The Editor-in-Chief of a north-based Tamil newspaper has been grilled by the police for over two and a half hours over a newspaper editorial critical of the president’s representative in the province.
Nallaiya Vijayasundaram, The Editor-in-Chief of the daily newspaper Valampuri, who was summoned to the Jaffna police station on 22 April, points out that interrogating him in this manner is tantamount to a violation of the freedom of expression.
His editorial, “An Urgent Letter to the Northern Province Governor,” was published in the Valampuri newspaper on 18 March. Accountant of the Governor’s Office, Annamalai Kalaichelvan, has lodged a complaint with the police claiming that the said editorial has been written in a manner that negatively impacts the activities and the reputation of Governor P.S.M. Charles.
The editorial alleges that the Governor, appointed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, had failed to provide solutions to everyday issues faced by the public, including the rise in road accidents and pest harm to coconut cultivation.
“By requesting a Tamil for the post of governor for the north, we have simply poured dirt on our own heads,” says the editorial.
Vijayasundaram gave his statement to the Jaffna police from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. on 22 April. According to regional journalists he has told the police that the action against him is a violation of the freedom of expression.
“When I gave my statement, I said that the complaint against the editorial and the summoning (to the police) and questioning about the same is a violation of the freedom of expression. The complaint claims that the editorial has been written in a manner that affects the Governor’s activities and her reputation. I asked how it impacted on the Governor’s reputation.”
Vijayasundaram opined that the Governor’s Office is acting under the impression that weakening him through such complaints will compel other journalists to retreat.
Established in December 1999, Valampuri have been published amid multiple threats to its journalists over the years.
