(Photos) BBC reporter assaulted at rally

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 April 2000, 16:43 GMT]
The BBC's Sinhala service correspondent in Colombo was assaulted this afternoon by protestors in the Sri Lankan capital agitating against Norwegian mediation to end the country's ethnic conflict and peace talks with the Liberation Tigers. The rally of Buddhist monks and Sinhala nationalist organisations also burnt the Norwegian national flag in front of the heavily guarded Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo.

The protestors, including more than 700 Buddhist monks, raised slogans against the BBC Sinhala service during their rally upon seeing Mr. Elmo Fernando, the correspondent for the service in Colombo.

He was assaulted by some of the protestors as he was trying to record their slogans.

All journalists who went to cover the rally of the Buddhist monks and Sinhala nationalist organisations walked out in protest against the attack on the Mr.Elmo Fernando, the BBC correspondent.

A Buddhist monk carries the charred remains of the Norwegian flag they set ablaze outside the Norwegian embassy.Photo:AFP

The protest march began around 2.30 this afternoon. More than 1000 persons, the majority of them Buddhist monks, took part.

Protesters burn the Norwegian flag in front of the Norwegian embassay in Colombo Photo:Reuters