The Assassination will be Blogged
"When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me." - Lasantha Wickramatunga
Editor of the Sri Lankan broadsheet The Sunday Leader wrote his final and prescient blog post last Sunday night before being assassinated. He spoke of the troubles and corruption that grip the country and his death shows how dangerous it is to be an impartial Journalist in Sri Lanka.
His final blog post is both a balanced piece that is both inspiring and damning, but should act as a stark warning of the lengths that governments are prepared to go to in their own personal 'War on Terrorism'. Like the terrible acts in Gaza, both the Tamil Tigers and Sri Lankan government have committed terrible atrocities in the name of freedom. In his post, Lasantha Wickramatunga, denounces the President Rajapaksa (formerly his friend of 25 years) and reveals in no uncertain terms that the Singhalese government is sanctioning violence against peaceful opposition to the Government.
The BBC writes up this incident and the current situation in Sri Lanka better than i can, but what I wanted to highlight is the insight it sheds into the higher echelons and machinations of a Government at war. We take press freedom for granted in the west, but it's times like this that act as a chilling reminder of what opportunities blogging affords some people and the risks they take to get their message out there. Given we have just seen President Bush leave office, are watching an escalating war in Gaza, and news that the UK government want to outsource snooping of digital media i hope the highlighted passages provide food for thought on the kind of personalities required to maintain vigilance in this era of ubiquitous communication.
Extracts:
On political cover-ups
"In the wake of my death I know you will make all the usual sanctimonious noises and call upon the police to hold a swift and thorough inquiry. But like all the inquiries you have ordered in the past, nothing will come of this one, too. For truth be told, we both know who will be behind my death, but dare not call his name. Not just my life, but yours too, depends on it."
On presidency
" You have told me yourself that you were not greedy for the presidency. You did not have to hanker after it: it fell into your lap. You have told me that your sons are your greatest joy, and that you love spending time with them, leaving your brothers to operate the machinery of state. Now, it is clear to all who will see that that machinery has operated so well that my sons and daughter do not themselves have a father...
...Sadly, for all the dreams you had for our country in your younger days, in just three years you have reduced it to rubble. In the name of patriotism you have trampled on human rights, nurtured unbridled corruption and squandered public money like no other President before you.... Although you are now so drunk with power that you cannot see it, you will come to regret your sons having so rich an inheritance of blood. It can only bring tragedy. As for me, it is with a clear conscience that I go to meet my Maker. I wish, when your time finally comes, you could do the same. I wish."
On freedom of speech
"People often ask me why I take such risks and tell me it is a matter of time before I am bumped off. Of course I know that: it is inevitable. But if we do not speak out now, there will be no one left to speak for those who cannot, whether they be ethnic minorities, the disadvantaged or the persecuted. "
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