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New government must uphold press freedom, says press freedom collective

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In a joint statement addressed to Sri Lanka's newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka on January 13, seventeen media workers and union organisations call on the National People's Power leadership to continue efforts in protecting media freedoms for Sri Lankan journalists

A coalition of trade unions, media advocacy groups, and journalist representative bodies have urged the newly-elected government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to uphold press freedom and challenge a culture of impunity for crimes against journalists in Sri Lanka. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliates, the Federation of Media Employees and Trade Unions (FMETU), the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA), and the Free Media Movement (FMM), in stressing the historic importance of this transition and urging Dissanayake and the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) coalition to stand by their commitments in service of democracy, the media, and justice.

Following Sri Lanka’s Parliamentary and Presidntial elections in 2024, a coalition of 25 civil society organisations, unions, and media bodies, including the IFJ, FMETU, FMM, and SLWJA, called on the ruling NPP coalition and President Dissanayake to uphold press freedom and human rights in Sri Lanka through their terms in office.

The letter comes as Sri Lanka’s media community commemorates Black January, an annual remembrance of colleagues killed and disappeared between 2004 and 2010, with those responsible escaping with impunity in a vast majority of cases. Other attacks on the press, including harassment, abductions, intimidation, and assault continue to be met with inaction from authorities, if state forces are not directly responsible. In a report from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), a lack of accountability for historic and current human rights violations was identified as a significant impediment to human rights in Sri Lanka.

In the NPP’s election manifesto, the coalition criticised what it described as a partisan mass-media, announcing its plans to safeguard the professional integrity of journalists. In its principles, the coalition committed to remove sections of the controversial 2024 Online Safety Act impacting freedom of expression, while reviewing existing media legislation with a focus on press freedom.

Securing over 70 per cent of seats in November’s parliamentary elections, the NPP campaign promised to deliver sweeping reforms, including the enactment of a new constitution and legal reform amid the ongoing impacts of the country’s worst financial crisis. The election marks a significant departure from Sri Lanka’s recent political history, which has been dominated by the Rajapaksa political dynasty.

In the joint letter, the 25 organisations called on the new government to:

  1. Reopen or initiate impartial and swift investigations to ensure accountability in cases of violence against the press under previous governments;

  2. Ensure that law enforcement agencies end the harassment and intimidation of journalists;

  3. Repeal the Online Safety Act;

  4. Repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act;

  5. Amend the Parliamentary (Powers and Privileges) Act;

  6. Amend the Personal Data Protection Act; and

  7. Establish an independent, self-regulatory media commission.

The FMETU said: “Journalists In Sri Lanka often practice self-censorship due to fear of reprisals. This can lead to underreporting of important stories and a lack of critical coverage of the Government.”

The SLWJA said: “After the current government assumed power, there was widespread hope for a new era of freedom of speech and expression in Sri Lanka. However, these hopes are rapidly diminishing. The SLWJA urges the government to honour its commitments to safeguard media freedom and ensure the protection of journalists. Immediate steps must be taken to repeal oppressive legislation and foster an environment where the fundamental right to freedom of expression is respected and upheld.”

The FMM said: “The Free Media Movement commends President Dissanayake and the National People’s Power for their stated commitment to fostering a free and independent press in Sri Lanka. At this critical juncture, we urge the president to translate these commitments into concrete actions by ensuring justice for crimes against journalists, repealing repressive laws like the Online Safety Act, the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act, and fostering an environment where journalists can work without fear of harassment or intimidation.”

The IFJ said: The IFJ and its affiliates stand resolute in their defence of press freedom and accountability for Sri Lanka’s media. Justice for the families of colleagues killed, disappeared, or subject to other violence and attacks cannot be delayed any further, and the new Dissanayake government must ensure that it addresses the failings of its predecessors to combat impunity. At the same time, the NPP coalition must uphold democracy and commit to creating a media landscape free of laws affecting the fundamental freedoms of expression and the press.”

[IFJ]



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Zimbabwe, Ireland look to enhance their ODI cred as road to 2027 World Cup begins

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Ireland will have a settled top six, with Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie up the order [Cricinfo]

Zimbabwe and Ireland are set to play three ODIs starting on February 14. The series is not wrapped in a larger context but is working towards the 2027 ODI World Cup – a converging goal for both teams. ESPNcricinfo looks ahead to what the teams can do to align themselves towards their goals in Harare.

Zimbabwe’s summer of 2024-25 is galloping towards its finish, and while they were able to snatch an ODI win each against Afghanistan and Pakistan, they are yet to win a series. In fact, they are yet to win a series across formats. They have three ODIs and three T20Is to change that before heading to England for a Test in three months.

Ireland came out of the cold to seal a hat-trick of Test wins, and they now have the opportunity to whet their appetite in white-ball cricket before their home summer, which also starts in three months.

Both teams did not qualify for the 2023 ODI World Cup, so they were not in contention to make the upcoming Champions Trophy. But they do have a carrot to run towards.

Zimbabwe will co-host the 2027 ODI World Cup along with South Africa. Ireland, who were unable to qualify for the last two editions despite ODIs being the format that helped them break into the international stage, have a chance to make a comeback.

On the flipside, the absence of high stakes can free the teams to test out tactics and players if they wish to do so.

The first ever ODI between these two teams, which took place in the 2007 World Cup, ended in a tie, and since then, Ireland have won ten of the 21 ODIs that have been played. The extent of their dominance is magnified in their last ten completed games, out of which they have won eight.  They have won five of the 11 games in Harare, but are coming in with a streak of three wins at the venue.

