Tuesday, February 28, 2012

WikiLeaks:Rajapaksa Managed To Influenced MTV Owner Maharaja



Colombo TelegraphFEBRUARY 28, 2012

IN JOURNALISM TRUTH IS A PROCESS
“During a cordial chat, Rajapaksa was able to persuade Maharajah not to air any more programs on such sensitive topics.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.
A leaked “CONFIDENTIAL” US diplomatic cable, dated March 22, 2007, updated the Secretary of State on Sri Lanka’s media suppression situation shows that President Mahinda Rajapaksa managed to influence the owner of the Majaraja Broadcasting Company. The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The cable was written by the Ambassador Robert O. Blake.
Ambassador Blake wrote “ Television stations have also been feeling the heat. This matters, because about 60% of the population gets its news for TV. Television journalists tell us, however, that the Majaraja Broadcasting Company, owned by a prominent Tamil, had been the only broadcaster covering press conferences criticial of the gvernment by former Foreign Minister Samaraweera, as well as stories on human rights violations and abductions. However, a senior executive of the Maharaja channel (protect) told us that President Rajapaksa had summoned the owner of the station to Temple Trees (equivalent to the White House). During a cordial chat, Rajapaksa was able to persuade Maharajah not to air any more programs on such sensitive topics.”
Below we give the relevant part of the leaked cable;Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr., for reasons 1.4(b,d).
1.  (C) Summary: Since the inauguration of President Mahinda
Rajapaksa in November 2005, Sri Lanka's vibrant media has
been slowly smothered by attacks on journalists, publishers
and broadcasters by the LTTE and armed paramilitary groups
with alleged links to the government security forces.  The
decline of human rights generally and the resulting "culture
of impunity" have stoked the surge in intimidation,
kidnapping and murder of journalists.  The Government of Sri
Lanka (GSL), invoking strengthened emergency regulations, has
put pressure on editorial content and arrested journalists
without charges.  More recently, editors and broadcasters
have received veiled threats by telephone allegedly from the
top levels of the Rajapaksa government.  As a result of
direct and indirect harassment, four independent newspapers
are likely to close in the next 90 days.   End Summary.
7.  (C) Television stations have also been feeling the heat.
This matters, because about 60% of the population gets its
news for TV.  Television journalists tell us, however, that
the Majaraja Broadcasting Company, owned by a prominent
Tamil, had been the only broadcaster covering press
conferences criticial of the gvernment by former Foreign
Minister Samaraweera, as well as stories on human rights
violations and abductions.  However, a senior executive of
the Maharaja channel (protect) told us that President
Rajapaksa had summoned the owner of the station to Temple
Trees (equivalent to the White House).  During a cordial
chat, Rajapaksa was able to persuade Maharajah not to air any
more programs on such sensitive topics.
BLAKE