|
|
UNESCO acknowledges no media deaths in Sri Lanka in 2007.
Tuesday, 1 April 2008 - 4:08 AM SL Time
|
|
|
UNESCO has accepted that not a single journalist had been killed in Sri Lanka in 2007. UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura s report for 2007 listed names of 53 journalists killed in number countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia DPR Congo, Palestine and Myanmar.
There had been no killings of journalist in Sri Lanka, India, Philippines, Russia, Colombia, Ecuador, Lebanon and Pakistan, where there had been killings of journalists in the previous year. The Director General of UNESCO stated this in his report submitted to the Intergovernmental Committee of the International Programme for Development of Communications held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from March 26 to 28. Sugeeswara Senadhira, Minister Counsellor of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Paris represented Sri Lanka at this meeting.
Analysts pointed out that UNESCO Director General s report is an admittance that the Voice of Tigers, the broadcasting arm of the LTTE could not be considered as a civil media institution. In November 2007, three LTTE cadres working at the Voice of Tigers died when the clandestine broadcasting station was attacked by Sri Lanka Air Force. In December 2007, Koichiro Matsuura, Director General of UNESCO has issued a statement on the incident and the Government of Sri Lanka pointed out that UNESCO had no mandate to issue a statement on the aerial attack on a terrorist broadcasting station.
The Intergovernmental Council of IPDC unanimously denounced attacks targeting journalists and urged Member States to comply with relevant obligations under international law to end impunity for such crimes.
The adopted decision, announced by the newly elected IPDC Chairman, Ambassador Walter Fust (Switzerland), recalls UN Security Council Resolution 1738 (2006), which refers to the Geneva Conventions and to the responsibility of Member States to prosecute those responsible for serious violations. The Council s decision requests Member States to assume responsibility for monitoring the investigation of killings condemned by the Director-General of UNESCO and informing the Organization of actions taken and of the status of the judicial inquires conducted into each case.
Over the past two years, UNESCO has publicly condemned the killings of 121 journalists 68 in 2006 and 53 in 2007. The 26th Council session hosted a debate which underlined the challenges of protecting journalists, and proposed measures to encourage higher level advocacy both nationally and internationally. Rodney Pinder of the International News Safety Institute maintained that impunity continues to be a major problem and that insufficient measures are in place to ensure the safety of journalists in the field.
Representing UNESCO s Director-General, Mogens Schmidt stressed the importance of Member States compliance with existing commitments, namely Resolution 29 adopted by UNESCO s General Conference in 1997, which requested governments to adopt the principle that there should be no statutes of limitations for crimes against a person when these are perpetrated to prevent freedom of information and expression. Toby Mendel, Law Programme Director at the human rights organization Article 19, argued that crimes against journalists not only violate their freedom of expression but also the right of other people to receive information. He highlighted the need for a supportive structural framework to counter impunity.
Ambassador Walter Fust of Switzerland was elected as new Chairman of IPDC. 38 countries, including the United States, Switzerland, Denmark and Russia are members of the Intergovernmental Committee.
|
|
|
LankanWay
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 860
Member Profile
|
 1 Apr 2008 00:15:56 GMT Report for Abuse
|
Where are these UNP rogues and LTTE supporters who going around the world and slamming Mahinda government (of course Sri Lanka)?
|
soldier
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 65
Member Profile
|
 1 Apr 2008 05:57:30 GMT Report for Abuse
|
LankanWay,
they have new glasses which shows only the articles where they can make some noise. the one's they cant, just gets down the line of the home page, so no one can reply :-) |
Magnum357
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 754
Member Profile
|
 1 Apr 2008 07:25:29 GMT Report for Abuse
|
UNESCO acknowledges no media deaths in Sri Lanka in 2007
Does this have to do with Aprils Fools Day ? |
Ramz
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1603
Member Profile
|
 1 Apr 2008 09:38:38 GMT Report for Abuse
|
Of course, there are thousands of assoults and attackes on them......
after SLRC incident, 2008 will witness lot of these i'm sure about it...
Does this have to do with Aprils Fools Day ?
Question of the Day.... |
Revy
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 11965
Member Profile
|
 1 Apr 2008 16:40:29 GMT Report for Abuse
|
Are GoSL supporters really this ignorant or just pretending to be so?
Even a the stupidest moron will understand that the media and journalists, even from state run organizations who sold their souls for the state, are in danger in Sri Lanka.
Just because none got killed doesn't mean everything is just fine. Anyway KTR's piece of trash 'paper' can howl all it wants, no one believes him or his master holding the leesh. |
kinglanka
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 60
Member Profile
|
1 Apr 2008 17:15:32 GMT Report for Abuse
|
Hay terrorist supporters !!
talk to the point. This is about official retraction of a wrong statement.
Now UNESCO chairman accepts there are no journalist with LTTE. All are terrorist, so should get killed. |
Sintamus
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2755
Member Profile
|
 1 Apr 2008 19:48:55 GMT Report for Abuse
|
UNESCO insists that terrorism is terrorism and the SL govt must stop killing journalists.
3 December 2007 ? The Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today condemned a deadly attack on a radio station run by the rebel Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan army planes struck the Voice of Tigers radio station near Kilinochchi in the north of the country on the afternoon of 27 November, killing five of the station's staff and reportedly more than five other people, according to a news release from UNESCO.
''Regardless of the content of the broadcasts aired by the Voice of Tigers, there can be no excuse for military strikes on civilian media,'' said Ko chiro Matsuura. |
Vishnu
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1324
Member Profile
|
2 Apr 2008 00:18:49 GMT Report for Abuse
|
Where are these UNP rogues and LTTE supporters who going around the world and slamming Mahinda government (of course Sri Lanka)?
Koichira might have condemned it, but it seems the government has done its job. Leave its implication to our country aside, UNESCO has done the right thing by not insulting those other 53 journalists killed by including the names of terrorists in the list.
Back to the above question, UNP and LTTE are waiting for EU to cut concessions on garments. In case it happens, all 350000 should be recruited to military and sent to deal with all 'relevant' people. |
Magnum357
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 754
Member Profile
|
2 Apr 2008 03:28:20 GMT Report for Abuse
|
UNESCO acknowledges no media deaths in Sri Lanka in 2007
1 August 2007 - Sahathevan Nilakshan, Chaa laram
29 April 2007 - Selvarajah Rajivarnam, Uthayan
16 April 2007 - Chandrabose Suthaharan , Nilam
Were the above journalists who were killed, members of the LTTE?
Are all tamil journalists LTTE members?
Does the UNESCO acknowledgment reflect journalists who have been killed by the LTTE and the govt both, or just about the journalists killed by the govt only?
Edited By - Magnum357 - 2 Apr 2008 10:19:34 GMT |
|
Search All News and Discussions