at all. Then why did you asked that it didn't mentioned who is owner? Very much suspicious on TAMIL brothers, mate believe me this is the reason against which TAMILs are fighting, also against some laws.

Don't get rushed to blame for Sinhalese when there is some violence. There was a some group of Tamils protest against TNA party meeting few weeks ago.


Saravanapavan is member of parliament, representing TNA. but this news article does not mention one thing..he is the owner of this newspaper too.

Can you post the link for that news/claim buddy?

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

Well.. A trend is being started again.. And Sinhalese themselves are responsible for this... A second attack on Udhayan in less than 2 months i guess...

 

[Echo_419]

This gonna bite back the sri lankans back