Journalist Sivagurunathan's funeral held in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 August 2003, 19:51 GMT]
The funeral of the veteran Tamil journalist, Mr. Ratnathurai Sivagurunathan, took place Sunday evening at the Hindu section of the Kanatte cemetery in Colombo, attended by a large gathering, sources said.

A large number of people, including parliamentarians, political leaders and journalists paid their last respects to the remains of Mr. Sivagurunathan at his residence in Colombo.

Thereafter the cortege left around 5 p.m. to the Kanatte cemetery where his remains were cremated according to Hindu tradition. Editors of Colombo newspapers and leading journalists carried the coffin to the cemetery.

Mr. Ratnathurai Sivagurunathan leaves his wife, two daughters and a son..

Meanwhile, Ministers, Media Associations and several religious and social organizations issued condolence messages, stating the death of Mr.Sivagurunathan has created a void in the field of journalism in the country.

Minister and the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, Mr.Rauff Hakim, said in his condolence message that Tamils and Muslims respected Mr.Sivagurunathan as a fair journalist.

Media Minister Mr.Imtiaz Markar in his message said Mr.Sivagurunathan has left an indelible impression in the field of journalism." He worked for the betterment of the young journalists irrespective of the race, religion and caste."

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mr.A.H.M.Azwer said that Mr.Sivagurunathan was responsible for moulding young journalists to attain responsible positions in leading newspapers.