A prominent Sri Lankan journalist who is currently in self-imposed exile said the current Sri Lankan government did not have 'political will' to probe into attacks on journalists under the previous administration. 

Former Editor of Rivira Sunday newspaper, Upali Tennakoon, who was attacked by a miilitary-affiliated group in January, 2009, said the political authorities were not helping the Police and CID to access information on attacks against journalists. 

It is believed that the attacks had been carried out by a special squad that operated under the Army intelligence wing under the previous administration. 

President Maithripala Sirisena publicly claimed he would not allow any investigations into military members as they were the country's war heroes. 

"The current president [Maithripala Sirisena] asked why the attackers were remanded for so long and talked about their human rights, but he was not talking about our human rights. We, in hundreds, lost our jobs, and Lasantha Wickrematunge even got killed. The case is still being heard… the issue is that justice is getting delayed. And, as we all know, justice delayed is justice denied," Tennakoon said, in an interview with 'Global Journalist'. 

"The government is not helping the police and CID to access the information they needed. I have the feeling that current political authorities too are trying to protect the perpetrators," he added.

He said it was apparent that the intention of the current government was only to take political mileage out of these cases.