A police investigator is seen here inspecting the damaged Main Control Room (MCR) of the MTV/MBC station in Depanama, Pannipitiya. Pic by Pradeep Dilrukshan

By Dinidu de Alwis and Senaka de Silva

The Pannipitiya MTV/MBC broadcasting station was under virtual siege last morning after an armed gang stormed the premises, held the staff at gunpoint and destroyed the main control room.The attack came days after state media criticized the private channel over its coverage of the Kilinochchi capture and the Slave Island bomb attack.

Unravelling the sequence of events, MTV Channel Head Chevaan Daniel said a gang of around 20 men had entered the complex at Depanama in Pannipitiya around 2:15 am. The group members who arrived in a white van without number plates were heavily armed with T-56 assault rifles, pistols, iron bars and hand grenades. They had overpowered the security personnel, grabbing two more shot guns in the process, and then entered the studio complex.

The gang then overpowered some employees, and forced the captives to show them where the main control room - the heart of the broadcast system – was located. They destroyed these with explosives, and according to Mr. Daniel  had thereafter proceeded to destroy every single piece of equipment in the station. He said they even damaged the doors and windows. Mr. Daniel described the scene as a “sight of utter and total devastation”, with empty bullet shells strewn on the floor.The fire brigade managed to put out the fire using four fire engines, despite having to follow the Bomb Disposal Unit, which was performing a systematic sweep of the building complex. The attackers had initially warned about booby traps being placed, but the Bomb Disposal Unit found none. They however, managed to recover one unexploded grenade from the complex premises.

MTV/MBC was in the receiving end of a petrol bomb attack last Friday, when several Molotov cocktails were thrown towards the same studio complex. Some buildings suffered damages as a result.

The Management of MTV alleged this incident was reported to the Maharagama police station, seeking security, but none was provided. They said.

a suspicious vehicle which did not bear number plates was seen around the premises on Monday, and this too was reported to the police, but no action was taken.

Police media spokesman Ranjith Gunasekera, however denied the allegations saying police patrol in the area was intensified following the attack on Friday.

SSP Gunesekera added that a joint investigation has been launched by the Maharagama and Mirihana Police stations.

Meanwhile, in a special statement issued yesterday, the United States strongly condemned the brazen attack, and called on the authorities to investigate and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice.

The statement said the US deplored the latest in a series of criminal attacks on the independent media in Sri Lanka and stressed that a free press that is not subjected to intimidation or violence was an essential component of any democracy.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, media activist, Sunanda Deshapriya said this was not only an attack on a media institution, but a display of the state of the rule of law in Sri Lanka. He said at a time when the troops were winning militarily, it was the utmost responsibility of the government to uphold the rule of law. “If fifteen thugs travelling in a van can come into a place, attack and get away with it, that shows the state of rule of law in the country”. He said this was not an isolated incident, but one in a series of attacks against media.

The television channels managed to get back on their feet within a couple of hours of the attack, but Mr. Daniel said it would be a while before normal programming could be resumed. He said the current broadcasting set-up was due to the ingenuity of the engineering staff of MTV.  Ironically, a fire broke out on January 6 in 2001, when a large portion of the same studio complex was damaged.

Meanwhile, the Board of Directors of the Sri Lanka Press Institute unreservedly condemned the armed intrusion, acts of arson and destruction of the MTV/MBC offices in Pannipitiya.

The SLPI added: “According to reports, extensive damage has been caused to the building and equipment, running into millions of rupees. The attack appears to have been well planned and carried out by a heavily armed group of masked men,

“The Board of the SLPI calls on the Government to carry out an immediate investigation to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of this violent act. This is yet another of a series of attacks on media personnel and institutions. The Government has so far failed to bring a single perpetrator of these attacks to justice.

“The Board reiterates that media freedom is an integral part of a democratic society and a fundamental right of the people that must be safeguarded at all times. A paramount responsibility rests with the Government to protect this basic right of the people.”