Yapa disputes threats on journalists

Dayasiri Jayasekara (UNP) Kurunegala District said the journalists are threatened by the Government and a number of them in the north had been killed. Journalists like Poddala Jayantha or Sunanda Deshpriya have been threatened with death and have been called terrorists. There was a list of 27 journalist who were under threat.

Minister of Media and Information Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said a list of 27 journalists had been faxed to various foreign embassies in Colombo as persons under death threats. The list had been sent by the same source but the names of the Army Commander, Defence Secretary and Basil Rajapksa were also mentioned in the document with the intention of defaming the government alleging that journalists are being threatened. An inquiry has been instituted by the government to find out the persons who were behind this document which was totally rejected by the government as untrue. But we are in the process of trying to find out who was responsible for this harmful attempt to blame a government that did not threaten any journalist. Some of the journalists in that list had denied any threat to them. The list was a calculated attempt to tarnish the image of the Government.