Media may boycott Lanka SAARC summit

Media activists plan to boycott the forthcoming SAARC Summit in Sri Lanka in protest against the increasing attacks against journalists in the Island nation, a news report said on Sunday.''Media activists are planning a total media boycott of the forthcoming SAARC summit in protest against the increasing attacks against media ... ...in Sri Lanka'', a weekly publication said, as a government official cautioned that any such move would compromise the prestige of the nation.''A number of local and international media organisations have agreed on the proposal to boycott the coverage of the summit as the Sri Lankan government has not ensured that journalists could perform their duties without any hindrance,'' the newspaper quoted a media activist as saying on condition of anonymity.''We are not expecting the government media to join us. But we call upon government media personnel, who want the country to have press freedom, to take leave on these days,'' the activist said.When contacted on the report, the Director of Government Information Anusha Palpita said that he had not been told about any such development.Palpita said any such move would tantamount to compromising with the prestige of the country and that he was confident that such a thing would not happen.He said the Department of Information could always discuss any problem being faced by the media and sort it out. In June, the Sri Lankan government appointed a committee comprising of six ministers to inquire into problems faced by media personnel in carrying out their duties.

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