Sri Lanka’s defiant response to criticism of its clampdown on press freedoms by the United States and rights groups came from none other than Prof. GL Peiris, the former peace negotiator held in high esteem by the international community, now Foreign Minister in President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Sinhala-nationalist government.
“Look at the newspapers in Sri Lanka. Can you possibly say that there is no freedom of press in the country? There is so much,” Prof. told reporters in Tokyo. See AFP’s report here.
“If you look at Sri Lankan newspapers, if you look at Sunday papers, they are full of the most abusive criticism, but nothing happens to those newspapers,” he said.
Colombo faced criticism after its police shut down opposition news websites and arrested nine employees, including several journalists, last Friday.
Peiris told reporters in Japan the police move was justified as a way to protect privacy and safeguard reputations.
Sri Lanka is now beginning “a new chapter in our history, an exciting chapter, full of hope and promise,” he added.
Prof. Peiris was Sri Lanka's chief negotiator during the Norwegian-brokered peace talks in 2002-3.
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