Indira Nawagamuwa, Author at FMETU - Ancestral home (haven)

October 28, 2025

The Presidential Environment Awards Ceremony 2025

The Presidential Environment Awards Ceremony 2025, held in Colombo under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The event is annually organized by the Central Environmental Authority to ensure environmental sustainability in Sri Lanka by recognising industries, government and private institutions, nongovernmental organisations, media institutions, schools dedicated to environmental protection and community participation that have made an outstanding contribution to environmental conservation.

The programme also aims to promote a culture of environmentally friendly industries, businesses and services in the country, to encourage society towards environmental stewardship and to enhance public participation in sustainable development.

This year’s Presidential Environment Awards Programme was held in collaboration with the Clean Sri Lanka Programme, conducted under the theme “A Beautiful Island – A Contented People”, marking a special feature of the event.

A total of 132 awards were presented under nine categories; Environmentally Friendly Industrial Sector, Government Institutions Sector, Private Sector, School Sector, Renewable Energy Production Projects Sector, Innovative Eco-Friendly Creations Sector, Environmental NonGovernmental Organisations Sector, Media Sector and Social Media Sector, including 17 Gold Awards, 29 Silver Awards, 38 Bronze Awards, 47 Merit Awards and one Special Jury Award.

October 23, 2025

Palestine: At least 224 journalists and media workers killed in Gaza

At least 224 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed, several have been injured and others are missing during the war in Gaza. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) condemn the killings and continued attacks on journalists. The IFJ calls for an immediate investigation into their deaths.

October 23, 2025

Afghanistan: Second journalist killed in Afghanistan in two days

Afghan media worker Abdul Zahir Safi was killed in a civilian area of Kabul after an alleged airstrike on the city on October 16. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Afghan Independent Journalists’ Union (AIJU) strongly condemn the killing and demand an urgent investigation into the circumstances of his death.

October 14, 2025

Sudan: Journalist killed by paramilitary group in El Fasher

Al Nour Suleiman, the editor and presenter of El Fasher Radio in North Darfur, died of his injuries on 4 October, following a drone strike on his home one day earlier by the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Sudanese Journalists’ Union (SJU), in condemning in the strongest possible terms this killing. They also call for a swift investigation to ensure the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to justice.By IFJ

October 14, 2025

Pakistan: Police raid press club and assault media workers

Police allegedly assaulted multiple journalists and destroyed their equipment at the National Press Club in Islamabad on October 2. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), in calling for a thorough investigation to ensure journalists can perform their duties without fear of violence and intimidation. By IFJ

February 16, 2023March 24, 2023

Cambodia: Prime Minister shuts down independent media outlet

Law enforcement and ministry officials visited the offices of Voice of Democracy (VOD) on the morning of February 13 ordering journalists to stop publishing immediately. Sen instructed the Ministry of Information to cancel the outlet’s publishing and broadcasting licences, revoking its right to continue radio and online news services. Since the decision, VOD’s online Khmer and English services have been blocked by several internet service providers throughout the country.

On February 9, VOD released an article in Khmer that claimed Hun Sen’s son, Lieutenant General Hun Manet, had signed a donation of USD 100,000 for earthquake relief in Türkiye under his father’s name. Hun Manet, the head of Cambodia’s military, disputed the claim, and urged the outlet via social media to provide sources for their article. On February 11, Sen demanded a public apology from the outlet within 72 hours, later shortening the deadline to 10 am on February 13. Despite receiving an official, apologetic letter from the Cambodian Centre for Independent Media, VOD’s parent company, Sen ordered the revocation of the licence.

The decision has been condemned by media rights and civil society organisations, who denounced the arbitrary and likely politically motivated closure of VOD. In a group statement, press freedom advocates identified how existing measures to remove or alter disputed publications already exist in Cambodia’s Press Law, and urged the government to speak out against harmful and sexist language directed towards the author of the article.

The Cambodian government has previously targeted critical and independent news outlets ahead of the 2018 election, including the shuttering of Cambodia Daily in 2017, and the coerced 2018 sale of the Phnom Penh Post to a business associate of Hun Sen.
The CamboJA said: “No journalist should ever be attacked as a result of their work or identity. We hope the government acknowledges the essential role of VOD and its journalists, along with the remaining independent media outlets in the country, and their right to do their work in accordance with the law and without fear of intimidation and harassment”

The IFJ said: “Hun Sen’s order to shutdown VOD represents an serious misuse of power and poses a severe threat to press freedom in Cambodia. The IFJ urges the Cambodian government to reverse its decision to shutter VOD and ensure the outlet is able to continue to produce independent and critical journalism without fear of reprisal.”

IFJ Reports

February 11, 2023March 24, 2023

Jaffna Cultural Center dedicated to the people

The iconic Jaffna Cultural Center (JCC), which was built with grant assistance of Government of India (GOI), was dedicated to the people on 11 February 2023 at a colourful event in the gracious presence of President of Sri Lanka H.E Ranil Wickremesinghe, Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and Information & Broadcasting, GOI Dr. L. Murugan, High Commissioner of India Gopal Baglay, Hon. Douglas Devananda, Minister for Fisheries, Hon. Vidura Wickramanayake, Minister for Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Hon. Kadar Masthan, Minister of State for Rural Economy, several Parliamentarians and dignitaries from various walks of life.

February 10, 2023

India: Maharashtra journalist targeted in hit and run

Maharashtra-based journalist Shashikant Warishe has been killed by a local realty broker hours after releasing a report alleging the broker had engaged in illegal land grabbing and was connected to senior Indian politicians. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemns this brutal killing of a journalist for their reporting and urges the authorities to bring all perpetrators to swift justice.

February 10, 2023

REGIONAL FACT CHECKING FORUM – MALDIVES

The IFJ Regional Fact Checking Forum will bring together fact-checkers and fact-checking experts from Asia to discuss the status and challenges of fact-checking in the region. This forum will see speakers from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal and Sri Lanka sharing country-specific approaches, experiences and lessons learnt in fact checking and how journalism can play a role to promote this. The discussion aims to provide opportunities for participants from other nations to share their experiences and initiatives. The forum will outline best practices in fact checking and recommendations for a way forward to combat misinformation effectively.

December 1, 2022December 3, 2022

“Plight of Professional Journalism in Sri Lanka”-UTU project Press Conference

Under the guidance and support of the IFJ-International Federation of journalists, FMETU conducted a Union to Union project with the participation of more than 350 journalists around the country. It was held in different methods such as introducing a google form to collect data on the journalists and create a Database, conducting a workshop for young journalists about Mobile journalism and they made 15 videos that reviewed the Professionalism and the rights of journalists through these videos. On the 1st of December 2022, a press conference was held at the Rainbow Institute to release the said report to the media.