The darkness is at our doorstep, and a snake is in our house.

Yesterday when the Government burned down the Sirasa studios, they warned us. We are next. All of us who believe in the truth are at risk now. They will burn, pillage and kill till all of us have been silenced. They will suffer no dissent.

For the first time there can be no doubt as to who the attackers were. We know that this is Gotabhaya's private army which is being used to abduct and kill journalists. The threat has been made very clear my friends. We are not against mere thugs, but a powerhungry madman with his own personal highly trained military unit.

This is why many journalists and other activists came together at the Fort Railway Station last afternoon to demand our right to be journalists, to cry out against the brutal oppression of the truth.

But where was Uvindu Kurukulasuriya, the Convener of the Free Media Movement in all of this? At a time when the FMM has the greatest role to play in leading the fight against the tyrannical Rajapakse regime Uvindu the Snake was missing. He did not stand by us. He did not care. This Nero went out drinking while Sirasa burned.

The Snake showed us his true colors yesterday. He is a puppet of the tyrants. They are his paymasters. We ask you Uvindu, how much did they pay you to bring down the FMM? What is your price?

Will we allow this Snake to betray us all to the Rajapakse regime? Will we allow him to destroy the FMM? Will we pass silently into the darkness?

Cast out Uvindu Kurukulasuriya. Cast out the Snake.

The Snake's Handiwork

The attack on MTV this morning shows us how the tyrannical Rajapakse regime has grown bold now that their snake has destroyed the Free Media Movement. This is what Uvindu the Snake paved the way for. He is as responsible for this as the tyrants. Uvindu is dangerous. To keep him in the fold any longer would prove to be nothing short of fatal for the freedom of expression in Sri Lanka.

The snake has also released a fake document to his pet rat Sandaruwan at Lankaenews which claims to be a list of all the money stolen by Sunanda. This document is pure fiction and drafted by the snake himself. Even the treasurer of the FMM does not know how the Uvindu the Snake came up with this data.

This document shows us what the snake is really after. He does not want good governance for the FMM. He does not want justice. He just wants to destroy Sunanda and burn the FMM to the ground.

This alone is sufficient grounds for kicking this snake out of the FMM. We have to do it now before Uvindu and his tyrant masters can burn all of us to the ground. For the sake of media freedom in the country; cast him out.

We call on the Executive Committee of the FMM to cast out this snake. NOW!

Sign Our Petition - Ban the Snake

Dear Friends,

We have a petition to the Executive Committee of the Free Media Movement asking them to remove Uvindu Kurukulasuriya.

Please visit the page (http://www.petitiononline.com/bansnake/petition.html) and sign up. Let's make sure this snake is never given an opportunity to do the same damage to other.

THE TIME IS NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fight for Sunanda because Sunanda fights for us

'I think Sunanda's a bit of a bastard, but tomorrow if someone abducted me he would be the only one who would make a ruckus about it. That much I know for sure, and because of that I'll support him' - (In our Inbox)

We may not agree with Sunanda's politics. We may not agree with Sunanda's journalism. We may not agree with Sunanda's personality. We may dislike Sunanda intensely for many many reasons.

But the one thing we know for sure as journalists is that if tomorrow some harm were to come us, Sunanda would stand up for our rights, and he would not rest till we are safe. Sunanda does not only fight for his friends. Sunanda does not fight only for those who agree with him. Sunanda does not fight only for those who would fight for him. Sunanda fights for ALL of us, regardless of what we think about him.

When we are against the wall, when our friends and colleagues desert us because they do not wish to risk the wrath of the powerful, only Sunanda will stand by us.

Support Sunanda now. Let him know we stand by him in his hour of need. Email him, call him.

From our Inbox - Only Sunanda can replace Sunanda

I'm Fazeena Saleem, a Sri Lankan journalist presently working for a newspaper in Doha- Qatar. I would like to share my views about Sunanda as I know personally about his efforts to protect media rights.

Thank You

Fazeena


Only Sunanda can replace Sunanda

I'm among the many who were shocked to hear about the accusation against Sunanda. The very first thought came into my mind was that some one is behind the scene creating him a bad name.

