(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders has voiced deep concern about the 1 September 2006 abduction in Colombo of Thavarajah Thavamni, a young Tamil woman employed by Maharaja Television (MTV). The motives for the kidnapping are not yet known but her uncle, opposition parliamentarian T. Maheswaran, told Reporters Without Borders it could be linked to her […]
(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders has voiced deep concern about the 1 September 2006 abduction in Colombo of Thavarajah Thavamni, a young Tamil woman employed by Maharaja Television (MTV). The motives for the kidnapping are not yet known but her uncle, opposition parliamentarian T. Maheswaran, told Reporters Without Borders it could be linked to her work for the media.
“Coming just a few days after the abduction of leading Tamil radio journalist Nadarajah Guruparan, this new case casts even more doubt on the ability of the authorities to guarantee the safety of the Tamil population, especially journalists, in government-controlled areas,” the press freedom organisation said. “We urge everyone to actively press for the release of this young MTV employee.”
Thavamni, 26, was abducted in the Wellawatte district of Colombo by at least six gunmen in civilian dress. Her family, which reported the kidnapping to the police, has not received any demands from her abductors.
Military intelligence officers raided her home a month ago and she was subsequently questioned by the police criminal investigation department (CID) for no apparent reason.
Thavamni only recently began working for the information technology department of the MTV group, which has three TV channels: MTV, Sirasa TV and Shakthi TV. An engineer by training, she previously worked for the Sri Lankan central bank.
Maheswaran, a parliamentary representative of the opposition UNP party, told Reporters Without Borders: “We have evidence that military intelligence officers are linked to her kidnapping. This is outrageous. We need help from everyone to get her released . . . . More and more civilians are being kidnapped in Colombo. Tamil businessmen are subject to extortion and journalists are being threatened.”
Guruparan, the news manager of the Tamil radio station Sooriyan, was kidnapped on 29 August in the Colombo suburb of Mount Lavinia just after leaving home to go to work. He was freed a day later. Since then he has been in hiding and believes his life is still in danger (see IFEX alerts of 31 and 29 August 2006).
