(FMM/IFEX) – Mr. A.R.Vaama Loshan, 32, General Manager of Vettri FM Radio, a Tamil radio station, was arrested by the Terrorism Investigations Division (TID) on 14 November 2008. He worked as a radio journalist for nearly 10 years before joining Vettri FM as GM in early 2008. His family members told five media organizations that […]
(FMM/IFEX) – Mr. A.R.Vaama Loshan, 32, General Manager of Vettri FM Radio, a Tamil radio station, was arrested by the Terrorism Investigations Division (TID) on 14 November 2008. He worked as a radio journalist for nearly 10 years before joining Vettri FM as GM in early 2008.
His family members told five media organizations that soon after midnight, a group of 13 persons identifying themselves as police officials, visited their house and took away Mr. Loshan. The police officials have given a receipt which says he was arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
He is being detained at the infamous TID detention centre in Colombo. Five media organizations called on the government to ensure that Mr. Vaama is brought before the courts or released without delay.
We also call on the government to guarantee the safety and security of journalists, media professionals and their families and desist from using a “national security” framework and argument to crush media freedom and silence legitimate voices of dissent in Sri Lanka.
