Journalists wear blackband, remember slain colleague

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 May 2005, 14:01 GMT]
More one hundred media personnel, covering their mouths with black bands and carrying August flowers in their hands, gathered Sunday in front of the Parliament building at 3.00 PM despite heavy showers to show their respect to murdered military analyst and popular journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram who was killed a month ago, sources said.






Media colleagues marched along the Japan -Sri Lanka friendship highway to the spot closer to the Parliament building where veteran Sivaram's body was found. He had been shot in the head at close range.

The march was organised by the Hiru Sinhala bulletin with the coordination of Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) and the Sri Lanka Free Media Movement (FMM).


Participants carried a photograph of Mr. Sivaram in the one hour long march and placed the photo at the spot where Sivaram's body was found. Along with floral tributes speeches were also made by media friends of Sivaram at this event to mark the first month of his abduction and murder.

Mr. Rohitha Bashana from the Hiru paper in his speech said that Mr. Sivaram was murdered for his writings. The killing was against the freedom of speech and everyone who wants to promote freedom of speech should come forward and fight to keep that right.

Many Sinhala alternative media personnel and Tamil media personnel participated in the march.

The event concluded at 4.30 PM.

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