Batticaloa journalist's home attacked

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 January 2003, 03:32 GMT]
The home of senior Batticaloa journalist, Mr. Senathirajah Jeyanandamoorthy, was attacked with grenades around midnight Tuesday. The attackers poured petrol and set fire to the house located in the Sri Lanka army high security zone in Valaichenai, 32 kilometres north of Batticaloa. The fire did not spread due to rains and the efforts of neighbours, his colleagues said. Mr. Jeyanandamoorthy had received several death threats in the past from a suspected Islamic extremist group in the area.

The journalist and his family who were in the house escaped the attack.

Mr. Jeyanandamoorthy is the correspondent for TamilNet in Batticaloa. He is also a senior correspondent for the Tamil Daily Virakesari.

Suspected members of the Islamic extremist group set fire to a house next to the journalist's home on June 26, 2002, mistaking it for his residence.

Mr. Jeyanandamoorthy lodged a complaint about the attack with the Sri Lankan Police in Valaichenai Wednesday morning.

A scathing attack on the journalist was published last month in a book by an organisation believed to be a front for the Islamic extremist group.

Mr. R. Thurairatnam, President of the East Lanka Journalists' Association (ELJA) condemned the attack.

"The attackers could not have entered the premises of Mr. Jeyanadamoorthy's home without the knowledge of the permanent army patrols and check points nearby," said Mr. Shan Thavarajah, the secretary of the ELJA.

The journalist's home is located close to the SLA's Fisheries Harbour camp in the Valaichenai town and its forward defences.

Mr. Jeyanandamoorthy has published news stories and articles referring to the activities of Islamic extremists in the area.

He came under fire from Sinhala nationalists recently over his widely publicised photograph of an LTTE law court in the eastern district.