Government must protect Sirasa and its personnel: Karu

Saturday, 20 April 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

UNP Gampaha District MP Karu Jayasuriya called on the Government to ensure the security of Sirasa and its personnel after the network was issued a warning in writing about the threat of an impending attack.

Issuing a statement on the incident, Jayasuriya said it was up to the Government to ensure Sirasa’s security now instead of waiting for an attack to happen and making customary promises about an impartial inquiry.

“It is the Government’s famous line now about conducting impartial inquiries into the assault and intimidation of media personnel. But this has become a joke now because reality shows that the Government has no genuine desire to investigate these cases. The Sirasa attacks in the past, the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge, the assaults on Keith Noyahr, Upali Tennakoon, Poddala Jayantha and other senior journalists have gone uninvestigated and their attackers have not been brought before the law,” Jayasuriya said in a statement.

He added that civil society and political parties such as the United National Party should view with concern the threats that have been levelled against a people-friendly media institution such as Sirasa. Jayasuriya urged the authorities to conduct an impartial inquiry into the threats that have been made on Sirasa and its journalists.