WikiLeaks: Gota Angry With Editors Lalith Allahakkon And Iqbal Athas

June 29, 2012By Colombo Telegraph -

“Balasuriya and Jayantha said the Defense Secretary had expressed anger at other journalists, including Nation editor Lalith Allahakoon and Defense columnist Iqbal Athas: ‘what he’s doing is very harmful.’ Athas told Pol chief that pressure on him had increased considerably since Noyhar’s abduction. He complained that the private radio station TNL (note: owned by the brother of opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe) had aired a talk show insulting Athas, which he said consisted of ‘an hour of vulgar vituperation.’ Athas linked this to the Defense Secretary’s “offensive” against the media.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.

Iqbal Athas

Lalith Allahakkoon

Secretary to the ministry of Defence Gotabhaya Rajapaksa made above remarks with Sanath Balasooriya, the president  of Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association and it’s secretary Poddala Jayantha.

The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database dated June 2, 2008. The cable is classified as “CONFIDENTIAL” and written by the US Ambassador to Colombo Robert Blake. The cable details the media suppression situation just after the abduction and beating of defense journalist Keith Noyahr. The cable also details a meeting Secretary to the ministry of Defence Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and two media workers Sanath Balasooriya and Poddala jayantha has had with.

The badly beaten Noyahr being rushed to Hospital - Chrisantha Cooray, the CEO of the company that publishes the Nation and its Sinhala-language sister newspaper Rivira, had fled to London

Under the subheading “Newspaper Executives fear for their lives, families” the US ambassador wrote “Allahakoon told DCM, Pol Chief and Public Affairs Counselor on May 29 that he had called President Rajapaksa immediately on the night of Noyahr’s disappearance and that the President had said he would ‘do everything’ to assure Noyahr’s return. Allahakoon credited the intensive campaign he and other friends of Noyahr mounted overnight with saving the journalist’s life. Allahakoon believed that the purpose of the abduction and beating of Noyahr was to try to determine which military commanders were leaking information to journalists. He reported that Noyahr had told him he had received threats that his family would be the next victims if he spoke about his abduction. Therefore, Noyahr would not make a statement to police about what happened to him. He told us that the Nation editorial offices and his home were under surveillance, and that he had received threats. Padmakumara had called him and told him to be very careful. He had moved his family from their home to a commercial district hotel as a precaution, but his children were afraid to leave the hotel to go to school. He was seeking to leave Sri Lanka temporarily until the current crisis subsided, he said.”

Unknown group had invaded the residence of the defense reporter Sirimevan Kasthuriarachchi of the Sinhala-language Divaina at 4 a.m. and threatened him

Frederica Jansz reported to police that someone had slashed the throat of a rooster and left the carcass outside her office

“Allahakoon said that Chrisantha Cooray, the CEO of the company that publishes the Nation and its Sinhala-language sister newspaper Rivira, had fled to London. Nation staff were afraid to report to work because of the heavy surveillance of its offices. He also feared the consequences of not publishing a paper on Sunday, since the government might regard this as an affront. He had therefore asked the editor of a small-circulation weekly to put out an innocuous, slimmed-down edition to avoid incurring the government’s displeasure. Sri Lankan media reported on June 1 that Cooray had resigned from the publishing company and that the London-Based Sena Yaddahige, 51% owner of the newspapers, was negotiating to sell his remaining stake to Sujit ‘Nissanka’ Rajapaksa. (Note: the relationship between Nissanka and the family of President Rajapaksa is not established.)” Blake further wrote.

Under the subheading “Further reports of harassment and intimidation” the ambassador wrote “There have been several other incidents of harassment and intimidation of journalists in recent days: — Another contributor to the Nation complained to the police that a white van was following her. When she confronted the occupants of the car, they began to question her about her work as a journalist.

Tamil journalist P. Devakumar, who worked for both Sirasa and MTV, was stabbed to death

On Thursday she reported to police that someone had slashed the throat of a rooster and left the carcass outside her office. A group of unidentified men in a jeep were surveilling her house. — The Free Media Movement issued a statement on May 31 that an unknown group had invaded the residence of the defense reporter of the Sinhala-language Divaina at 4 a.m. and threatened him. When he protested that he was a veteran and that his brother was missing in action against the Tamil Tigers, the group told him that regardless of who he was, reporting of matters related to defense was to stop immediately. — The Sri Lanka Press Institute reported that on May 27 armed men dressed in Army uniforms entered its offices and inquired about the identities of those working there. They refused to identify themselves but said they were with military intelligence. The Press Institute refused them access, or to provide such information. Military spokesman Nanayakkara later denied that the intruders could have been from the armed forces, stating that there was no authority for military intelligence to make such inquiries. — On May 28, Tamil journalist P. Devakumar, who worked for both Sirasa and MTV, was stabbed to death, along with a companion, on the way to his home near Jaffna. It appears unlikely, however, that this murder, one of several killings of journalists in Jaffna in the last two years, was closely related to the other recent cases in Colombo.”

Below we give the relevant part of the confidential cable;

Posts related to this cable;

WikiLeaks:‘There Will Be No Investigation, No One Will Be Able To Find Out What Happened To Keith’ – Gota

WikiLeaks: Large Numbers Of Military Personnel “Revered Fonseka Like A God” – Gota

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