-By the Editorial Board of Lanka e News
(Lanka-e-News -02.Dec.2024, 11.50 PM) On November 13, the day before Sri Lanka’s most recent general election, the 16-year ban imposed on the Lanka e News website, which had been inaccessible to the people of Sri Lanka, was finally lifted.
It is no secret that Lanka e News was among the most heavily suppressed, censored, and persecuted media outlets in Sri Lanka’s recent history.
In the modern world, the relationship between governments and the media often exists in a “friend-foe” dynamic. Lanka e News has always stood firmly on the side of the people.
Our commitment to this stance made us unyielding to the oppressive Rajapaksa regime. They spared no effort to isolate us from the public through intimidation, threats, slander, false accusations, police investigations, secret police inquiries, and lawsuits. Eventually, they abducted our journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda. When even that did not stop us, they resorted to sending unidentified gunmen to decide our fate. In the end, we were forced to leave our homeland and seek refuge elsewhere.
The Rajapaksa regime also pressured the owners of the building where our office was located, leaving us without a base. Under extremely difficult conditions, we continued operations with the help of a well-wisher. However, even this office was burned down, destroying everything, including a valuable library compiled over three generations, computers, and our photographic archives.
Yet, there were things they could not destroy—our determination to stand against oppression and the trust placed in us by our readers, both locally and internationally.
In exile, we embraced a new approach. Adapting to the changing landscape of journalism, we pioneered what we termed “guerrilla media practices,” which proved to be a unique and enriching experience.
With the help of numerous technologists, many of whom volunteered out of a sense of mission, we secured footholds in various corners of the modern communication landscape. Generous donations in money and equipment flowed from supporters who believed in our cause. A massive network of supporters emerged, standing with us like an unyielding fortress.
A clandestine yet formidable internal information network took root in Sri Lanka to provide accurate and timely information, even at great personal risk. Some of the information we received came from individuals and places we could never have imagined.
Today, we take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to all those brave and virtuous men and women who supported Lanka e News in its darkest hours.
Lanka e News has never claimed to be an impartial media outlet. Unlike those who secretly practice bias while claiming neutrality, we openly display our biases and never betray the expectations of our readers.
We acknowledge our mistakes with humility. We have had our share of disappointments, such as being betrayed by those in whom we placed our trust based on the political contexts and understandings of the time. Exile has exposed us to opportunists who sold our name for their gain, as well as false narratives crafted against us.
However, we are pleased with the recent decision of the newly elected National People’s Power government in Sri Lanka to lift the ban on us. We view this as the beginning of fulfilling their promise to democratize media, not as a personal favor to us but as their duty to the people of Sri Lanka.
We assure this government and the public that we will not hesitate to point out even the smallest of their missteps. Like the Sri Lankan people, we hope to witness the rise of a just and prosperous society on this island—a dream we have long aspired to see come true.
In 1968, during the protests in France, the world-renowned philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre was arrested under civil disobedience laws. The then French President, Charles de Gaulle, promptly intervened and pardoned him, stating, “You cannot arrest Voltaire.”
Voltaire, famously known for saying, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,” symbolizes the ethos we uphold.
December 2, 2024
London
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by (2024-12-03 01:00:08)
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