Sri Lanka journalist threatened by Sinhala gang

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 September 2009, 03:25 GMT]
Journalist Dileesha Abeysundera Tuesday lodged a complaint with the Borella Police that she was threatened by a group of unidentified persons around 11.45 p.m. on Monday night, according media reports in Colombo. Ms. Abeysundera works for Irudina, a sister newspaper of the Sunday leader. She is also the Deputy Secretary of the Free Media Movement (FMM), a media watchdog, and Secretary of the National Forum for Journalists (NFFJ).

"I got home after work around 10:00 p.m. on Monday night. At about 11.45 p.m, someone kept banging on my house gates, while calling out my name. I was woken up by the noise, and I opened the door slightly while the gate was still locked and inquired as to who it was. The person at the gate asked if Dileesha Abeysundera of the Sunday Leader lived here. I replied that there was no such person in this house and closed the door," the complaint lodged at the Borella Police, said.

"About this time it started raining. Subsequently, I heard a few persons talking outside. About ten minutes later they left in a vehicle," the complaint added.

Ms Abeysundera said she believed it was someone trying to frighten her, because she was involved in campaigning for media rights, the media reports said.

The night Ms. Abeysundera was threatened, she has returned home after organizing a meeting held at the J.R. Jayewardene Centre, which called for the abolition of the Press Councils Act, Ms Abeysundera further stated to media in Colombo.