By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj

Related events over the past few weeks have raised serious questions whether Sri Lankan journalists in general and Tamil media personnel in particular have the basic right of conducting or participating in a training workshop designed to improve or develop their professional skills.

Inter-linked incidents in Polonnaruwa, Negombo and Colombo where three top tourist hotels prevented a reputed Non –governmental organization the Transparency Internatiol of Sri Lanka from holding investigative training workshops for Tamil journalists on their premises due to threats and intimidation have been severely condemned by national and international media rights organizations.

While the elementary norms of hospitality were unprofessionally violated by established hotels in arbitrary manner on the one hand the Police declining to protect the journalists right of association and assembly on the other have further tarnished the name of Sri Lanka worldwide.

The sordid saga of how three top hotels such as Deer Park Hotel in Giritale,Polonnaruwa, Goldi Sands Hotel in Negombo and the Galadari Hotel in Colombo seemingly caved into intimidatory threats from “outsiders”and prevented workshops for Tamil media journalists being conducted on their premises is a tale that needs re-telling. The conduct of the Five Star Galadari which “chased away”sleeping guests at midnight was appallingly dreadful and most unbecoming of a leading hotel.

One wonders how tourists would react if told that Galadari has a tendency to turn out booked guests from their premises at midnight? The chain of events leading from Deer Park via Goldi Sands to the Galadari Hotel is worth recounting in brief so that would be guests could get an idea of what could lie in store for them if and when they check in at these hotels.

This is how it all began!

The reputed NGO Transparency International of Sri Lanka(TISL) conducted a series of training workshops on investigative journalism for media personnel in Sri Lanka.TISL has conducted several workshops for journalists in the past.Also TISL has compiled and released a manual for investigative journalists.The funding for the current investigative journalism training project came from the US based “Internews” which describes itself as “ an international non-profit organization whose mission is to empower local media worldwide to give people the news and information they need, the ability to connect and the means to make their voices heard”.

Protesters occupying the entrance of Goldi Sands Hotel, where the training was conducted

A series of workshops at national and regional level for media personnel in the Sinhala, Tamil and English languages were planned. A scheme of training was formulated and instructors and mentors selected. The course was in essence a fellowship which would let participants undertake mentor monitored investigative journalism projects of their choice after completing the training sessions.Travel and expenses grants were to be provided. Applications were called five months ago and names of participants from the print, audio-visual and electronic media finalised on merit based criteria.

DEER PARK HOTEL

The first workshop was planned for 20 Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim media personnel from the Eastern province at the Deer Park Hotel in Giritale,Polonnaruwa. The hotel is owned by Polonnaruwa district MP and deputy minister of Lands and land development Siripala Gamlath.However only 16 journalists attended the workshop. The largest group of the participants were Sinhala.Tamils were the second largest.This workshop went off well without a hitch.It was basically conducted in Sinhala and Tamil.

Two other workshops in this regard were conducted by TISL without any hinderance. One was at a national level for journalists in the English language medium at a hotel in Bentota. The other was for Sinhala language media personnel held at a hotel in Kalutara.

The TISL held a workshop for Tamil Media Journalists on May 22nd 2014 at Deer Park Hotel where the earlier one for Eastern journalists had been conducted satisfactorily.The bulk of journalists were from the Northern province. Four of the eastern participants who had “missed” the earlier one were also included in this one. Two Tamil scribes from a Colombo Tamil newspaper were also participants.The workshop had been organised under the theme “Investigative reporting on the enforcement of the recommendations made by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC)”.

Protest against a training for Tamil speaking journalists being held in Negombo

While the earlier TISL workshop for Eastern province journalists from all three communities held at Deer Park was a success, the second one for Tamil media personnel at the same venue ran into unexpected problems.

MINNERIYA

Initially two unknown persons presumed to be very “intelligent” moved int the hotel premises and started keeping tabs on the workshop participants.When the workshop got underway they entered the room but stayed in the rear without overtly interfering. Even as the workshop proceeded with participants feeling uncomfortable, the Hotel management came hurriedly in and said they had got calls from the military base in Minneriya that the workshop should be allowed to proceed only if the organizers had clearance from the Ministry of Defence. Since no such defence ministry clearance had been required to conduct earlier workshops including the one for Eastern journalists at the same venue, no clearance was obtained by the organizers as they thought it was not necessary.

