Journalist among the dead in Anuradhapura blast

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 October 2008, 12:11 GMT]
Five media organisations (SLWJA, FMETU, SLTMA, SLMMF, FMM) Monday expressed deep sorrow over the death of TV journalist Rashmi Mohamed around at 8:40 a.m. in Anuradhapura. Rashmi, a provincial correspondent of Sirasa TV, was covering the opening ceremony of the new office of the United National Party (UNP) in Anuradhapura, close to the old bus stand, a press statement issued by the Free Media Movement (FMM) in Colombo said.

Full text of the statement issued by the FMM follows:

Five media organisations (SLWJA, FMETU, SLTMA, SLMMF, FMM) express our deep sorrow over the death of TV journalist Rashmi Mohamed around at 8:40 a.m. this morning in Anuradhapura. Rashmi, provincial correspondent of Sirasa TV, was covering the opening ceremony of the new office of the United National Party (UNP) in Anuradhapura, close to the old bus stand.

The explosion at the ceremony killed more than 20 people including the Leader of the Opposition of the North Central Provincial Council, Major General Janaka Perera, and other leading UNP figures in the area. Nearly 80 people were injured.

Our organisations have time and again expressed our complete rejection of the use of violence as way of resolving social and political issues. We condemn this heinous attack on unarmed civilians as a crime against humanity.

While expressing our deepest sympathies with the families and friends of the deceased, we urge the government to initiate an impartial and speedy inquiry into the circumstances of this dastardly act. We would also reiterate the need for more awareness and safety training for journalists working in challenging security environments.