Sri Lanka journalist killing appeal

Jaffna city has been badly affected by the war

By Amal Jayasinghe in Colombo

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has been pressed to pursue an investigation into the killing of a journalist who contributed to the BBC and several local media organisations.

No-one has been charged with Mylvaganam's killing

The journalist, Mylvaganam Nimalarajan, was killed in a bomb attack at his home in the northern Jaffna peninsula a year ago, but the authorities have as yet made no arrests.

More than 200 local and foreign correspondents have signed a petition to the president, demanding police action.

The open letter - organised by the French media rights group Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) and two local organisations, the Free Media Movement and the Tamil Media Alliance - noted that no one had been arrested in connection with the murder committed exactly a year ago in Jaffna.

Conflict reporting

President Kumaratunga has been asked to ensure the end of what they describe as a culture of impunity and ensure that the guilty are brought to justice.

Nimalarajan had been critical of paramilitary groups in the Jaffna peninsula in his reporting.

His colleagues met in the capital earlier this week to discuss the challenges they face in reporting from areas of conflict.

The media has called for greater protection and better working conditions to prevent other killings.

The authorities recently ended censorship on war reporting, but journalists in Sri Lanka still face difficulties in travelling to the front lines.