Several reports of a takeover of Sri Lanka’s oldest major press house have emerged following Mahinda Rajapaksa’s swearing in as prime minister.
Unions loyal to the Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Party (SLPP) seized editorial control of major publications at the press house on Saturday. Editors of Sundayobservor.lk and dailynews.lk reported that they were forced to leave after ceding editorial control to Rajapaksa loyalists.
The press house, Associated Newspapers of Ceylon also known as Lake House, publishes 3 daily newspapers, 3 weekend newspapers, and 5 weekly newspapers.
Reports of the takeover add to earlier news of a takeover of television stations by Rajapaksa loyalists.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
