Four police teams have been deployed to track down the gang which attacked Rivira Editor Upali Tennakoon on Friday but they have so far drawn a blank, a senior police officer said yesterday.
He said that based on the statements from witnesses, the police were drawing the sketches of the suspects and they would be published soon.
The officer said that although four teams were conducting investigations, the main probe was being handled by the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD).
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| Dhammika Tennakoon with her husband Upali who is recovering at the National Hospital and (below) the car in which the couple were travelling when they came under attack. Pix by Sanka Vidanagama and Berty Mendis |
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Mr. Tennakaoon was attacked on Friday morning close to his residence at Imbulgoda, a town off Weliveriay on the Kandy-Colombo Road, while he, accompanied by his wife Dhammika, was heading to his office in Colombo.
He suffered cut injuries on his face and hand while his wife received injuries to her hand. Mr. Tennakoon is undergoing treatment at the National Hospital, Colombo while his wife was discharged.
Mr. Tennakoon told The Sunday Times that as he slowed down his vehicle at the top of the by-lane from his residence as he wanted to put his vehicle on to the main road.He said he saw two black motorcycles parked on ether side of the by-lane with two men on each bike and the men were dressed in black jackets and wore helmets but their faces could be seen.
The editor said the men walked over to the driver’s side of the car and broke the shutter using some wooden poles and then stabbed him with a knife. His wife, who was seated next to him, threw herself on his body to protect him. She received some stab wounds as a result. The attackers then tried to pull her aside and stab Mr. Tennakoon but they could not. They got back on the bikes and fled the scene.
Residents of the area rushed the couple to the hospital. Mr.Tennakoon said if not for his wife, he would have been killed by the attackers.
Mr. Tennakoon who worked as the editor of the Divaina before he took over as editor of Rivira, said he had been in journalism for several years but he had never received a threatening call. He said he could not think of a reason why anyone would attack him.
Editors question presidential assurance
The Editors Guild of Sri Lanka says it is outraged at the grievous bodily harm inflicted on Rivira Editor Upali Tennekoon at Imbulgoda on Friday morning while he was driving to work with his wife, who also suffered injuries.
The Guild in a statement said:
“Mr. Tennekoon is a senior member of the Editors Guild. The attack bore the hallmarks of the manner in which Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge was murdered exactly a fortnight ago.
“This criminal act comes, despite- and in the midst of, repeated assurances regarding the safety and security of media personnel given by the President of the Republic, no less, to newspaper publishers, editors and journalists during the past fortnight following the murder of Mr. Wickrematunge.
“Today’s attack on Mr. Tennekoon was carried out with impunity by a seemingly unaccountable group with total disregard for the Rule of Law and the President’s assurances which have been made public.
“The Guild is compelled to ask the Government whether the country is witnessing an end to free expression in Sri Lanka and calls upon the President both as Head of State and Minister of Defence to act more meaningfully and with greater commitment in ensuring the safety and security of media practitioners.”
Abuses can flourish without a free media, warns AI
Sri Lankan authorities must ensure that the country's media were allowed to work without restriction and in safety, Amnesty International said in a statement on Friday hours after the attack on Rivira Editor Upali Tennakoon.
"The Sri Lankan authorities are doing little to ensure the safety of the country’s media, or to prosecute those responsible for murdering or attacking them. They are also directly responsible for subjecting journalists to harassment and interrogation," Amnesty International's Sri Lanka Researcher Yolanda Foster said in the statement.
The statement also noted that Lanka-e-news Editor Sandaruwan Senadheera was questioned for six hours on Friday by CID officers at their headquarters in Colombo following a complaint lodged by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa regarding an article posted on the website on February 21 last year.
"Without a free media that is able to express alternative views and offer the opportunity for public scrutiny, abuses can flourish under a veil of secrecy and denial. Sri Lanka's climate of impunity for attacks on the media has made it impossible to get an accurate impartial picture of what is happening in the country. By threatening journalists with the risk of arrest, and failing to protect them from attack, the government is failing its citizens," the statement said.
SLPI calls for swift Govt. action
The Sri Lanka Press Institute has expressed shock at the brutal attack on one of its directors and Rivira Editor Upali Tennakoon while he was on his way to work on Friday morning. His wife who was with him also sustained stab injuries in the attack.
“This attack has come so closely after the murder of Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge by a still-unidentified-gang on motorcycles two weeks ago. In this instance, the attackers followed the same style, blocking the road with motorcycles, smashing the car windows and causing grievous injuries to the editor and his wife with sharp objects.
“The Government must ensure that these perpetrators are speedily brought to justice. Failure will only be an indictment on the Government and the prevailing law and order situation. Any assurance given by the Government will only be a series of undelivered promises in view of the numerous attacks on the media since 2006, unless effective steps are taken immediately,” the SLPI said in a statement.
“Violation of democratic rights”
The Media for Democratic People Worldwide yesterday condemned the attack on Rivira Editor Upali Tennakoon and said the authorities must pay serious attention to putting an end to the attacks on the media.
“The recent killing of Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge and the attack on Mr. Tennkoon were a violation of the democratic rights of the people of the country,” the group said in a statement. |
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