Senior journalist Chulawansa Sirilal passed away yesterday, on his 68th birthday, following a brief illness.Mr. Chulawansa was a journalist for more than 4 decades and a free media activist, having once served as Convenor of the Free Media Movement (FMM).Mr. Chulawansa was in the frontlines of struggles to safeguard the freedom of the press and safety of journalists, during different governments.