Occupational hazard? ha, ha!!

By Neville de Silva

The life of the jour nalist has never been an easy one. Certainly not under authoritarian regimes which suspect most mediamen of being anti-government, unless they are willing tools ready to sing the praises of the administration at each wave of an official baton.Anti-state or anti-national activity is the convenient fig leaf that disreputable and corrupt governments use to stifle media probity and neutralise "inconvenient" journalists. Unfortunately it is not only totalitarian states that subject inquiring journalists to harassment, coercion, incarceration, physical violence or death.

Governments and their agents in some so-called democracies are equally guilty of intimidation and violence against crusading journalists thus scaring others away from investigative reporting. International organisations that monitor governmental treatment of journalists have become increasingly concerned at the hazards facing media persons. More journalists have been threatened, physically harmed and even killed in the past 10 years than perhaps at any other time in recent history. Most governments try to distance themselves from such foul deeds, promising to bring perpetrators to book. They remain unfulfilled promises because when governments do not make use of outdated laws or tame judiciaries, they frequently use goon squads in civilian or military dress to do their dirty bidding.

But what does one make of political leaders who, deliberately or ignorantly, endorse such intimidation, encouraging those exposed by probing journalists to take the law into their own hands? The journalistic world would surely have been amazed by the remark recently of Sri Lankan cabinet minister and Deputy Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte after gun-toting goons invaded the residence of Iqbal Athas, the veteran defence correspondent of The Sunday Times newspaper, threatening him and his family. 'Occupational hazard'.

Iqbal Athas has been involved in a long-standing controversy with sections of the military hierarchy whom he has charged with corruption in weapons purchasing and military ineptitude in the conduct of the war against Tamil Tiger rebels. Mr Athas, who had guns held against his head, was threatened with death if he continued his criticisms of the military which recently focused on the air force. Those of us who had been subjected to intimidation of various kinds in earlier times from within or without government know the attendant problems.

Mr Ratwatte's defence was that this was an "occupational hazard for journalists," a logic that would place law enforcers and politicians in equally dangerous positions if the offended were free to retaliate.

Another defence minister would have immediately ordered that the offending gunmen be traced, especially since they were in possession of such sophisticated weapons. But what does Mr Ratwatte do? He virtually declares open season on journalists.

Anuruddha Ratwatte is not particularly known for having distinguished himself academically. But he is sufficiently literate to be able to read the pre-election manifesto of his party and the later statements of his government which promised undying commitment to press freedom and the protection of journalists as a salutory corrective to the misdemeanours of the previous regimes.

The writer is Associate Editor of the Hong Kong Standard

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