Aiyathurai
Nadesan, was Vice-President of the Sri Lanka
Tamil Media Alliance and recipient of the Best
Journalist of 2000 Prize awarded by the Sri Lanka
Editors� Guild. He was the
Batticaloa-based columnist for Virakesari, the
country�s leading Tamil-language
newspaper, for more than twenty years. He wrote
under the pen name of G.Nellai Nadesan. He was
also the local correspondent for Shakthi TV News
and the London based International Broadcasting
Coporation.
He was shot dead on 31 May
2004 on his way to work in Batticaloa by
gunmen suspected to belong to a mercenary Tamil
group working under the aegis of the Sri Lanka
Army Command. Mr. Nadesan, the father of four
children and aged 50 at the time of his death,
hailed from Nelliyadi, a town in North Jaffna
District in Sri Lanka.
Mr.Nadesan was a journalist who
at at all times fearlessly stood up for that
which he believed to be right.
On 3 April 2000 a bomb exploded
at his home in Batticaloa. The United Nations
Special Rapporteur
on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to
Freedom of Opinion and Expression
reported to the UN Commission on Human Rights in
February 2002:
"Those responsible for the
incident were linked to pro-Government Tamil
paramilitaries. Mr. Nadesan had received a
telephone death threat after his paper ran an
article in March 2000 about atrocities
committed by a member of the
People�s Liberation
Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), an armed
Tamil group that supports the
Government�s battle against
separatists. Mr. Nadesan had not written the
article, although he had regularly written
about the activities of PLOTE and other
pro-Government Tamil groups in Batticaloa"
In July 2001 the Commanding
Officer of the 23-3 Battalion in Batticaloa, Col.
Manawaduge warned and threatened Mr. Nadesan. He
was summoned to the Commanding Officer's office
and told that he writes only anti-government and
anti-military news and articles and warned that
if he continues in this fashion, action would be
taken against him under the Prevention of
Terrorism Act. Mr. Nadesan was warned at the army
camp office of how the JVPers in this country
were shot dead for posting anti-government
posters. This incident was the subject of an
intervention by the Sri Lanka Free
Media movement on 24 July 2001. This incident
was also reported on by the United Nations
Special Rapporteur
on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to
Freedom of Opinion and Expression in
February 2002.
In July 2003, when the Sri Lanka
Army sought to expand its position by the Kallady
beach to establish a large camp, and, under the
Emergency Regulations, sought to take over 13 of
the National Housing Development Authority
quarters built for civilian housing. The move
sparked protests and Mr.Nadesan
declared:
�Tamils here
see the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA)between the
Tigers and Colombo as the basis for bringing
about permanent peace because it holds out the
promise that all the public buildings and
utilities in Batticaloa, such as the Municipal
Council, Library, Forest Department,
thoroughfares etc., would eventually be
returned to their rightful owners for the good
of the people. The CFA stands on the belief
that this land would be freed of all
unnecessary military occupation when an
acceptable solution is found at the end of the
peace process. But the move to make the Sri
Lanka Army camp in Kallady permanent is
seriously undermining the
people�s positive attitude
towards peace�
The New York based Committee to Protect
Journalists condemned Mr.Nadesan's murder.
"We are outraged by the murder of Aiyathurai
Nadesan and urge authorities to find and punish
those responsible for this crime," said CPJ
Executive Director Ann Cooper. The Paris based
Reporters Sans Frontieres called upon the
authorities to keep them informed of progress 'in
the investigation into this new crime against the
press". Vanni journalists condemned
Nadesan�s murder and the Sri
Lanka Tamil Media Alliance warned that killings threatened press
freedom.
"We consider the murder of our
colleague Aiyathurai Nadesan as a serious
warning to all Tamil journalists, especially to
those working in the NorthEast. These
horrendous acts are designed to strangle
journalists from speaking out. We urge all
those who cherish press freedom and democracy
to pressure the Sri Lanka Government to take
immediate steps to safeguard the journalists
from murder and harassment, and to bring to
justice those who perpetrate dastardly crimes
on Tamil journalists who question oppression
and injustice."