Since there was no defence ministry clearance the Hotel management asked the organizers to suspend the workshop till defence clearance was obtained. However when Transparency International officials in Colombo contacted the Defence ministry they were told that no such clearance was necessary.

When this was intimated to Deer Park Hotel management the response was that the organizers should clarify again from the Minneriya Army camp. Again when TISL officials contacted senior army officers at Minneriya they were told that there was no objection and that no defence clearance was required.

When this was conveyed to the Hotel management there was still no consent to let the workshop continue. Meanwhile the two unknown “intelligent”persons were moving about the premises in a manner that seemed to trouble and perturb the Hotel staff.

BODHU BALA SENA

A fresh twist occurred when the Deer Park Hotel management changed its tune and said that they had got a telephone call threatening that some Bhikkhus led by the Bodhu Bala Sena(BBS) would stage a demonstration against the hotel unless the workshop was cancelled and participants dispersed.

Unconfirmed reports stated that the regional army commander Maj-Gen Lal Perera had personally telephomed the hotel and ordered that the workshop be cancelled. This allegation however has been vehemently denied by military spokespersons.

With the agitated Hotel management exerting pressure on the one hand and the local Police seemingly unresponsive to complaints on the other, the organizers decided to call it quits. The physical security of the Tamil and Muslim participants was at risk. Besides there was the impression that the matter could be sorted out later and that the workshop could be conducted at the same venue or elsewhere later. So the TISL called the workshop off but did not make an issue out of it.The participants were transported safely to their homes.

With the national level workshop concluding successfully at Bentota the TISL thought there would be no further problems and decided the time was opportune to stage the aborted northern workshop again. Since an unnecessary issue of “Defence Clearance” was being raised when the venue was in the north or east the organizers thought of conducting it in the South.

Since two workshops had been conducted in the Southern and South western coasts the TISL thought of staging it in the western coast this time. Thus Goldi Sands Hotel in Negombo became the venue. Bookings were done and appropriate arrangements made.The three day training workshop titled “Capacity Building for Investigative journalists at Regional and National Level” began on the morning of Friday June 6th at Negombo’s Goldi Sands Hotel.

THIRTEEN

There were thirteen journalist participants and six instructor –mentors.The Journalists consisted of three Muslims and Ten Tamils.

Protesters demanding to stop the ongoing training for Tamil speaking journalists- pic via: twitter.com/DushiYanthini

Two Muslims were from Trincomalee district and one from Amparai (Kalmunai)district. The Tamil journalists comprised one from Trincomalee, One from Colombo, Two from Kilinochchi and Six from Jaffna district. There were no applicants from Mullaitheevu, Vavuniya and Mannar districts. Tamil journalists from Batticaloa and Amparai districts had earlier attended the Eastern workshop. All participants were males as no Woman Journalist from the Tamil media had applied.

The instructor-mentors were Mr. Shan Wijetunga-Senior manager outreach and communication division of TISL, Mr.Jagath Liyanaarachchi-Legal Manager, Advocacy and civic engagement division TISL,Mr.Lasantha Ruhunage-News Editor of “Ravaya” and President of Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, Mr.Jayasiri Jayasekera–Senior Journalist and Executive Committee member of Free Media Movement, Ms. Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai-Freelance journalist and secretary of South Asian women in media (Sri Lanka chapter) and Mr. Nirosh Thiyagarajah-Freelance Journalist contributing rgularly to”Virakesari”Tamil Daily published by Express Newspapers Ceylon (Ltd).Shan Wijetunga was in overall charge.

JATHIYA SUREKEEMA SANVIDANAYA

The workshop got off to a flying start on Friday. Everything went off well without any mishap. Saturday June 7th too began on a positive note. It was afternoon when the trouble began/A group of protestors claiming to be from a hitherto unknown organization called “Jathiya Surekeeme Sanvidanaya” loosely translated as “movement for national unity” staged a demonstration outside Goldi Sands Hotel.

There were about 125 to 150 persons demonstrating. They carried placards in Sinhala except for one in English which said “Imagination of Real Betrayers”. There were placards where caricatures with the faces of some of the instructors and organizers were displayed. Most of the slogans chanted were against traitors betraying the country for dollars from overseas.

