A young Tamil trainee journalist was shot dead in Jaffna early last morning (Wednesday) just a month before he was to complete his media diploma course. Sagadevan Nilakshan (22) was studying for his diploma at the Media Research Training Center (MRIC) of the Jaffna University at the time of his death. Police said that unknown gunmen had shot Nilakshan at his residence in Kokuvil Jaffna yesterday. Nilakshan had just returned to Jaffna after attending a media workshop in Colombo where he had the opportunity to visit Tamil publications and meet professional journalists. Jaffna police are probing the incident.
Meanwhile the Free Media Movement in a statement demanded an immediate, open and impartial inquiry into the killing of journalist Nilakshan Sagadevan.
The statement said: “Nilakshan is the 8th media worker/journalist killed in Jaffna since May 2006. International Press Freedom Mission which visited Sri Lanka in June this year has named Jaffna as one of the worst places in the world for a journalist to be in.
“MRTC affiliated to University of Jaffna was established with the support of UNESCO and being supported by Danida of Denmark for last two years. MRTC works in close association of Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) of Colombo.
“During the last two weeks of July, Nilakshan was in Colombo with MRTC students doing internships and returned to Jaffna on Monday. FMM had a discussion on current media situation with visiting student group including Nilakshan on July 25.
“FMM is disappointed that none of media workers/journalists killings have been investigated to a completion by the Government. Viewing the prevailing culture of impunity as an indirect approval of killing the messenger in Sri Lanka today, FMM holds the government accountable for not carrying out to the end even a single inquiry on killed journalists.”
(http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/08/02/front/2.asp)
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