Shining Light on Sri Lanka's Dirty Secret: the Disappearance of Prageeth Eknaligoda

When the government of Sri Lanka made the regrettable mistake of targeting, disappearing and murdering the reporters of this country who dared raise a voice of truth for the Tamil minority culture, it gained a whole new set of enemies; every other journalist alive on this planet. I have never met a single one who approved of government terrorism campaigns to silence political opposition.

Sonali Samarasinghe has an incredible past; but her life was shattered when her husband Lasantha Wickrematunge who wrote:

Addressing Sri Lanka's president, Mahinda Rajapakse in a discussion with a close friend - he spoke of a cold government bent on eliminating those who call its illegal and immoral practices into question. As a political cartoonist, Lasantha knew he was on the radar and being targeted when he wrote:

"In the wake of my death I know you will make all the usual sanctimonious noises and call upon the police to hold a swift and thorough inquiry. But like all the inquiries you have ordered in the past, nothing will come of this one, too. For truth be told, we both know who will be behind my death."

Currently a Writer in Residence in Ithaca, NY, Sonali Samarasinghe continues to keep these stories and their impacts alive and pronounced. In the past Sonali has been a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, Editor-in-Chief of Lankastandard.com, an Attorney-at-Law, Commissioner for Oaths, Editor in Chief of The Morning Leader, Sri Lanka, and Consultant Editor for The Sunday Leader, Sri Lanka.

Sonali Samarasinghe brings up another significant point; as war crimes and ethnic cleansing continues around the world in places like Burma, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Balochistan and Palestine, even the journalists who do follow Sri Lanka take their eye off the ball.

People in Sri Lanka live in fear every day. Not the Sinhalese Buddhist majority culture; they rule this place with a deadly fist. The threat remains only toward Tamils and their supporters. They are all the victims of a war against them that really began in 1948, when the British finally pulled their colonial claws out of this place. The northern Tamils have lived in this place for hundreds and hundreds of years. The earliest western explorers noted that Sri Lanka was comprised of two distinctly different cultures hundreds of years ago.

But the government wants an exclusively Sinhala Buddhist nation and they have gone to great length to achieve this Nazi-like dream of exclusivity that does not belong to them. I have discussed the 'white vanning' issue with many people; from the strongest representatives for Tamils in this country, to a high-ranking GoSL official. Nobody denies that it takes place. Only the blame for the origin of these attacks is in question. Of course the GoSL maintains that these Tamil supporters are targeted by 'terrorist' elements, all government culpability is denied.

Sonali Samarasinghe commented on this terrifying part of life facing Tamils at this very moment:

Indeed, until the international community takes off its soft soul sneakers and straps on the combat boots of justice, political wankers in their jaded rationale will kill and deny; torture and abscond. I remind everyone of the saying, "First they came for the Jews..."

You know the rest. There are no rewards in this life or the next for complacency. Help raise awareness, please repost this article on Facebook, Twitter, other social media and Websites and blogs. Make it happen, enough awareness will force Sri Lanka to the tables of justice and accountability.

Please read the articles below, they represent thousands of hours of research. Learn what happened to the liberation movement of Tamils of Sri Lanka and how the govt. became determined to help end it.

For God's sake, the world community should intervene to help families determine the fate of their loved ones. The 'secret' will die with increased media focus.

Tim King has more than twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. Tim is Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. His background includes covering the war in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, and reporting from the Iraq war in 2008. Tim is a former U.S. Marine who follows stories of Marines and Marine Veterans; he's covered British Royal Marines and in Iraq, Tim embedded with the same unit he served with in the 1980's.

Tim holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing from traditional mainstream news agencies like The Associated Press and Electronic Media Association; he also holds awards from the National Coalition of Motorcyclists, the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs; and was presented with a 'Good Neighbor Award' for his reporting, by the The Red Cross.

Tim's years as a Human Rights reporter have taken on many dimensions; he has rallied for a long list of cultures and populations and continues to every day, with a strong and direct concentration on the 2009 Genocide of Tamil Hindus and Christians in Sri Lanka. As a result of his long list of reports exposing war crimes against Tamil people, Tim was invited to be the keynote speaker at the FeTNA (Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America) Conference in Baltimore, in July 2012. This is the largest annual gathering of North American Tamils; Tim addressed more than 3000 people and was presented with a traditional Sri Lanka ‘blessed garland’ and a shawl as per the tradition and custom of Tamil Nadu

In a personal capacity, Tim has written 2,026 articles as of March 2012 for Salem-News.com since the new format designed. Serving readers with news from all over the globe, Tim's life is literally encircled by the endless news flow published by Salem-News.com, where more than 100 writers contribute stories from 23+ countries and regions.

Tim specializes in writing about political and military developments worldwide; and maintains that the label 'terrorist' is ill placed in many cases; specifically with the LTTE Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, where it was used as an excuse to slaughter people by the tense of thousands; and in Gaza, where a trapped population lives at the mercy of Israel's destructive military war crime grinder. At the center of all of this, Tim pays extremely close attention to the safety and welfare of journalists worldwide. You can write to Tim at this address: tim@salem-news.com. Visit Tim's Facebook page (facebook.com/TimKing.Reporter)

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Comments Leave a comment on this story.

All comments and messages are approved by people and self promotional links or unacceptable comments are denied.

Gamarala, August 28, 2012 11:12 am (Pacific time)

No one talk about Richard de zoyza. Where the hell these peoPle?where is the genocide?are you blind?have you see how's the civilians floes from LTTE to army. If there were genocide,whats the Fu... These IDP camps?gym me your Fu... Answer.

Christopher August 28, 2012 9:03 am (Pacific time)

So called journalists such as Prageeth Eknaligoda and Lasantha Wickrematunge have been traitors dressed in journalist’s clothes. They should realise that the Sri Lankan race and the nation come first. Influenced by the politicians and probably being in the payroll of Tamil Tiger terrorists, they betrayed the very race and country they belonged to. No matter how much the media would like to sensationalise and resonate the disappearances of these ungrateful and cutthroat collaborators, in true Sri Lankan’s thought process, the fading of these low calibre traitors are simply justified.

Tim King: Wow you have a lot to say for a person lacking the courage to even use our full name. These men are/were beacons of truth and you have no more right to anything in SL that they deserve. But you sound like a complete bigot, so we expect little more.

Gunasinghe August 28, 2012 3:30 am (Pacific time)

You say total war against Tamils. How come majority of Tamils live among Sinhalese. So many children left without fathers due to your hero Pirabkanas murdeours activities. If do not know some thing do nottalk about it you looks like an idiot

Tim King: Always the guilty party has to unleash an insult, but who would expect rational behavior from one who defends war crimes? There are far more Tamil children in the position you describe, those that weren't killed. And do you live in the north? Didn't think so.

Kidapolagam August 27, 2012 9:04 pm (Pacific time)

You seem to have clear bias against Sri Lanka. Let that country get on its feet with its people after two decade of bloodshed. You have a poisonous vendetta against anything Sri Lankan. Shame on you, Tim. You are the personification of how to buy a journalist (you are shamefully one) with a few blood stained bucks.

Tim King: That is really nice, let Genocide go unnoticed, isn't that what you are really saying?

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