News - Govt. must hold impartial probe: RSF

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Govt. must hold impartial probe: RSF

By Paul Michaud

Reporters sans frontiers (RSF), the French-based worldwide press freedom organization, has condemned what it characterizes as "the fourth murder of a media professional in Sri Lanka since the start of 2006."

In its statement, the RSF says freelance journalist Lakmal Silva, was said to have been "lured to his death" in a suburb close to Colombo.

Given the prevailing belief that it is the Sri Lankan security services who are responsible for the killing of Lakmal Silva, RSF's Asia Pacific spokesman Vincent Brossel said with insistence that if this were not the case, indeed "if the authorities want to put an end to the rumours about the implication of the security forces in the killing,” then it is only natural that "they must hold a rigorous and impartial investigation" into the death of a journalist, a specialist in defence issues.

Mr. Brossel said the Sri Lankan government should show greater interest in determining who was responsible for Lakmal Silva's death, "they should also do the same in the matter of the four other recent murder cases in Sri Lanka," those of Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan, Relangi Sevaraja,

Dharmeratnam Sivaram, Suresh Kumar and Ranjith Kumar."

RSF also said they were calling, once again, on the Sri Lankan government, "to take steps to protect the safety of the country's journalists."

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