Sunday Leader's tribute to its slain editor

Protesters thronged Lake House roundabout in Colombo on Friday demanding that the killers of The Sunday Leader Editor-in-Chief Lasantha Wickre-matunge be produced before the law and intimidation of the media be brought to an immediate halt

THE LATEST ISSUE of the Colombo paper, Sunday Leader, dated January 11, 2009, pays a handsome tribute to its founder and Editor-in-Chief, Lasantha Wickrematunge, who was murdered while driving to work on January 8.

Among those paying personal tributes to the departed editor are colleagues, friends and family members.

The editorial, titled “And then they came for me”, marked by liberal use of the first person, is what Lasantha Wickrematunge could have written. This is how it concludes:

"If you remember nothing else, remember this: The Leader is there for you, be you Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, low-caste, homosexual, dissident or disabled. Its staff will fight on, unbowed and unafraid, with the courage to which you have become accustomed. Do not take that commitment for granted. Let there be no doubt that whatever sacrifices we journalists make, they are not made for our own glory or enrichment: they are made for you. Whether you deserve their sacrifice is another matter. As for me, God knows I tried."

The entire contents of this issue of the SUNDAY LEADER can be accessed here.