ABSTRACT
Chapter 5 points out that both Mahaweli and Kothmale community radio projects are no longer functional in Sri Lanka, and the stations labelled as CR, such as Uva Radio, Dambana, and Pirai, are controlled by the state broadcaster. The authors examine the need for legal recognition of CR. Putting this in the historical context of how CR in Sri Lanka was always under the control of SLBC, inhibiting any efforts to initiate a truly community-owned CR sector in the country, the authors advocate for freeing of the airwaves to be taken up by civil society groups so that community radio can emerge as an autonomous tool of community communication.
