Journalist harassed after exposing SLN surveillance on peaceful protest in Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 April 2019, 23:18 GMT]
The SL Police in Mullaith-theevu has instructed Tamil journalist, Shanmugam Thavaseelan, to attend questioning at its station on Thursday. The move is interpreted as harassment against the Tamil journalists covering the peaceful protests in the district. A Sinhala intelligence operative of the SL Navy, who was caught red-handed by the Tamil protesters while taking close-up photos of the participants of a peaceful protest at Vadduvaakal, was behind the complaint. The Sinhala operative was claiming that he belonged to the SLN Intelligence Wing. However, he was not in possession of papers or identity card to document his military identity. The people handed him over to the naval base, Gotabhaya SLNS, after verifying his identity. He was also forced to delete some of the surveillance photos during the intervention.

Mr Thavaseelan has been at the forefront in covering the peaceful protests of the families of enforced disappeared and the uprooted people in Mullaiththeevu district, and he was facing similar harassment following the coverage of the Heroes Day Remembrance at A'lampil.

Now, the SLN operative seems to have registered a complaint against the Tamil journalist blaming him for causing hindrance to the SLN from carrying out its duty, legal sources in the district said.

Thavaseelan was also facing anonymous death threats in the past.

Former NPC Councillors T. Ravikaran and M.K.Shivajiligam, have also faced similar police harassment in the recent times.



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