Type of site | Online Newspaper |
---|---|
Available in | English, Sinhala, Tamil |
Editor | Athula Athulathmudali |
URL | www.lankaenews.com |
Current status | Active |
LankaeNews.com is a Sri Lankan online News website that provides news and feature articles on current affairs in Sri Lanka. It is known and has been targeted for its independent reporting.
LankaeNews.com was banned for several years under the Government of Mahinda Rajapaksa. Its office was set on fire in an arson attack in 2011 and its Editor Bennett Rupasinghe told BBC that he suspected the government’s hand in the crime as LankaeNews had written several articles critical of the Sri Lankan government. [1] Later Bennett Rupasinghe was arrested. Earlier its previous editor, Sandaruwan Senadheera had to flee Sri Lanka after threats. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] It came under international limelight in 2010 when its correspondent Prageeth Eknaligoda disappeared while he was investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Sri Lankan Army against Tamil rebels. [8] [9] [10] The website was banned in November 2017 after it published news reports about alleged corruption in office of the President Maithripala Sirisena and other critical reporting of the government. The ban has been criticised by media organisations including Committee to Protect Journalists and Free Media Movement [11] [12]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a Tamil militant organization that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the northeast of the island in response to violent persecution and discriminatory policies against Sri Lankan Tamils by the Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lankan Government.
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a civil war fought in Sri Lanka from 1983 to 2009. Beginning on 23 July 1983, it was an intermittent insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam led by Velupillai Prabhakaran. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the north-east of the island, due to the continuous discrimination and violent persecution against Sri Lankan Tamils by the Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lanka government.
TamilNet is an online newspaper that provides news and feature articles on current affairs in Sri Lanka, specifically related to the erstwhile Sri Lankan Civil War. The website was formed by members of the Sri Lankan Tamil community residing in the United States and publishes articles in English, German and French.
Uthayan is a Tamil language Sri Lankan daily newspaper published by New Uthayan Publication (Private) Limited, part of the Uthayan Group of Newspapers. It was founded in 1985 and is published from Jaffna. Its sister newspapers is the Colombo based Sudar Oli. Uthayan was the only newspaper published from Jaffna which did not cease publication due to the civil war. The newspaper has been attacked several times, a number of its staff have been murdered by paramilitary groups and other forces, and it regularly receives threats.
Sudar Oli is a Tamil language Sri Lankan daily newspaper published by Mass Media Syndicate (Private) Limited, part of the Uthayan Group of Newspapers. It was founded in 2000 and is published from Colombo. Its sister newspaper is the Jaffna based Uthayan. The newspaper has been attacked several times, a number of its staff have been murdered by paramilitary groups and other forces, and it regularly receives threats.
Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is a former Sri Lankan politician and military officer, who served as the eighth President of Sri Lanka from 18 November 2019 until his resignation on 14 July 2022. He previously served as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development from 2005 to 2015 under the administration of his elder brother former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, during the final phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War.
The Sunday Leader was an English-language Sri Lankan weekly newspaper published by Leader Publications (Private) Limited. It was founded in 1994 and is published from Colombo. Its sister newspapers are the Iruresa (Irudina) and the defunct The Morning Leader. Founded by brothers Lasantha Wickrematunge and Lal Wickrematunge, the newspaper is known for its outspoken and controversial news coverage. The newspaper and its staff have been attacked and threatened several times and its founding editor Lasantha Wickrematunge was assassinated.
Iruresa is a Sinhala language Sri Lankan weekly newspaper published by Lithira Publications (Private) Limited, part of Leader Publications (Private) Limited. It was founded in 1994 and is published from Colombo. Its sister newspapers are The Sunday Leader and the defunct The Morning Leader. Founded by brothers Lasantha Wickrematunge and Lal Wickrematunge, the newspaper is known for its outspoken and controversial news coverage.
Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge was a high-profile Sri Lankan journalist, politician, broadcaster and human rights activist who was assassinated in January 2009.