As many other journalists in Sri Lanka I too have associated with him, in fact I worked with him as the Coordinator for Media Safety Assessment in Sri Lanka, project of the Free Media Movement (FMM) implemented with assistance of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

The project was focusing on coordinating Journalists Island wide on all incidents especially on Human Right violations, supporting journalists of the embattled north – east areas of Sri Lanka with financial assistance and insurance schemes, providing safe house for journalists under threat and make over seas travel and stay arrangements when needed. A monthly e- bulletin on the current situation was circulated among more than 5,000 persons including media organizations, civil activists, and diplomats around the globe.

During my short tenure in this project I worked as an independent individual and had more space to learn about Sunanda. No one will take such efforts as he did to protect journalists. At one point there was one instance that Sunanda had to decide either to leave the country for his safety or fight back in the country for others' safety; with all boldness he took the second option. I know personally how he is concerned about the fellow journalists' safety and I have first hand experience.

Sunanda is high profiled with his contacts, communication skills and of course his human qualities. I have not seen anyone else taking the lead against the suppression of journalists. I have discussed with my fellow journalists that we have Sunanda to stand for us if we are in trouble. Anyone who criticizes him should rethink and if they could must name another person with same qualities. They should also check their hands first. His qualities cannot be bought with money. Only Sunanda can be replaced by Sunanda.

Get Rid of The Snake

When the enemies of democracy and freedom are at the gates, and all free-thinking individuals should stand together to defend our rights, Uvindu the snake and his pet Sandaruwan have not only thrown open the gates, but also given our enemies a mighty weapon.

The workings of institutions and organizations are not our concern. It is for the boards and committees and whatnot of the CPA and the FMM to decide if there has been any fraud. If individuals are found to have committed fraud then again it is these governing bodies who should decide what action is to be taken. None of that is our concern.

What is our concern is that at a point in time when all of us should rally together and stand as one against the barbaric oppression of the Rajapakse government, Uvindu Kurukulasuriya has singlehandedly hacked away at the trust between those who have fought alongside each other for many many years. In a country where lawlessness reigns, in a time when journalists are hunted and abducted and killed simply because they dream of freedom, Sunanda Deshapriya and the FMM have stepped forward to protect them, and to protect us from a state-machinery that would rather rule sheep than people. They have been able to do this solely because of the support they have had from various organizations, and the coalitions they have formed. Without unity among us this battle cannot be fought, let alone won.

It is in this context that Uvindu has undermined the very integrity of the FMM and through careful manipulation ruined the relationship between the FMM, the SLWJA, the SLPI and many other like minded institutions. Uvindu has acted in a way that has brought disrepute to the FMM and his actions have been diametrically opposed what we would have expected from the Convener. Instead of solidifying the FMMs relationship with their friends and partners, he has cast them aside and sown mistrust. His greed for power has blinded him to the fact that what he is doing will nullify decades of hard work by Sunanda and others. This is the nature of the snake.

We refuse to let the FMM be collateral damage in power-drunk Uvindu's battle against Sunanda. Discard Uvindu, for he has shown he does not have the best interests of the FMM, or the freedom of expression in this country, at heart. His only interest is in his personal gain, and if we do not stop him now he will only seek more power at others' peril.

Will we allow the Snake to feed us to the tyrants?

It's Your Turn

Sunanda Deshapriya, seen here at a protest against the suppression of the media, is a fearless journalist and media activist who has personally sacrificed his time, money and energy to fight for the freedom of expression in Sri Lanka. In this lawless country where being a journalism is one of the most dangerous professions one can be in, Deshapriya has personally been responsible for saving the lives of many journalists.

All this while other journalists have been able to stay silent because Deshapriya fought YOUR fight for you. The media still has whatever space it has because of the work of Deshapriya. He fights for the public's right to know. He fought for your rights while you remained silent.

He did this even when he was not getting paid to fight against the suppression of the media. He challenged the government so that you would be able to know the truth. Now it's your turn to speak up for him. It's your turn to demand that Sunanda Deshapariya is treated fairly.