3rd death anniversary of slain journalist Thevakumar observed in Moo’laay

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 May 2010, 20:01 GMT]
Public organizations in Moo’laay in Jaffna observed Sunday the third death anniversary of Jaffna correspondent of Sakthi TV station, Paranirupasingam Thevakumar, 34, abducted while he was returning to his residence in Moo’laay and hacked to death in Kaakkaitheevu, a barren land near Naavaanthu’rai in Jaffna on 28 May 2008, in Ganesha Community Centre Hall in Moo’laay, sources in Jaffna said. Immediately after the killing, his wife in her statement to three Sinhalese journalists from Colombo had said that men of Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), a constituent of ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), were directly involved in her husband’s assassination.

The memorial event began with flowers placed in front of the photographs of Thevakumar and his friend Mahenthiran who was killed along with him.

Thevakumar Parnirupasingam, popularly known as ‘Sakthi Theva’ and his friend Mahenthiran Varathan were hacked to death allegedly by EPDP men as they were returning to Moo’laay from Jaffna after duty.

The Chief editor of ‘Valampuri’, one of the three leading Tamil dailies published in Jaffna, delivered the tribute speech titled, ‘The role of media in the growth of villages’ while many prominent social activists of the area spoke on the dedicated service as a journalist that Thevakumar had rendered during his life time.

Sakthi TV is owned by one of the largest privately-held media corporations, the Maharajah Television (MTV) and operates MTV English, Sirasa TV in Sinhala and Sakthi TV in Tamil.