Journalists protest at intimidation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 January 1999, 20:03 GMT]
Journalists in the Puttalam district of the North-Western Province staged a demonstration today near the clock tower in the town, protesting that they were being threatened and prevented from reporting independently.

The journalists have also formed an organisation to look after their interests.

A journalist said that two of his colleagues have been threatened with their lives.

He said that Samson Jayantha in Nataandiya, and Terrence Vantaniyasinghe, in Aanamaduwa, are the journalists who had been threatened.

Meanwhile the union leader of Telecom Ltd, Premaratne de Alvis, said that he was beaten up and threatened with his life by an unidentified armed gang last night at his residence.

He said the gang had warned him to not to enter the Telecom building and exploded a grenade before leaving his residence.