Peter Mohan Maithree Peiris, PC is a Sri Lankan lawyer and diplomat. He served as the Attorney General of Sri Lanka from 2008 to 2011 and was the de facto Chief Justice of Sri Lanka from 2013 to 2015 when President Maithripala Sirisena declared his appointment void ab initio in 2015. He has been serving as the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations since January 2021 and was elected Vice President of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in June 2023.
Prageeth Ekneligoda born April 9, 1960, is a Sri Lankan Cartoonist, Political analyst and Journalist. He was reported missing on January 24, 2010, two days before the Presidential polls in Sri Lanka when the country was under the Presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa and has not been seen since. He actively participated in the presidential campaign of common opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka while working as a freelance journalist for a pro-opposition website Lankaenews.com. Members of his family believe he has been abducted by pro-government supporters because he was investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons, charges that were denied by the government of Sri Lanka. In 2009 Amnesty International released information regarding the circumstances surrounding his disappearance. Reporters without borders has issued a statement concerning him. The investigation into his disappearance is being led by the Colombo Crimes Division. He is married to human rights activist Sandya Eknaligoda who was given an International Women of Courage Award in 2017 for her campaigns.International Federation of Journalists lists his case in its campaign "Without a Trace" amongst the top 10 cases of enforced disappearances of media workers which still remains untraced in Asia Pacific.
Freedom of the press in Sri Lanka is guaranteed by Article 14(1)(a) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka which gives every citizen "the freedom of speech and expression including publication". But under some government's there was widespread suppression of the media, particularly those critical of those governments. Sri Lanka is ranked 146 out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders's Press Freedom Index for 2022
Events from the year 2013 in Sri Lanka.
This Land Belongs to the Army is a 2014 documentary film by Indian journalist and filmmaker Maga.Tamizh Prabhagaran. This film shows Sri Lankan civil war and shows the current post-war status of Sri Lanka. It also shows several controversial acts by the Sri Lankan government and the armed forces including Sinhalization and Land grabbing by the military. The film also features new testimonies from Tamil victims and an exclusive interview with a who is said to be a Sri Lankan Army officer, who speaks about the use of chemical and heavy weapons during the civil war.
The 2014 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka were religious and ethnic riots in June 2014 in south-western Sri Lanka. Muslims and their property were attacked by Sinhalese Buddhists in the towns of Aluthgama, Beruwala and Dharga Town in Kalutara District. At least four people were killed and 80 injured. Hundreds were made homeless following attacks on homes, shops, factories, mosques and a nursery. 10,000 people were displaced by the riots. The riots followed rallies by Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), a hard line Buddhist group. The BBS was widely blamed for inciting the riots but it has denied responsibility. The mainstream media in Sri Lanka censored news about the riots following orders from the Sri Lankan government.
Chemical weapons were reported to have been used by the Sri Lankan military and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the Sri Lankan Civil War.
Sandya Eknalygoda is a Sri Lankan human rights activist. She became an International Women of Courage Award recipient in 2017. She has been campaigning for thousands of missing persons in Sri Lanka. She is married to missing journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda.
Sri Lanka Guardian is Sri Lankan news website known for its independent news coverage. It has been banned in Sri Lanka along with other websites for this criticism of the Sri Lankan government and officials and its investigative journalism. It released a video showing Sri Lankan army female recruits being abused and tortured; the Sri Lankan army accepted the authenticity of the video and ordered an inquiry.
Sri Lanka Mirror is a Sri Lankan news website. It is known for its independent reporting and critical reporting and has been targeted for this. It has been banned by the Sri Lankan Government. Eight of its journalists were arrested for allegedly maligning for maligning top government officials including the then President Mahinda Rajapakse. Editor Kalum Shivantha told Reuters that “Our stories were credible and reported with responsibility. But the government may not have liked the stories we published,” Committee to Protect Journalists Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator said "Friday's raid shows that President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government remains determined to silence opposition voices,"