You are herePetition to Hon. Maxine Mckew - Member for Bennelong
Petition to Hon. Maxine Mckew - Member for Bennelong
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Fax: (02) 6277 8561
Maxine McKew should end her silence and condemn the brutal
suppression of the Media in Sri Lanka
Thanks for those who participated. With this strong message, ATEL will be meeting Maxine McKew, a journalist turned politician on 15th of April.
As part of the Sri Lankan government’s genocidal war against the Tamil people, the continuous suppression of local media and severe restrictions on the international media go unabated. This war against the Tamil people continues unnoticed with indiscriminate killing of adults and children.
A recent report by the International Press Freedom Mission has condemned “a culture of impunity and indifference" over killings and attacks on journalists. Sri Lanka has become one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists.
Over 11 senior journalists have been killed, over 27 assaulted and more than a dozen have fled the country fearing for their lives. None of these incidents have been investigated by the Sri Lankan authorities, who in many instances have been complicit in perpetrating these crimes. These allegations against the Sri Lankan regime have also been highlighted in the special report by Amos Roberts (‘Hunting the Tigers’ – SBS Dateline Report on Sri Lanka on 15 March 2009).There is therefore an absence of independent reporting of the conflict and genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka, which has enabled the Sri Lankan government to continue its gross violation of human rights with impunity.
As an award winning journalist and now a Member of the Australian Parliament, Maxine Mckew is in a position to condemn the brutal suppression of Media freedom in Sri Lanka. Australia should condemn these “undemocratic” actions and strongly urge the Sri Lankan government to restore this basic democratic right.
We earnestly request Maxine to break her silence and take appropriate measures to assist in the restoration of Media Freedom in Sri Lanka.
This petition campaign is organised by Australian Tamil Electoral Lobby (ATEL) www.atel.org.au
A recent report on the state of media freedom in Sri Lanka, by Australian reporter Amos Roberts, was aired on March 15th 2009 in SBS Dateline program (http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/watch/id/600020/n/Hunting-the-Tigers)