The Negombo Police was alerted. Senior police officials who arrived on the spot stated that they would not let the workshop participants be physically harmed but that they could not stop the demonstration as “every one had the right to demonstrate in a democratic country”. The cops also “advised” the TISL organizers to cancel the workshop and leave the hotel.

Protesters and Police at Goldi Sands Hotel lobby-pic via: twitter.com/DushiYanthini

In the meantime an agitated Goldi sands hotel management began pressurising the TISL organizers to cancel the workshop and vacate the hotel immediately. It was said that two wedding receptions were to be held in the Hotel on Sunday June 8th and that there could be trouble if the workshop continued to be held. The Hotel management also said that the Hotel may be attacked in the night and safety of guests compromised.

GOLDI SANDS HOTEL

It was evening now and around 80% of the workshop was completed. Only a winding up session on Sunday 8th remained. Despite entreaties the Goldi Sands hotel management was adamant that the workshop be cancelled and participants vacate the hotel immediately.The Police too endorsed the Hotel management and said they could neither disperse the demonstrators nor guarantee protection if the journalists remained in Negombo.

Police officers inside the training venue at Goldi Sands Hotel in Negombo.

Again the situation was delicate as the physical security of the Tamil and Muslim journalists was at stake. When TISL officials contacted the funding agency there was positive appreciation of the problem. Since the journalists from the north and east had no place to go and were facing potential physical danger the funders asked the TISL to accommodate the journalists in a safe five star hotel in Colombo and not to worry about the expenses. The physical safety of participants was of paramount importance it was asserted.

Against this backdrop the workshop instructors and participants vacated Goldi sands hotel and left for Colombo. They found new accommodation at Galadari Hotel in Fort.Several rooms were booked. Since 80% of the workshop was over it was decided to complete the remaining 20 % at Galadari on Sunday.Feeling safe and secure in the swank five star Galadari the participants and instructors retired to their rooms around 11 pm in the night on Saturday.

GALADARI HOTEL

Most of them had fallen asleep when their sleep was shattered.Galadari Hotel Management was on the war path.”we have got a telephone call from the Bodhu Bala Sena threatening that the BBS will come now and invade the hotel if the workshop people are not sent out immediately” they said.

No amount of pleading that the journalists from the north and east had no place to go and that it was midnight could influence the management of Galadari. Employees came to the rooms with the names of the occupants and began forcing them to get out immediately.

Coastal sunset-pic by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai

Having no choice, the workshop instructors and participants cleared out of their rooms and came down to the lobby with their luggage.According to participants Galadari employees gave them scornful and hostile looks. Some remained close observing every movement of ther recent “guests” as if they were dangerous “terrorists”. The Galadari hotel violated civilized norms of hospitality by their action.

Under the circumstances it was decided to call the workshop off and send the participants back to the north and east.The buses and trains however were in the morning. There were still dark hours of the night left. Again personal safety was an issue. So everyone went to the Working journalists association office in Maradana and sat it out until dawn there.

The four Eastern province journalists took the bus in the morning at Pettah. The eight Northern province journalists took the “Yarl Devi” at Fort. The Colombo based Journalist went off alone. The organizers and instructor – mentors returned to their homes after ensuring the safety of the journalists and arranging transport back to the north and east.

TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL

This time the Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) did not downplay the incident and publicised it. The incident received worldwide negative publicity. Many media rights organizations condemned what had happened.Journalists who heard of the Galadari Hotel claim that the BBS was threatening to invade the hotel contacted Dilantha Jayamanne and Gnanasara Thero of the BBS. Both of them categorically denied that the BBS had any intention of opposing the workshop or targeting Galadari.They even challenged the Galadari to prove their allegation by revealing the telephone number from which the alleged BBS call came.

The state owned “Rupavahini” and “Dinamina” newspapers carried stories that demonstrations were held in Negombo because some “Tigers” were being trained at the workshop. The Galadari hotel episode went unreported.

Initially there was an impression that the workshop was targeted because the Transparency International was involved. The TISL is not a favourite of the ruling regime. This impression however is false because other workshops of a similar nature conducted by the same TISL had not been targeted. It was blatantly clear that the workshop for Tamil media journalists was the only one being targeted.This seemed a clear case of anti-Tamil racism masquerading as patriotism with the support presumably of powerful people in the defence establishment.

DBS Jeyaraj can be reached at djeyaraj2005@yahoo.com