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Message: <blockquote data-quote="lkdood" data-source="post: 7364569" data-attributes="member: 92282"><img src="http://i40.tinypic.com/ea3zfr.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />The international media rights group Reporters Without Borders has  expressed concerns over the appointment of Mervyn Silva as a Deputy  Media Minister and called on Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne to relieve  Mervyn Silva of his ministerial post.    “In what country do you appoint an arsonist to put out fires?”  Reporters Without Borders asked today after learning that Mervyn Silva, a  politician notorious for insulting and physically attacking  journalists, has been appointed deputy minister of media and  information.     “The Sri Lankan government has again distinguished itself by assigning  key posts to very controversial figures implicated in attacks on press  freedom,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The ruling party’s victory in  the parliamentary elections is being marred by this kind of  appointment, which is casting serious doubt on its ability to carry out  reconciliation and reconstruction.”    The press freedom organisation added: “We call on Prime Minister D. M.  Jayaratne to relieve Mervyn Silva of his ministerial post.”    Threats forced several Sri Lankan journalists to flee the country  during the campaign for the 8 April parliamentary elections, RSF added.  Later, a team working for the Colombo-based Daily Mirror newspaper was  followed and threatened on 21 April in the central city of Kandy by a  local journalist apparently acting on the orders of the police.  Journalists had gone there to cover a re-poll.    A ruling party candidate threatened Wasantha Chadrapala, a  correspondent for various media in the eastern district of Ampara, on 4  April because of his coverage of the election campaign. His house was  attacked by unidentified assailants that evening, RSF said.                         DailymirrorGang boss known for hostility towards journalists appointed deputy  media minister<a href="http://en.rsf.org/sri-lanka-mervyn-silva-gang-boss-minister-26-04-2010,37152.html" target="_blank">http://en.rsf.org/sri-lanka-mervyn-silva-gang-boss-minister-26-04-2010,37152.html</a></blockquote>

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