wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

On Demand

Underreported: Sri Lankan Journalist In Danger

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Veteran Sri Lankan journalist Iqbal Athas has faced a great deal of danger over the course of his career. More recently, grave threats have been made against him following his investigations into irregularities surrounding a 2006 government deal to purchase fighter jets from Ukraine. Mr. Athas joins us by phone from Sri Lanka to tell us more about his investigative report, why it's putting him in danger, and how much press freedom there is in Sri Lanka right now.

You can read the Committee to Protect Journalists' letter to the president of Sri Lanka regarding threats to Iqbal Athas by going to CPJ's website here


Comments

  • [1] Rangajeeva Rajakaruna from USA August 30, 2007 - 01:19AM

    The story is Athas and his translator have been threatened. I contacted the translator Gunaratna and he tells that this threatening part is a complete fabrication. What Athas has written is unsubstantiated allegations motivated by politics.

    You may contact Gunaratne of the Lankadeepa editorial staff


  • [2] Ruvan January 20, 2008 - 01:22AM

    He is just a stupid.............

    He wrote:

    13.jan.2008

    http://www.sundaytimes.lk/080113/Columns/sitreport.html

    Constraints prevent me from giving details except to add that a senior Army official told a top-level conference he was confident the Madhu church area would be under their control within the next two weeks. He said the troops were within six to seven kilometres from the Church area.

    and He write today

    20.jan.2008

    http://www.sundaytimes.lk/080120/Columns/sitreport.html

    They have moved seizing territory bit by bit to avoid larger casualties. Now, Army sources say they are nearer their goal and hope to secure the Madhu Church area within the next two weeks. They were only some six kilometres away

    >>>> How many tow weeks your EXPERT????

    and this is the proof that he can not srilankan MAP hahaha

    >>> He write

    However, the guerrillas appear to have sensed that the troops would go even beyond the church area to seize control of the Sea Tiger base at Vidutaltivu.

    In the past many months, this base had assumed greater significance, particularly since troops re-captured Silavathurai. This fishing village is >>>located south of Mannar>>> and was used as a landing area for supplies smuggled in across the Gulf of Mannar from Tamil Nadu.

    South of mannar????????????? You Idiot see the map


Leave a Comment

Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. WNYC reserves the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the WNYC.org Comment Guidelines before posting.

Your comment


* required
The information entered into this form will not be used to send unsolicited email and will not be sold to a third party.
 
Back to Episode