Large crowds attended Nadesan's
funeral on 3 June 2004 in his hometown
Nelliyady in the Jaffna peninsula. "The normal
life of Nelliyady, came to a standstill. Shops
were closed. The hearse was taken to the
Nelliyady Madhya Maha Vidiyalayam Thursday
morning from his residence where funeral orations
were delivered by TNA parliamentarians Messrs
M.K.Sivajilingam, C.Gajendran, Suresh
Premachchandran, Jaffna district LTTE political
head Mr.C.Ilamparithi, LTTE Judiciary head
Mr.Para and Mr.Sunanda Deshapriya of the Free
Media Movement" A protest demonstration
was held in Colombo on 9 June 2004, condemning
the Nadesan Killing and a one day Hartal was observed in
Trincomalee.
Tamil Centre for Human Rights
Memorial Meeting for Aiyathurai Nadesan in
Paris
9 June 2004
A memorial meeting was held on 9 June 2004 under
the auspices of the Tamil Centre for Human
Rights � TCHR, for senior
journalist A. Nadesan who was brutally killed in
Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. The meeting was held in
the Temple Hall in Paris. Several journalists,
members of civil society including a
representative from Rapporteurs Sans Frontieres
� RSF and the hall packed full
of people attended this ceremony to pay their
respects to Mr. Nadesan.
On 31 May 2004, Mr. Aiyathurai Nadesan was shot
dead by so called unidentified gunmen in
Batticaloa, while he was going to work on a
motorbike. Mr. Nadesan, who had been reporting to
the Tamil daily, "Virakesari", International
Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) and to some daily
electronic media, became a victim for practising
his profession.
Mr. Nadesan won the North East Sahithya Academy
award for his book written in Tamil "History of
Ethnic Strife". He also won the best Tamil
journalist award in year 2000. He was one of the
founder members of Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance
(SLTMA) and held the post of Vice-President of
this association.
Mr. Vincent Thevasagayam, presided over the
meeting. In his speech he called for an immediate
independent inquiry into the brutal killing of
Mr. Nadesan. The memorial meeting commenced with
a minute silence, followed by lighting of the
traditional oil lamp by Mr. Kandiah Navarendran,
attorney at law.
The representative of Rapporteurs Sans Frontieres
(RSF � Reporters Without
Borders), Mr. Vincent Brossel said that Mr.
Nadesan is not the first journalist to be killed
in Sri Lanka! In the year 2000, Mr. Nirmalarajan
was killed in Jaffna. The serial killing
continues. The RSF representative insisted that
the crimin! alising of political activities in
Sri Lanka should be stopped immediately. He
raised concerns about the safety of journalists
working in Sri Lanka.
The General Secretary of TCHR,
Mr. S.V. Kirubaharan, gave a short history of how
the freedom of press and the journalists are
suffering in the hands of the authorities in Sri
Lanka. He said that it has no meaning to say
these killings are being done by unknown gunmen!
Everyone knows who the killers are, it is no
longer a secret! What is surprising is the way
these killings are being done and justified in
international forums.
The Editor of Eelanadu Mr. Sivaguru Balachandran,
Administrative editor of Eelamurasu Mr.
Thiraloan, news editor of Tamil Television
Network (TTN) Mr. Sritharan, the representative
of ABC-Radio Mr. Ariyaratnam and Mr. Chelliah
Jeyachandran were the speakers in this
meeting.
The brutal killing of Mr. Nadesan was condemned
by every speaker and speakers claimed that the
Sri Lanka government should bear responsibility
for this killing. There followed much
discussions, feelings and various creative ideas
were expressed.The meeting ended by sending a
condolence message to Mr
Nadesan�s family.
