The blocking of the Lanka e news website from viewers and readers in Sri Lanka (SL) which was initiated by the Dialog Co. is now continuing with the Govt.’s Telecom Co. and the Mobitel which is its subsidiary . They are jointly carrying out this unlawful and unethical operation.
This action is an absolute violation of the sacrosanct laws and legal norms of the country.
No court in Sri Lanka has given any order whatsoever to ban the Lanka e news website .If any order has been delivered , that should be to the Sri Lanka Telecom regulatory Commission ( SLT RC) . The SLTRC however had categorically stated that it has not received any such court order , and its Chairman Anusha Pelapita told Lanka e news that no such order to ban LeN has been given by the SLTRC to any of the Companies mentioned in the above paragraph.
According to information provided to us by the officers of the SLT , they had received orders from the top to block the website. The Commercial Manager Thushadi Perera and the management are stooges of the Rajapakse regime, and have indulged in this unlawful action because they are supplying services to the defense division, the officers added.
The Govt. is a shareholder in both Dialog and Mobitel . Wimal Welgama the brother of transport Minister Kumara Welgama is the Chairman of SLT. This same individual who deems it fit to ban a website like Lanka e news, a frank and fearless news provider from the reading public is also a Chairman of another media Institution , the ‘Divaina’ ,‘Island’ media Institution. Consequently he his now the butt of a joke among knowledgeable circles.. This Chairman who speaks about media freedom of his Institution simultaneously stabs in the back of another free media Institution and slits its throat for the most sordid and selfish self advancing reasons.
When we pointed out to them whether they cant understand LeN is not an obstruction to their Institutions , their answer is, , it is a question of ‘traffic’ afflicting Lanka e news , and not theirs. This is a subterfuge to deceive the customers who are being charged . Lanka e news has no such traffic problems. May be LeN is posing a terrific problem to those of the unscrupulous, corrupt and lawless caliber. If there was truly a traffic problem , how is it possible to access Lanka e news via Lanka Bell, Etisalaat and Suntel ? How is that LeN can be accessed by the proxy servers under their own services ? It is very unfortunate that the customers of these Institutions are being deluded by them stating that this blocking is a Lanka e news website technical problem..
It is evident from all these unlawful measures taken to suppress the media which exposes the truth ,what exists now truly in the country is not a lawful Govt. but a Rajapakse regime propped up by a group of ‘ kudu’ (drugs) Kingpins . The President staying for two days abroad arranged for the obstruction of the website which has a foreign base. The principal reason prompting this action is , after having brought the main media under the regime’s control by fair or foul means , and which are therefore now serving as sycophants and stooges of the Rajapakse regime , the latter has realized that the foreign based main website is the mental torment and ‘headache’ to the regime as they are exposing it and its propensity to support the drug Mudalalis.
It will not be out of context if we recall the actions of this Rajapakse regime in the past :
The Lanka e news website is operating from abroad since last April this year. Why was this necessitated ? Firstly , a media personnel Prageeth Ekneliyagoda of ours was abducted and went missing . Thereafter , the Editor was chased after ruthlessly. He was forced to flee the country secretly. Not enough the harassment inflicted , the owners of the premises housing the LeN were compelled and intimidated to evict us . We were chased away from the premises.
After we shifted to a new premises it was completely torched. The local News Editor of LeN was then remanded by dubious manipulation. It is obvious to anyone who thinks reasonably that all these actions were not governed by any laws. As brutes know only jungle laws , it was those laws which were followed all along by them.The most significant feature in all these violence and crimes was , no law was implemented nor any attempt made duly to bring the criminals involved to book. The true criminals are still at large. Naturally the LeN had no choice under the circumstances except to close its office here. The President however pretended as though he knew nothing of these crimes and criminals. He only referred openly to the website that is operating from abroad and accused it as indulging in conspiracies and falsehoods. Using the Institutions which are run under the ‘drug prone’ and drug promoting regime , he blocked the website that is frankly , forthrightly and fearlessly exposing the misdeeds and malpractices of the regime.
Owing to this dastardly and deplorable action , not only the people but even those who are critical of the regime’s corrupt and unlawful activities are deprived of the opportunity to have access to the truth .
It is not only us who should rise against this unlawful action of the three Institutions . All of you valuable readers who read Lanka e news, cherish free media and truth have a right to protest . What these Institutions are solely and wholly engaging in are , most nefarious and shamelessly sordid activities . It is tantamount to robbing your sight not to mention the eyes literally. It is therefore all of you who must oppose this .
No matter what obstruction and opposition are mounted , Lanka e news will not relent nor relax in its efforts to bring forth to its faithful readers the truth . Truth will some day declare itself . As truth is indestructible so are we irrepressible. Nothing can daunt or deter us in the espousal of this cause . This invaluable truth may be robbed from every media Institution : the blogs, face book , Twitter, e mail, you tube, print out, photo copy etc. But as long as our valuable fans , viewers , and readers have faith in us , we will not betray that trust all of you have reposed in us. Let us tell our foes , as truth is invincible and indestructible so are we , as long as our fans, readers and viewers stand by us.
-Lanka e news Team-
LeN