[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 February 2009, 05:08 GMT]
Armed persons and men in police uniform who arrived in three white vans Thursday morning abducted Nadesapillai Vithyatharan, 51, the prominent editor of Jaffna-based Uthayan daily and Colombo-based Chudaroli, eyewitnesses told TamilNet. The abduction comes six days after Mr. Vithyatharan was grilled by the Sri Lankan Terrorist Investigation Department (TID). The TID had questioned him Sunday for six hours on news and views that appeared in his papers on Sri Lanka Army (SLA) attacks on civilians in Vanni and about his interactions with the officials of the Tigers in the past. Police spokesman Gunasekara, who first said that the editor was abducted by unidentified men, hours later claimed that he had been arrested.
The 'abduction' has taken place around 9:45 a.m. at Mahinda Parlour in Galkissa (Mount Lavinia) on Galle Road while Mr. Vithyatharan was attending a funeral of a close relative.
Three of the armed men were in Police uniform and two in civil. "When relations tried to prevent him from being taken away the armed men intimidated them, pushed them and took Vithyatharan away," according to a note from the Chief Editor of Uthayan. Eyewitnesses said one of the white van was bearing registration number HX-0640.
The Deputy Chief of US Embassy in Colombo, James R. Moore, who visited Jaffna two weeks ago, had a meeting with the editorial staff of Uthayan, which is functioning under trying conditions for more than two years.
Mr. Vithyatharan is the Editor-in-Chief of Colombo based Chudaroli and editor of Uthayan, published in Jaffna. Both the papers have faced threats and attacks in recent years.
In May 2006, armed paramilitary gunmen who entered the office of the Jaffna daily Uthayan, opened fire killing two staff, including the daily's marketing manager, and causing injuries to two staffers.
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Armed persons and men in police uniform who arrived in three white vans Thursday morning abducted Nadesapillai Vithyatharan, 51, the prominent editor of Jaffna-based Uthayan daily and Colombo-based Chudaroli, eyewitnesses told TamilNet. The abduction comes six days after Mr. Vithyatharan was grilled by the Sri Lankan Terrorist Investigation Department (TID). The TID had questioned him Sunday for six hours on news and views that appeared in his papers on Sri Lanka Army (SLA) attacks on civilians in Vanni and about his interactions with the officials of the Tigers in the past. Police spokesman Gunasekara, who first said that the editor was abducted by unidentified men, hours later claimed that he had been arrested.
Mr. Nadesapillai Vithyatharan, editor of the Uthayan newspaper
Three of the armed men were in Police uniform and two in civil. "When relations tried to prevent him from being taken away the armed men intimidated them, pushed them and took Vithyatharan away," according to a note from the Chief Editor of Uthayan. Eyewitnesses said one of the white van was bearing registration number HX-0640.
The Deputy Chief of US Embassy in Colombo, James R. Moore, who visited Jaffna two weeks ago, had a meeting with the editorial staff of Uthayan, which is functioning under trying conditions for more than two years.
Mr. Vithyatharan is the Editor-in-Chief of Colombo based Chudaroli and editor of Uthayan, published in Jaffna. Both the papers have faced threats and attacks in recent years.
In May 2006, armed paramilitary gunmen who entered the office of the Jaffna daily Uthayan, opened fire killing two staff, including the daily's marketing manager, and causing injuries to two staffers.
Related Articles:
10.02.09 US Ambassador Robert Blake cancels visit to Jaffna
29.10.08 Uthayan Editor threatened by EPDP
25.10.08 IPI condemns blocking of Jaffna newspaper distribution
04.05.08 Ethnic divide reflected in Sri Lanka media coverage
21.04.08 Threat to Jaffna journalists from SLA, paramilitaries
19.11.07 Uthayan staffer, family man feared abducted in Jaffna
18.09.07 Death threats escalate in Jaffna, doctors flee extortion
22.06.07 "White van" men visit Tamil Editor's residence
10.05.07 ‘The gun is silencing the pen’ – Jaffna journalists
09.05.07 Ambassador Boucher visits Jaffna
30.04.07 Thousands attend journalist Rajivarman's funeral
29.04.07 Young journalist shot dead in Jaffna
12.01.07 Media watchdog condemns paramilitary ban on papers
30.12.06 Jaffna dailies face closure due to newsprint shortage
11.09.06 MI attempts assassination of Uthayan editors in Jaffna
08.09.06 Gunmen force Uthayan to carry their statement
19.08.06 Uthayan newspaper warehouse burnt down in Jaffna
15.08.06 Newspaper delivery agent shot and killed in Jaffna
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