What of attacks on journalists in the North? -TNA MP
The owner of the Uthayan newspaper, Tamil National Alliance member
and parliamentarian E Saravanbavan queried as to why the Government was
only investigating the murder of editor Lasantha Wickrematunga and
disappearance of cartoonist Pargeeth Eknaligoda and not the attacks on
scribes in the North.
While addressing Parliament yesterday, he commended the Government's
move to make sound progress on the two incidents but cited that there
must also be a concerted effort to investigate incidents of attacks on
journalists from the North and East.
He said several such incidents had taken place in the North during
the former regime where there was a strong military presence.
The International Federation of Journalists last year inquired about
the attack on journalist Sinnarasa Sivakumaran who was targeted at
Kilinochchi in September last year. Other notable incidents include
Aiyathurai Nadesan, a journalist for the Virakesari newspaper, was shot
dead in Batticaloa in 2004. Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan (Sugitharajah), a
journalist for the Sudar Oli newspaper, was shot dead in Trincomalee
near the governor's secretariat in January 2006.
Suresh Kumar (B. G. Sahayathasan) and Ranjith Kumar, two employees of
the Uthayan newspaper, were killed on May2, 2006 when armed men burst
into the newspaper's offices and opened fire indiscriminately.
Chandrabose Suthaharan (Subash Chandraboas), editor of the Nilam
magazine, was shot dead at his home in Thirunavatkulam near Vavuniya on
April 16, 2007. Selvarajah Rajivarnam, a journalist for the Uthayan
newspaper, was shot dead in Jaffna close to a military checkpoint on
April 29, 2007. P. Devakumaran, a journalist for News First, was hacked
to death in Navanthurai near Jaffna in May 2008. (RR) |