Sri Lanka editor is commemorated

By Charles Haviland
BBC News, Colombo

Mr Wickremasinghe was one of Sri Lanka's most colourful journalists

Commemorations are being held in Sri Lanka to mark six months since the murder of the newspaper editor, Lasantha Wickrematunge.

It was an extreme and shocking case alongside a series of assaults on journalists in the country, all of which remain unsolved.

Mr Wickrematunge was the editor of the Sunday Leader, an investigative paper.

Witnesses say he was attacked by four men on motorbikes as he drove to work and beaten to death with steel bars.

'No clues'

Six months on, the incident remains mysterious.

Rights groups argue that journalists face a culture of intimidation

The police spokesman, Ranjith Gunasekera, says that according to the doctor's report, Mr Wickrematunge died from gunshot injuries.

"So far we don't have any clue of the suspect," he said, "but the investigation is carrying on with the findings of the telephone calls."

Mr Gunasekera insisted that progress in the case is being made at an acceptable speed.

But Lal Wickrematunge, the brother of the murdered editor who has taken over editing the Sunday Leader, disagreed. He said that the case and others are not being investigated seriously.

"Eleven journalists have been killed in two and a half years. And not one of them have been solved. Not even the assaults, not even the abductions. And that's why the fear is there," he said.

Lal Wickrematunge said that his brother is hugely missed, as is his journalism which he says was characterised by its style and tenacity.