Jaffna journalists to conduct black band demonstration

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 February 2003, 12:01 GMT]
The Jaffna Journalists Association (JJA) Thursday informed the Media Minister by a letter that a non-violent black band demonstration will be held in front of the office of the Information Department in Jaffna on February 17 at about ten o'clock in the morning, sources said.

The Jaffna Journalists Association has appealed to the Media Minister to order for an impartial inquiry in the attack of two Tamil journalists in Jaffna by the SLA soldiers.

The JJA has notified the Media Minister that it would conduct a black flag demonstration when the ministers visit Jaffna, sources said.

"Attacks on Tamil media personnel by members of the State armed forces continue unabated, even under the regime of the Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe. Media persons in Jaffna have decided to work for their rights and welfare under one banner without any difference. Authorities cannot adopt a divide and rule policy anymore in dealing with the media persons in the peninsula," the Jaffna Journalists Association told the Media Minister Mr.Imtiaz Bakeer Markar.

The Jaffna Journalists Association has expressed its sympathy to the two journalists who were attacked yesterday by the SLA. The two journlists injured in SLA attack yesterday, belong to Thinakural and Namathu Eelanadu, two Tamil regional dailies published in Jaffna.