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Newspaper critical of Rajapaksa attacked

COLOMBO: Unidentified persons attacked the printing press of the Leader group of Publications in Ratnamala on the outskirts of Colombo, in the early hours of Wednesday.

The group brings out, among other publications, Sunday Leader, a weekly critical of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government.

It is the second such attack in two years on the publishers of Sunday Leader, Morning Leader and Irudina newspapers. Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickramatunga termed the latest attack as a “commando style” operation which took place within a high security zone in close proximity to the Ratmalana military and domestic airport.

According to the police, around 10 armed men forced their way into the press, threatened the employees and set fire to some of the equipment and newspapers which were ready for dispatch. Morning Leader is published on Wednesdays. The Sudar Oli of Uthayan newspapers, a Tamil daily, is also printed at the same location.

Several organisations have condemned the attack. V. Anandasangaree, president of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), in a statement here on Friday, said the conduct of the gang is highly deplorable and should be condemned by every right-thinking person and those who value democratic norms.

“Writing should be met by writing and not by thuggery or by any other undemocratic means. When the country is trying hard to reinstall democracy that had deteriorated to a great extent, it is indeed annoying and disturbing to see democracy eroding further day by day.

The government in its own interest and to save its name, should go all out to trace the culprits and punish them, which I hope will not be difficult at all”.

He said a petrol bomb thrown at the residence of Sooriyarachchi, Member of Parliament and former Minister, on Thursday is equally deplorable.

“This act in inhuman and cowardly and should not be encouraged by anybody under any circumstances. This should not happen even to the worst enemy”, he said.

The Sri Lanka Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremenayake on Friday adopted a resolution objecting to the decision taken at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala, Uganda to suspend Pakistan from the grouping.

A senior Cabinet Minister told The Hindu that the Cabinet adopted a resolution directing President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogalagamma to convey the sentiments of the government at the relevant Commonwealth forums.

In another development, the military claimed that the navy “successfully crushed a cowardly LTTE attack” at the Mannar Island, killing 17 cadres of the Tigers and destroying six of their boats.

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