Uthayan Editor among the RSF 100 Information Heroes

M. V. Kaanamylnathan

M. V. Kaanamylnathan had 50 years’ tough experience in journalism and had worked for every Tamil-language newspaper in Sri Lanka when he took the helm of the main Tamil daily Uthayan in 1985, two years after the civil war flared up. Dozens of members of the paper’s staff were among the conflict’s 100,000 dead. Bombings, shootings, grenade attacks and murders were used to try to silence a voice that tried to keep to a middle course between the central government and the Tamil rebels. Five years after the official end of the conflict, Kaanamylnathan, who himself escaped an attack in 2001, and his newspaper are still making waves. Last year, a series of articles on land seizures by the Sri Lankan army was followed by a brutal attack on the paper’s offices by six masked men.

RSF

Govt. hitting world headlines for wrong reasons - Editorial Daily Mirror

 Friday, 19 April 2013
During the National New Year when the Sinhala and Tamil communities came together for festivities of deep unity in diversity it was sad to hear of yet another attack on the Jaffna-based Tamil newspaper ‘Uthayan’. This attack, the 16th since 2006, on the leading Tamil newspaper in the North was a clear sign of the lawlessness or total breakdown of the rule of law in the country and the government’s failure to turn the LTTE defeat into lasting peace, reconciliation and justice for the people in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

Uthayan Attack: Proprietor E. Saravanapavan requests Cabinet spokesman to refrain from giving false news

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP and Proprietor of Uthayan newspaper, E. Saravanapavan, yesterday called on the Government's Media Spokesman, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, to refrain from giving false news to the media. He was referring to Rambukwella's comment that the damage to the Uthaytan office was insignificant, and that the media office is continuing to print as usual.

Selective justice for Uthayan

Ranga Jayasuriya
 Last year, there had been 19 killings in Jaffna, but, police were keen about only one murder (of a suspected military informant),” recalls V. Premanath, Editor of Uthayan.
When it came to that particular case, police really meant business; they arrested four men and obtained a court order for their prolonged detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act – though the case was remotely related to terrorism.

"Udayan" newspaper delivery employee attacked, by unidentified persons. Papers burnt.

"Udayan" newspaper delivery employee attacked, by unidentified persons. Papers burnt.

“Udayan” newspaper delivery employee was attacked by unidentified persons today morning at 5.30 a.m at Maalu junction locality and his motorbike along with the newspapers was scorched.

 

The incident occurred while he took the newspapers from the “Udayan” print media office today morning was assaulted at Maalu junction by four unidentified persons riding in two motorbikes. They had severely beaten him with poles.