Reporters Without Borders
(Reporters Sans Frontieres) RSF condemns
Nadesan's murder
[TamilNet, June 01, 2004 21:57 GMT]
The Paris based world media
watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters
sans frontieres) Tuesday condemns the murder of
Tamil journalist Aiyathurai Nadesan in
Batticaloa
"We call on the authorities to keep us informed
of progress in the investigation into this new
crime against the press, the organisation
said.
Nadesan was gunned down as he was going to work
at about 8:00 a.m. by two men on a motorcycle who
got away. His body was taken to the local
hospital where an autopsy was carried out.
The online news agency tamilnet.com said Nadesan
worked for the daily Virakesari Tamil, the
Tamil-language service of the London-based radio
station IBC and several online media. He was
known for criticising the Sri Lankan army and
paramilitary groups in his weekly column in
Virakesari Tamil�s Sunday
edition.
His murder comes amid a resurgence of violence
linked to a split within the Tamil Tigers (LTTE).
After signing a cease-fire with the government,
the LTTE is having to deal with the emergence of
an armed breakaway faction. Nadesan was
considered to be close to LTTE.
A prominent member of the local press, Nadesan
received the prize for the best Tamil journalist
in 2000. He was briefly detained in July 2001 and
threatened by an army officer with prosecution
under the Prevention of Terrorism Act because of
his criticism of the government and the security
forces. He was married and had three
children.
Myilvaganam Nimalarajan, a Jaffna-based stringer
for the Sinhala-language service of the BBC World
Service, was killed in October 2000 at a time of
tension within the different Tamil movements.
Despite national and international pressure, his
murder remains unpunished."
Meanwhile, Liberation Tigers have alleged that
Mr. Nadesan's murder is part of a campaign by
elements of the Sri Lanka Army against their
cadres and intellectuals supporting their
political stand in the Batticaloa-Amparai
region.
The SLA is using several Tamil paramilitary
groups, including the 'Karuna' group that
recently broke away from the LTTE, in its
campaign, the Tigers say. The head of the LTTE's
political wing in Batticaloa-Amparai, Mr. E.
Kausalyan, said in May, "Karuna's rebellion has
become routine explanation for the attacks on
[the LTTE]. But these are being organized by the
Sinhala military.
New York Based
Committee to Protect Journalists News Alert 1
June 2004
Aiyathurai Nadesan, a veteran
Tamil journalist, was shot and killed on Monday,
May 31, by unidentified assailants in Batticaloa,
a town on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka and 135
miles (216 kilometers) from the capital, Colombo,
according to international news reports and local
journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists
(CPJ) is investigating whether the murder was
related to Nadesan's journalistic work.
Nadesan, who worked with the national
Tamil-language daily Virakesari for 20
years, was on his way to work Monday morning when
he was gunned down. Local police told The
Associated Press that gunmen ambushed the
journalist near a Hindu temple. The assailants
escaped from the scene, and no group has claimed
responsibility for the killing. The police in
Batticaloa have launched an investigation into
the murder, according to news reports.
Nadesan was an award-winning journalist who used
the pen name Nellai G. Nadesan. He also reported
for the International Broadcast Group, a
Tamil-language radio station that broadcasts from
London.
Violence erupted in Sri Lanka's eastern region in
recent weeks after the main Tamil rebel group,
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE),
launched a military offensive against a breakaway
faction headed by a soldier known as Colonel
Karuna. Local journalists said that Nadesan
supported the LTTE. The LTTE has accused the Sri
Lankan army and members of the breakaway faction
of Nadesan's murder, according to the pro-LTTE
Internet news site Tamil.net.
Nadesan had been harassed and threatened before
his death because he had criticized the
government and security forces, according to CPJ
research. On June 17, 2001, a Sri Lankan army
officer summoned Nadesan for an interrogation and
threatened the journalist with arrest unless he
ceased reporting about the army.
