(RSF/IFEX) – In a 4 January 2000 letter to President Chandrika Kumaratunga, RSF expressed its indignation after the murder of Anton Mariyadasan, a journalist with the state-run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. RSF asked that “a serious and thorough investigation be conducted to identify those responsible for the murder.” RSF also asked the president to ensure […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a 4 January 2000 letter to President Chandrika Kumaratunga, RSF expressed its indignation after the murder of Anton Mariyadasan, a journalist with the state-run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. RSF asked that “a serious and thorough investigation be conducted to identify those responsible for the murder.” RSF also asked the president to ensure the safety of all journalists working in war zones.
According to RSF’s information, on the night of 31 December 1999, a group of armed people attacked Saint Anthony’s Church in the Vavuniya area of the country’s north-east. Mariyadasan was shot while following a ceremony to broadcast for a local station. According to various witnesses, the killers could be guerillas of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). This organisation could also be behind the suicide attack against the president on 18 December 1999. The attack killed two journalists and cameramen (see IFEX alerts of 22 and 20 December 1999).
