'Workers will withdraw support for JoMec if government goes ahead with privatisation'

An international media watchdog meanwhile called for the donors to use Sri Lanka Development Forum (SLDF) to put pressure on the government to conduct a serious investigation into the murder of senior journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram.

The protesters gathered in Kandy to voice support for the proposed Joint Mechanism (JoMec) between the government and the Tamil Tigers for tsunami reconstruction and oppose privatisation programme.

“The workers will have to withdraw the support for JoMec, if the government goes ahead with the privatisation programme,” Ravi Kumudesh, a convenor of Trade Union Centre for Rebuilding the Country (RCTUC) told the gathering.

RCTUC earlier accused the World Bank of trying to divert the tsunami attention in SLDF.

RSF letter

Trade unionists, journalists and left-wing activists called for a proper investigation into the murder of journalist Sivaram.

They said the murder was not an isolated incident.

Protesters demanded a serious investigation into Sivaram murder

“The danger is that Sivaram’s murder was done by state terror,” WAD Wimalaratne, a co-convenor of RCTUC said.

Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has urged participants of SLDF to put pressure on the government to conduct a serious investigation into Sivaram’s murder.

“The Sri Lankan authorities have regrettably demonstrated a complete lack of will to solve cases of murders and physical attacks against journalists,” RSF said in its letter to the representatives of the World Bank and several countries participating in the conference.

“Those who instigated and perpetrated the murders of journalists Mylvaganam Nimalarajan, Aiyathurai Nadesan, Rohana Kumara, Nadarajah Atputharajah and Anthony Mariyanayagam during the past four years have never been brought to trial, and we call on you to publicly condemn this culture of impunity,” the letter said.