In a further violation of basic democratic rights, Sri Lankan authorities are preparing new measures to censor Internet sites critical of the government. Reports of the plan emerged on several web sites last night, amid a widening crackdown on the political opposition, including the arrest last Monday of opposition presidential candidate, General Sarath Fonseka.
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The Sunday Times also reported that the Sri Lankan government had turned to China for assistance in implementing Internet censorship. “Experts from China—which is embroiled in a battle with global search giant Google over allegations of web censorship—will help Sri Lanka to block ‘offensive web sites’,” the newspaper explained. “IT experts of China’s Military Intelligence Division will be here within next two weeks to map out the modalities required for this purpose.”
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The Sri Lankan government is leaning increasingly on China, which helped it financially, politically and by supplying arms during the final four years of war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which was defeated last May. In return, China has been granted investment opportunities, including the construction of a major port at Hambantota in Sri Lanka’s south. In response to mounting tensions with the US, China is seeking strategic alliances with governments on all continents, and Sri Lanka is among them. Full story...
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