TNA condemns threats against Tamil journalists

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 February 2007, 09:06 GMT]
"We condemn in the strongest terms the killing of the President of Tamil News and Information Centre (TNIC) Mr. Gananathan the very next day an indirect threat to his life was made in the Sri Lanka National Radio on the 31st of January," said a communique issued by Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Friday in Colombo. "We also condemn the unlawful incursion of the Sri Lanka Military Intelligence personnel into the office of the TNIC on the 9th of February and their attempt to seize information and photographs of its Media Coordinator and International Media Coordinator," the communique signed by the parliamentarians said.

"We believe that only an impartial investigation at international level can expose the perpetrators of these violation of human rights. International Human Rights Organizations and News Media should exert pressure on the Sri Lanka government to safeguard the lives of Tamil media persons of the TNIC and protect their right to free expression," the communique said.

The following is the communique issued:

The Tamil national Alliance strongly condemns Mr. Gananathan, the President of Tamil News and Information centre, being shot dead on the next day an indirect threat to his life was issued in the Sri Lanka National Radio on 31.02.2007 and the unlawful intrusion into the independent news media institution Tamil News and Information Centre on 09.02.2007 by Sri Lanka Army Intelligence personnel and their attempt to seize at gun point information and photographs of Media coordinator Mr. Barathi and International Media coordinator Mr. K. Kadeepan. It also condemns the SLA troopers breaking the glass of the framed photographs and appropriating the photographs.

Tamil News and Information Centre is a lawfully registered institution. It is learnt that this institution had to face several pressures because it had particularly informed the people in the South of the current situation in the Jaffna peninsula.

We consider these as actions violating the personal rights of the persons concerned, the Sinhalese people's right to know the truth and the right of the media to inform people of the truth.

This act appears as a continuation of the violence perpetrated against the media to crush its activities, according to a pre-planned agenda.

A National Radio airing indirect warning as a precursor to such a violence leads to various suspicions.

We believe only an impartial investigation at international level can expose the perpetrators of these violations of human rights to the world.

The Tamil National Alliance requests International Human Rights Organizations and News Media to exert urgent pressure on the Sri Lanka government to safeguard the lives of the rest of Tamil media persons of the Tamil News and Information Centre and protect their right to free expression.

Signed by


M. K. Sivajilingam, S. Gajendran, M. K. Eelaventhan P.
Ariyanenthiran, K. Pathmanathan, S. Kanagaratnam