Media history was created yesterday when a minister of the government Dr. Mervin Silva with a group of others were held in captivity by the employees of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation for a number of hours while the police and the army were called in to rescue them. For the first time the employees of a state media institution took control of their institution and telecast live the incidents taking place within it without any interference from the government.

The Rupavahini news room in an unedited news telecast said controversial Labour Minister, Dr. Mervin Silva along with a group of goons had assaulted the News Director of the Rupavahini Corporation T. M. G. Chandrasekara and dragged him to the Chairman’s office yesterday (27) morning when the staff of the corporation in their numbers surrounded Silva and kept him under ‘citizen arrest’ without allowing him to leave the premises.

For the first time the Sri Lanka Rupavahini TV channel telecast scenes of the Minister under arrest by its employees and the battered News Director being given the support of his fellow employees after one of the ugliest incidents involving a government politico. Shots of minister Silva too were telecast showing employees who had surrounded him keeping him under arrest.

Live telecast

The Rupavahini TV channel interrupted its normal programs of the day to give a live telecast of what was happening inside till almost 2.00 p.m, after the incident was first reported around 10.30 in the morning. When the police who were called in were unable to bring normality to the corporation army units too were called in. Since the employees were in a very angry mood the police and the army personnel had to struggle hard to keep them from going berserk.

Silva had come with a group of goons to the Rupavahini Corporation and questioned the News Director T. M. G. Chandrasekara why the speech he made at Matara when President Mahinda Rajapaksa opened the Mahanama Bridge had not been telecast by the Rupavahini channel.

Thereafter the goons that accompanied Silva had assaulted Chandrasekara and Silva had dragged him by the collar to the office of the Chairman. When Chandrasekara came out of the Chairman’s office one of Silva’s bodyguards had hit him again the Rupavahini presenter said on a special news bulletin telecast several times yesterday morning.

Most of the other TV channels also telecast the news about Mervin Silva being involved in the incident of violence and being arrested by the Rupavahini staff. Later in the day, the staff of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation adjoining the Rupavahini protested against the assault on Chandrasekara.

Continued hooting from the employees demanded a public apology to Chadrasekara by Silva and the arrest of the goons responsible for the assault. The Rupavahini Corporation was controlled by the staff from the moment they became aware of the assault of their News Director. Continued news bulletins were telecast on the insistence of the staff though the bureaucrats had earlier disallowed it.

Minister of Media Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena visited the Rupavahini to solve the crisis situation while the employees demanded the goons be arrested.

The minister who condemned the assault on Chandrasekara said those responsible will be arrested by the police and legal action taken. One of the goons were arrested and handcuffed by the police who arrived at the corporation.

Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said he condemned the incident with disgust while the General Secretary of the SLFP Minister Maithripala Sirisena said it was a very ugly incident and he condemned it. The SLFP Central Committee will meet on January 2, 2008 and a complete report submitted to the committee and action taken. No one should be allowed to threaten or otherwise oppress media institutions or journalists and anyone responsible for such acts should be punished.

News Director Chandrasekara told ‘The Island’ that Mervin Silva who came to his office with some thugs assaulted and dragged him to the office of the Chairman threatened to smash and the corporation to pieces. Silva had said he would smash the corporation premises if Chandrasekara was not removed from office.

He said he had lodged a complaint with the Kurunduwatte police regarding the assault on him.

Angry employees of the Rupavahini and SLBC converged into the area where Mervin Silva was hiding in the premises demanding an apology from him. Finally with the greatest difficulty the police and army personnel brought him before the protesting employees. Silva said he was sorry if he had done anything wrong but most of what he said could not be heard due to boos of the employees.

Finally the police personnel managed to take Silva to a vehicle amidst more jeers and catcalls and was taken away under heavy escort while riot squads with tear gas and water hose stood by outside the Rupavahini premises.

Minister Dr. Mervin Silva contested the last general election as a candidate of the SLFP for the Colombo district polling the lowest number of votes and was not elected to Parliament but he was later nominated to Parliament under the SLFP national list.

A newcomer to parliamentary politics he was at one time a member of the UNP but crossed over to join the SLFP during the Chandrika Kumaratunga regime. At present he is the non-cabinet minister of labour.

Courtesy - The Island