7 prominent journalists flee Sri Lanka
[TamilNet, Friday, 23 January 2009, 07:30 GMT]
With the assassination of veteran editor of Sunday Leader Lasantha Wickrematunge seven Sri Lankan prominent journalists have left the country, a journalist stationed outside Sri Lanka told TamilNet Friday. Meanwhile, media reports said an editor of a pro-government Sinhala weekly ‘Rivira’, Upali Tennakoon, and his wife were severely assaulted by a group that arrived in motorbikes Friday morning while he was driving his car to work on Kandy Road, Imbulgoda in Gampaha district.
Mr. Upali Tennakoon and his wife were admitted to National Hospital, Colombo.
Tennakoon was earlier the editor of the Sinhala daily ‘Divina’ of the Upali group.
Dinesh Gunewardena, the government chief whip and Sri Lankan minister of Urban Development told SL Parliament Tuesday that nine journalists were killed and 27 assaulted since 2006.
