Two recent issues of the widely ready international magazine The Economist (UK) have been detained by the Customs authorities. No reasons have been given, according to a leading books and magazines distributor and dealer.
Distributor Vijitha Yapa told the Sunday Times yesterday that the May 22 and 29 issues have not been released by the Customs, presumably because they contain articles on Sri Lanka.
“There is no censorship in Sri Lanka and no reason has been given for holding up the magazine,” Mr. Yapa said. “The articles on Sri Lanka are available on the internet. Officials who detain these copies of The Economist, a highly respected international magazine, are in fact doing Sri Lanka a disservice.”
Mr. Yapa said it would be unfortunate if the international community suspected that there was censorship in Sri Lanka and that the state was trying to hide something at a time when the Rajapaksa government was encouraging foreign investment and tourism.
“The Economist usually devotes more than 100 pages per issue to world affairs and the state of the world economy, and once in a while the magazine focuses on Sri Lanka, dedicating at most one page of coverage,” Mr. Yapa said.
“The magazine is considered essential reading for businessmen. Anyone who read the articles marking the anniversary of the defeat of terrorism in Sri Lanka, the delay in resettling internally displaced persons, and the country’s devolution plans will know that there’s nothing new or sensational in them.
“What happens when subscribers don’t get their copies of The Economist is that word gets around and the articles are copied from the internet and sent around the world by e-mail and other means. The result is the articles get read by a much bigger audience.”
The Economist subscribers are largely the embassies and foreign missions, top-tier overseas and local companies, hotels, and state departments. International airlines have bulk orders for the magazine.
According to Mr. Yapa, Customs officials say the magazines have been forwarded to the Information Department, which has not yet given instructions to release the two issues.
Mr. Yapa said the government is losing revenue by withholding the magazines. The Value Added Tax (VAT), Nation Building Tax (NBT), and Port and Airport Levy (PAL) that are paid to clear the magazines at Customs are not paid when the magazines are delayed. |
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