Tuesday, 20 August 2013 00:00
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Opposition reiterates call for international inquiry into Weliweriya violence
FMM raises fears about journalists being summoned for questioning at military camps
Media rights groups say journalists are being intimidated by the Army
Reiterating its call for an international independent investigation into the Weliweriya shootings, the main opposition United National Party yesterday criticised the Government for putting the Army in charge of the inquiry.
“The Army is now summoning civilians to Army camps and give evidence. This is against the law,” UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told a media conference yesterday. Attanayake said any real investigation into the violence against unarmed protestors in Weliweriya should be conducted by the police since the Army was already implicated in the attacks.
The Colombo Crimes Division is also reportedly probing the crackdown on a demonstration demanding clean water in Weliweriya on 1 August. The Army’s internal inquiry which Army Chief Lt. Gen. Daya Ratnayake promised would be ready within two weeks has since been delayed. On Sunday, seven local media rights organisations accused the military of summoning journalists to Army camps for questioning.
A statement by the collective of media rights groups, including the Free Media Movement and the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, said that a summons signed by Major General N.J.C. Dias, delivered to several media organisations had instructed journalists to be present at a military camp in order to give their statements to a military panel that is conducting an internal military investigation.
The statement said that the military had no legal authority to summon civilians to give evidence at a military inquiry. The groups expressed fears that the recent move is part of a witch-hunt against journalists who were critical of the military’s conduct and reported the mayhem in Weliweriya. (DB)