Zimbabwe will be boosted by the return of Craig Ervine, who missed the Test due to a family emergency, and Sikandar Raza, who was with Dubai Capitals – the winners of the third edition of the ILT20. Their top-seven batters, who have averaged 16.69 since the start of 2024, will need to step up for the team to go through an upward trajectory.

In that period, Ireland have played five ODIs, compared to Zimbabwe’s nine. So, time in the middle will be significant in and of itself. They have a settled top-six, with captain Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie at the top, and a seasoned bowling line-up, led by Craig Young and Mark Adair.

Only three ODIs have been played in Harare in the past 12 months. But in the 19 games it has hosted in the last two – including the ODI World Cup Qualifiers in 2023 – the pacers have picked up 144 wickets at an average of 30.38 and economy of 5.37, while the spinners have taken 94 wickets at an average of 36.08 and an economy of 5.10 . However, those numbers could be a result of the fact that all 19 games have been played during the day, where the new ball assisted bowlers in the powerplay before conditions eased out in the middle overs.

So, top-order runs and early wickets in the first innings are likely to carry a premium, as will good defensive spin bowling in the middle overs.

[Cricinfo]

 

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Sri Lankan among hundreds of foreigners freed from Myanmar’s scam centres

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More than 250 people from 20 nationalities including a Sri Lankan who had been working in telecom fraud centres in Myanmar’s Karen State have been released by an ethnic armed group and brought to Thailand.

The workers, more than half of whom were from African or Asian nations, were received by the Thai army, and are being assessed to find out if they were victims of human trafficking.

Last week Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra met Chinese leader Xi Jinping and promised to shut down the scam centres which have proliferated along the Thai-Myanmar border.

Her government has stopped access to power and fuel from the Thai side of the border, and toughened up banking and visa rules to try to prevent scam operators from using Thailand as a transit country for moving workers and cash.

Some opposition MPs in Thailand have been pushing for this kind of action for the past two years.

Foreign workers are typically lured to these scam centres by offers of good salaries, or in some cases tricked into thinking they will be doing different work in Thailand, not Myanmar.

The scammers look for workers with skills in the languages of those who are targeted for cyber-fraud, usually English and Chinese.

They are pressed into conducting online criminal activity, ranging from love scams known as “pig butchering” and crypto fraud, to money laundering and illegal gambling.

Some are willing to do the work, but others are forced to stay, with release only possible if their families pay large ransoms. Some of those who have escaped have described being tortured.

The released foreign workers were handed over by the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, DKBA, one of several armed factions which control territory inside Karen State.

These armed groups have been accused of allowing the scam compounds to operate under their protection, and of tolerating the widespread abuse of trafficking victims who are forced to work in the compounds.

The Myanmar government has been unable to extend its control over much of Karen State since independence in 1948.

Thai News Pix Three people released from scam centres walk across a tarmac
The scammers look for workers with skills in the languages of those who are targeted for cyber-fraud, usually English and Chinese [BBC]

On Tuesday, Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation, which is similar to the US FBI, requested arrest warrants for three commanders of another armed group known as the Karen National Army.

The warrants included Saw Chit Thu, the Karen warlord who struck a deal in 2017 with a Chinese company to build Shwe Kokko, a new city believed to be largely funded by scams.

The BBC visited Shwe Kokko at the invitation of Yatai, the company which built the city.

Yatai says there are no more scams in Shwe Kokko. It has put up huge billboards all over town proclaiming, in Chinese, Burmese and English, that forced labour is not allowed, and that “online businesses” should leave.

But we were told by local people that the scam business was still running, and interviewed a worker who had been employed in one.

Chart showing nationalities of rescued workers

Like the DKBA, Saw Chit Thu broke away from the main Karen insurgent group, the KNU, in 1994, and allied himself to the Myanmar military.

Under pressure from Thailand and China, both Saw Chit Thu and the DKBA have said they are expelling the scam businesses from their territories.

The DKBA commander contacted a Thai member of parliament on Tuesday to arrange the handover of the 260 workers.

They included 221 men and 39 women, from Ethiopia, Kenya, the Philippines, Malaysia, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Nepal, Uganda, Laos, Burundi, Brazil, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Tanzania, Sir Lanka, India, Ghana and Cambodia.

[BBC]

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At least 20 injured after car drives into crowd in Munich

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The driver was detained at the scene, officials said [BBC]

A car has driven into a group of people in Munich leaving at least 20 injured, including two seriously, emergency services have said.

The local fire service said some of those hurt were in a “life-threatening condition”.

The driver was detained at the scene and poses no further danger, local police said. A major operation is under way in the Dachauer Strasse area, near the German city’s central train station.

The incident happened at the scene of a rally linked to the transport union Verdi, according to local media.

A police spokesman told broadcaster BR that officers were checking whether there was a link to the demonstration.

Munich’s mayor Dieter Reiter said children were among those injured. “I am deeply shocked. My thoughts are with the injured,” he told local media.

The injured are being treated, police said, adding rescue helicopters were at the scene.

Police said they could not confirm whether anyone else was involved, following unconfirmed reports of a second person in the car.

This comes hours before world leaders including Ukraine’s President Zelensky and US Vice President JD Vance will arrive in the city for the Munich security conference, which takes place on Friday.

The incident occurred around 1.5 kilometres (1 mile) from the security conference venue, and people have been advised to avoid the scene, which has been sealed off.

Police have asked for eyewitnesses to come forward with information and footage of the incident.

[BBC]

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