The raid on the Sri Lanka Mirror offices – an opinion

A team from the CID has raided the offices of Sri Lanka Mirror that has a website and has removed its computers and other items that it uses to publish information on the web and taken staff for questioning. The Sri Lanka X news is also administered from this location, and I would think this site will also be out of action like Mirror one.

This is a clear indication of the tactics of the Govt. to attack those who do not agree with their policies. This is clearly a threat aimed at those supplying information against the Govt. to the website that they should desist. Their information could be in the computers that were removed.

The CID is likely to be busily loading incriminating information into the SL Mirror computers to claim they had information that is tantamount to sedition or some such. So when this sort of action is undertaken without proper independent review one cannot accept any of the allegations the Government makes even if true against a web site. I am not commenting on the pros and cons of the web site. I am merely informing the reader that this is the modus operandi of the government in suppressing dissent.

The success the Govt. has had in suppressing dissent to stay in power by these tactics is reprehensible and must be fought tooth the nail in all fora. One must take this administration to task for this action. If they have a warrant, do we know if the judge has reviewed all the information or just got the orders from above to sign the warrant for the search. In the current context we do not know the real reasons, but in a society that lacks governance it is correct to come to incorrect conclusions as using the laws of probability the conclusions are most likely to be accurate.

We would hope that there is a sufficiently loud outcry internationally to lay blame as this is another ploy to get international attention to this. The Govt. can then preach in their media that there is foreign interference in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka and therefore help their cause in the forthcoming elections, by hiding the people from the truth and using a lame excuse of planted information against this site, thereby getting publicity of foreign conspiracy against the state using this web address!!!

The depths to which the administration will stoop does not have any limits. People must be awake to this action as it is history repeating itself and there is further news misinformation in the offing as the tactic to win these elections. This is likely to be why they have confidence in winning.

Truth and Justice will eventually prevail after a hard fought battle.