Confederation of Asian Journalists Unions revived in Colombo

The revival of the Confederation of Asian Journalists Unions, an age old body popularly known as CAJU was ceremonially declared on Friday, October 25, in Colombo by its primary stakeholders representing the journalist unions in the South East Asian region.

Founded in early nineteen seventies as the brainchild of late veteran journalist D. F. Kariyakarawana, the Confederation of Asian Journalists Unions was established in view of addressing common issues faced by the journalist fraternities of the region.

The CAJU which was initially formed with the member countries of Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal was functioning steady until late nineteen nineties before becoming defunct owing to natural reasons.

However, with a proposal submitted at the Sri Lanka Press Association’s (SLPA) 64th Anniversary Conference concluded last week a resolution to revive the CAJU was unanimously adopted by the visiting foreign journalist delegations representing the countries India, Pakistan and Nepal. Journalist representatives of Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ), ALL Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation (APNEC) and Independent Nepal Journalists Union (INJU) attended the SLPA’S anniversary conference where a special CAJU revival discussion was held.

The office bearers of the revived confederation are as follows. Chief Patron Kala Keerthi Edwin Ariyadasa (Sri Lanka), Patron B.v. mallikarjunaiah (India) ,president

Muditha Kariyakarawana (Sri Lanka), Executive Vice President Hemant Tiwari (India),vice President Shakil Yamin Kanga (Pakistan),vice President Ashok Silwal (Nepal), Secretary General Parmanand Pandey (India), Deputy Secretary General Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana (Sri Lanka), Joint Secretary Siddharth Kalhans (India), Organising Secretary India Gitika Talukdar, Organising Secretary Sri Lanka Kelum Bandara, Organising Secretary Pakistan Dara Zafar, Organising Secretary Nepal Himal Ghimire, Chief Coordinator Madan Gowda (India), Treasurer Shivananda Thagadur (India), Editor India Bhaskar Dube, Editor Sri Lanka Prof. Samitha Hettige, Editor Pakistan Muhammad Yousuf Rana and Editor Nepal Sumit Jain.