The blocking of two popular news websites in Sri Lanka ‘ Gossip Lanka’ (gossiplanka.lk ) and ‘ Gossip Lanka News’ ( gossiplankanews.com ) is completely illegal, says Sunil Jayasekara  the Secretary of Free Media Movement.

He made these comments responding to a question raised by ‘Sri Lanka Mirror’ regarding the blocking of the two websites.

He stated that there are no legal provisions in the prevailing constitution to regulate the activities of internet media including websites, blogs, facebook and twitter. Similarly, Telecommunications Regulatory Commission possess no authority to block websites, he said.

Telecommunications Regulatory Act was implemented to regulate the activities of Television channels and Radio channels and when the act was implemented the internet was not at such an advanced level.

The Director General of Telecommunications Regulatory Commission or the Secretary of the Ministry of Mass Media and Information do not possess authority to regulate internet and being involved in such activities is illegal, he added.

However, Free Media Movement have submitted a petition in Supreme Court regarding the ban on 5 other news websites. Even though the petition was rejected the court was unable provide a clear explanation on the grounds which it was rejected.

Therefore, there is no code of ethics passed by the parliament to regulate new media, Jayasekara stated.

Under this situation government is misusing government authorities to gain control or regulate the websites which criticize the government and the government has already banned several websits which expressed discontentment towards it.

Following the regulations implemented by the Ministry of Mass Media and Information ‘Gossip Lanka’ has been registered under the Ministry as a news website after paying an amount of Rs. 25,000. Therefore blocking the website without any prior notification is an extension of government’s media suppression, he noted.

- Sri Lanka Mirror

Govt. to take website to British court

A Britain-based website, banned in Sri Lanka, has come under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).�The move is said to be a prelude to the Government instituting legal proceedings in British courts against the website for what is being called “scurrilous and often false reporting on Sri Lankan issues.” The court action is to cite specific instances where VIPs have been reportedly maligned by the website.
Last week, investigations by CID detectives focused on how the website in question was funded. Some Colombo firms, which placed advertisements, have been questioned. One in particular in the motor trade has told detectives that he had made payment to Google which in turn was placing the ads in various websites including the one under probe.

This week, detectives recorded statements from officials in the Colombo office of Google to determine how funds for advertisements were being collected and placed in websites. The CID wants to determine whether such funds are being handled in accordance with the country’s tax laws and exchange control regulations.

CID sources said a comprehensive dossier on the website would be handed over to the Attorney General’s Department. Such a dossier, they said, would include the identities of Sri Lankans domiciled abroad and allegedly defaming VIPs in obscene language. Already, legal help from London has been sought. A leading firm is to appear on behalf of the Government and will argue on the grounds that even British laws were being violated to defame those in Sri Lanka.
ST

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The Criminal Investigation Department(CID) yesterday told court that Sri Lankamirror.com and Xnews.com websites cannot be considered media institutes as they have been identified as scurrilous and mudslinging websites.  CID Inspector Anura de Silva doubted whether the suspects arrested by the Police were in fact professional journalists.
The CID Inspector made this statement when the case against the Srilankamirror.com and Xnews.com webstes was taken up before Colombo Additional Magistrate K.A.G. Punchihewa.
Inspector Silva observed that all newspapers that followed the code of ethics for media have identified these websites as purveyors of slander and mudslinging.

Showing a newspaper to courts, the CID Inspector queried as to who introduced these websites as media institutes.

He informed court that the Attonery General has given instructions over the release of computers which were taken into custody at the places where these websites were operating. He said the CID will raise no objection to release the computers on condition that the defendants should accept what is contained in the computers. He also stated that the defendents should comply with the condition that no change or alteration should be done to the data contained in these computers.

In addition, the CID yesterday produced data contained in three more computers before the court to be placed in the court safe. Attorney At Law Upul Kumaraperuma and the CID made lengthy submissions over the release of computers and the instructions issued by the Attorney General. After considering the submissions by the two parties, the magistrate refused to release the computers and the case was put off untill September 4. The suspects who were arrested by the court and later released on bail also appeared in courts.
CDN

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Posted on August 22, 2012 at 12:05 pm in news   |  RSS feed You can trackback from your own site.

The Supreme Court has not called for the registration of news websites, Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake said this week, concurring with counsel for UNP Parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera in the fundamental rights case filed against the CID raid on the Lankaxnews website.

The Bench also included Justices N.G.Amaratunga and K. Sripavan.The Counsel for petitioner Mr.Samaraweera told court that the CID obtained a search warrant to enter the premises of Lankaxnews website by misinforming a magistrate that the website was not registered in terms of a Supreme Court order.

He said the Supreme Court never made such an order and therefore a search warrant obtained on misinformation was illegal.At this stage, Chief Justice Bandaranayake noted that the Supreme Court had not made an order calling for the registration of news websites.The petitioner’s counsel said the CID had misinterpreted a recent Supreme Court order to its advantage to obtain the search warrant.

Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Shaveendra Fernando objecting to the rights plea submitted that petitioner Samaraweera had committed a criminal offence by not paying EPF and ETF to two employees of Lankaxnews website.
He noted that the website was carrying out illegal activities because the computers seized by the CID had child pornography files. “The petitioner should come to court with clean hands,” he argued.

The petitioner’s counsel replied that it was the respondents who should have come with clean hands, as they had wrongfully obtained the search warrant, by misrepresenting facts to the magistrate.He also denied the allegations of child pornography, while accusing the CID of fabricating charges.

Mr. Samaraweera, head of the Communication Division of the UNP, filed the rights application in the Supreme Court, against the illegal search of the website office and the arrest of two employees of the official website of the UNP, on June 29, along with seven employees of the SriLanka mirror website, whose office is also located on the ground floor of the same building, as that of Lankaxnews website.

Mr. Samaraweera stated that, although the CID arrested the employees of the Lankaxnews news website claiming that they had published articles defaming the President, no such article had been submitted to the magistrate to prove their claims.
He alleged that the seizure of equipment and the arrest of employees were aimed at disrupting the activities of the Opposition website, which highlighted corruption within the Government.

He sought Rs. 50 million as compensation.Mr. Samaraweera cited CID computer division OIC, IP Senaratne, OIC CID, the Director CID, the IGP and the Attorney General as respondents.
ST

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Posted on August 12, 2012 at 7:24 am in news   |  RSS feed You can trackback from your own site.

The cabinet has decided to reduce fees for news website registration.

Accordingly, the first time registration of a news website will cost Rs. 25,000, down from Rs. 100,000 previously.