Local journalist groups condemned the murder and
called for a hartal, or national strike,
for tomorrow, June 2.
After a 20-year-long civil war, Sri Lanka's
government reached a cease-fire agreement with
the separatist LTTE in February 2002. Although
the current peace agreement remains fragile, the
two sides are scheduled to resume talks in
July.
"We are outraged by the murder of Aiyathurai
Nadesan and urge authorities to find and punish
those responsible for this crime," said CPJ
Executive Director Ann Cooper.
Move to make SLA camp
permanent sparks protest
July 2, 2003, 13:04 [TamilNet]
�The effort to establish the Sri
Lanka army�s Kallady camp on a
permanent basis goes against the grain of the
Cease Fire Agreement�, Mr.
Joseph Pararajasingham, Tamil National Alliance
MP, told TamilNet, Wednesday, referring to recent
moves by the military to acquire property and
land in a suburb on the southern outskirts of the
Batticaloa town. Quarters built in this suburb by
the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA)
for government officials in Batticaloa have been
occupied by troops since 1990.
The SLA recently wrote to the NHDA seeking a
valuation of its quarters in Kallady for the
purpose of taking these over permanently.
The Directorate of Internal Intelligence (DII)
too has sought to acquire a building in the NHDA
quarters (no. M-2). Mr. Pararajasingham said he
had spoken to the Secretary to the Ministry of
Defence (MOD), Mr. Austin Fernando, regarding the
matter on Monday; but that Mr. Fernando had
stated that he was unaware of the move by the SLA
and the DII to acquire the NHDA quarters and land
in Kallady.
�However, Defence Secretary told
me to send him a formal letter setting out the
issue in detail�, the MP
said.
The NHDA built 23 houses on government land in
the early eighties. Two of these were sold to the
Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and one to the
National Water Supply Board. The rest were for
occupation by senior Sri Lankan government
officials working in the district. In 1990, when
the SLA expanded its position by the Kallady
beach to establish a large camp, it took over 13
of the NHDA quarters under Emergency
Regulations.
�Tamils here see the CFA between
the Tigers and Colombo as the basis for bringing
about permanent peace because it holds out the
promise that all the public buildings and
utilities in Batticaloa, such as the Municipal
Council, Library, Forest Department,
thoroughfares etc., would eventually be returned
to their rightful owners for the good of the
people. The CFA stands on the belief that this
land would be freed of all unnecessary military
occupation when an acceptable solution is found
at the end of the peace process. But the move to
make the SLA camp in Kallady permanent is
seriously undermining the
people�s positive attitude
towards peace�, said Mr.
Aiyathurai Nadesan, senior correspondent and
political columnist for the Tamil daily
Virakesari in Batticaloa.
The Kallady SLA camp lies spread along the beach
for about one kilometre, occupying a large tract
comprising state and private lands and
properties.
The SLA moved into the area in 1982, taking over
a Rural Development Training Centre under the
emergency regulations to set up a minor post. The
position was expanded and built into a large camp
since 1990.
The Young Men�s Christian
Association in Batticaloa says a training centre
belonging to it is also inside the camp and that
the army has made inquiries about acquiring it
too.
A retired Sri Lanka army officer in Colombo who
is familiar with the Kallady
camp�s origins and importance
said: �The place offers the
closest and safest access to the sea for the
troops in the Batticaloa town. The sea is
obviously the supply route of the last resort
there. The army in Batticaloa town cannot depend
only on its Main Supply Route (MSR) from
Polannaruwa (the A-15 Road) because it runs
through a vast region held by the LTTE. For this
same reason, the camp on the Kalkudah coast is
also important strategically for
army�s positions in Batticaloa
north�.
Kalkudah, 32 kilometres north of Batticaloa, was
one of the most thriving beach resorts in Sri
Lanka before the war. The SLA now occupies the
British period rest house and a long picturesque
beach here.
