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DM’s
words uncivilised and unprintable: FMM The FMM said that apart from threatening journalists and media organization owners, the language used to do so could not be accepted in any civilized society. “The public threats made by the deputy minister to two leading television companies, Sirasa TV and Swarnawahini are a threat to free expression in the country. The FMM requests all those who value democracy and freedom of expression to condemn this behaviour. “The abusive language used by the deputy minister is both insulting and provocative. The FMM refrains from quoting what the deputy minister said because the words used are unprintable. The audacity of a deputy minister to threaten an owner of a media organization that he would be expelled from this country shows both his arrogance and ignorance. “The FMM accepts the right of any citizen to criticize the policies of media organizations whether they are owned by the state or by private individuals. However, this must be done within the accepted norms of the democratic framework. “We appeal to the leader of the People’s Alliance to take action against the Deputy Minister so that this kind of behaviour by politicians is discouraged. Ultimately the negative fall out of this kind of uncivilised behaviour will reflect on politicians and not the media,” the FMM said. The Association of Professional Journalists also issued a statement saying the threats and abusive comments of the Deputy Minister were an insult to all media institutions and a threat to the functioning of a democratic society. It also said that the comments and the behaviour of the Deputy Minister went beyond any justifiable and fair criticism of media practices. The FMM along with the Federation of Media Employee Trade Unions, the Association of Professional Journalists, the Association of Tamil journalists and the Association of Muslim journalists held a demonstration outside the Fort Railway station to protest the deputy minister’s threats. They carried banners, with slogans-: “Stop media blasting by the politicians” and “Yesterday Divaina, today Sirasa and Swarnavahini, tomorrow all of us”. |
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