(RSF/IFEX) – In a 20 December 1999 letter to the Sri Lankan president and minister of Security, Chandrika Kumaratunga, RSF expressed its indignation over the death of two Sri Lankan journalists who were victims of a suicide bombing. RSF reminded the president that four journalists have died in Sri Lanka since the beginning of the […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a 20 December 1999 letter to the Sri Lankan president and minister of Security, Chandrika Kumaratunga, RSF expressed its indignation over the death of two Sri Lankan journalists who were victims of a suicide bombing. RSF reminded the president that four journalists have died in Sri Lanka since the beginning of the year, and said it was concerned that “the government is unable to stop this violence, which is extremely harmful to press freedom.”
According to RSF’s information, Anura Priynatha Kooray and Indika Paththiniwasam, journalists and cameramen with the television stations Independent Television Network (public) and Sirasa (private), respectively, were killed on 18 December during a suicide bombing at a rally of the ruling party in Colombo. President Kumaratunga was delivering a speech at the conclusion of the rally, which was organised in the context of presidential elections scheduled for 21 December. The bomb killed 21 people and injured some 50 others, including the state leader. Police suspect separatists of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of being behind the attack. A few hours after the attack, another suicide bombing killed eleven people at an opposition rally.
