UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake has alleged that the Independent Television Network (ITN) has violated the regulations of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Attanayaka made this remark sending a letter to ITN Chairman Rosmund Senaratne, responding to a video telecasted by the ITN which showed a group of UNP supporters displaying LTTE flags during the UNP May Day rally in Jaffna.
“More than hundred local and foreign journalists covered the UNP May Day in Jaffna and thousands of military personnel provided security for the rally. But surprisingly, none of them saw the group who were displaying LTTE flags. Only the cameraman of the Independent Television Network had seen LTTE flags,” Attanayake, in his letter, said.
“After realizing the suspicious behaviour of the ITN cameraman, the party supporters who participated in the rally had captured him and handed him over to Party Chairman Gamini Jayawickrama Perera. Then the cameraman had confessed that he did it under directives of the ITN authorities. Apparently, the group who displayed LTTE flags had also arrived in a vehicle belonging to the ITN,” Attanayake also said.
He also stated that instead of video recording the group who was displaying LTTE flags, the ITN cameraman could have informed the security forces on the matter. “Then, those who displayed LTTE flags could have been prosecuted because the LTTE is a proscribed organization in Sri Lanka” Attanayake added.
Instead of complying with laws pertaining to terrorism, the ITN has not only telecasted, but also distributed the video footage which carried LTTE flags, to other TV stations and websites, Attanayaka charged. Therefore, he said the ITN and its chairman have violated the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
CT
