Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has no special Internet law and the telecommunications regulatory body licences ISPs. Editors and webmasters must register their sites with the Council for Information Technology (Cintec). The authorities can thus easily identify them. But so far no sites have been censored. Though slow to develop elsewhere in the society, the Internet does play a part in the country's political life. The 20-year rebellion of the separatist Tamil Tigers has spilled over onto the Internet. Dharmaratnam Sivaram, who runs the Tamilnet news site, was attacked by thugs at his office on 26 December 2001, six months after being accused by the pro-government media of being a Tamil Tiger spy. He needed six stitches in his head. Tamilnet is the main source of news on the Web about the political and military situation in the rebel areas. The home of Senathirajah Jeyanandamoorthy, correspondent for the news website Tamilnet.com and the Tamil daily Virakesari, in the eastern town of Batticaloa, was attacked with grenades on the night of 7 January 2002. The attackers also tried to burn down the house. The journalist and his family managed to escape. The Eastern Journalists Association said he had received death threats, notably from Islamic extremist groups. Jeyanandamoorthy had written about Islamic extremists operating in the region. His articles about the Tamil Tigers also angered Sinhalese nationalists. The Internet should expand in Sri Lanka now that a ceasefire has been signed (on 22 February 2002) between the army and the rebels, followed by peace talks in May. Links: Independent news site Tamil news site Tamil Tigers site The Council for Information Technology The Sir Lankan army