�The LTTE has a division of
regular troops backed by at least a dozen
batteries of heavy mortars � and
possibly artillery- concentrated in the northern
part of the Batticaloa district, which is under
their control. The army�s MSR to
the district, which winds through this region, is
therefore terribly fragile. Hence the
SLA�s keenness to strengthen its
position on the Kallady coast�,
the retired officer pointed out.
(An SLA division has nine thousand troops but
constant fighting and desertions have reduced
many of its battle worthy divisions to 4-5
thousand. But the SLA says that the LTTE's
divisions are full strength formations)
The Sri Lankan military�s
Batticaloa brigade headquarters is located along
the eastern coast of island of Puliyanthivu. The
main part of Batticaloa�s town
centre too is lies within this island. The east
coast of Puliyanthivu is closest point on this
island across the lagoon to the sea.
Until the British built one of the longest
railway bridges in Sri Lanka to in the
1920�s to link the northern part
of the town with the narrow stretch of land
between the lagoon and the sea, the shortest
distance from the Batticaloa Fort jetty across
the water was Kallady.
Portuguese, Dutch and British armies conquered
and controlled the countryside in Batticaloa by
holding the landing at Kallady to ferry troops
across the lagoon particularly during times of
rebellion. Hence the Dutch had a small garrison
there, apparently to hold the ferry point.
The people of Batticaloa, led by the Chieftain
Arumaipperumal rose in rebellion against the
British in 1803 and captured most of the district
except the island of Puliyanthivu where the
British troops had retreated to defend the fort.
Three months later, the British, with large
reinforcements under Captain Johnston, crushed
the rebellion brutally. Arumaipperumal was
captured and sent in chains to Colombo.
Control of the Fort in Puliyanthivu (Built by
Portuguese in 1622) and a presence in Kallady is
therefore considered strategic for dominating the
Batticaloa district.
�The strategic concerns of the
army are not good enough reason for taking over
land and public property in the midst of a well
populated and expanding suburb of Batticaloa
town. And importantly, the
army�s attitude does not seem to
be much different from that of the colonial
rulers�, said Mr. Nadesan.
From: Free
Media Movement
237/22, Wijeya Kumaratunga Mawatha
Colombo 05
July 2001
To: Anura Priyadarshana Yapa
Minister for Information and Media
The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri
Lanka
Dear Minister,
We would like to bring your attention to
following incidents that has happened in
Batticaloa recently which have a direct bearing
on freedom of expression and journalist's right
to fulfill their duty without fear and
obstructions. We have being informed of these
incidents by the Sri Lanka Tamil Media
Alliance.
The Commanding Officer of the 23-3 Battalion in
Batticaloa has warned and threatened reporter
Aiyathurai Nadesan on July 17, 2001.
Mr. Nadesan has been serving as a journalist for
many years in Batticaloa.
Col. Manawaduge has summoned Mr. Nadesan to his
office and alleged that the latter writes only
anti-government and anti-military news and
articles and had warned him that if he continues
in this fashion, action would be taken against
him under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Mr. Nadesan was warned at the army camp office of
how the JVPers in this country were shot dead for
posting anti-government posters. The military
photographers photographed him in many angles
without his permission. He has complained about
whole incident which has threatened his life.
The Government announced recently that the
censorship related to military news had been
lifted and the restrictions imposed on journalist
in visiting unlearned areas ( meaning areas under
the LTTE) removed, and that media personal could
go freely to these areas and gather news. But
even after this announcement was made Mr Nadesan
who lives and works in war zone has been
threatened in this fashion. This astonishes
us.
Mr. Nadesan is the vice-president of Tamil Media
alliance and it is worth mentioning at this time
that the Editors' Guild of Sri Lanka presented
him an award as a best journalist of last year.
FMM would like to point out that there is now a
fear whether the incident would lead to an armed
retaliation similar to the killing of journalist
Nimalarajan Mailvaganam last year in the
precincts of the high-security zone in the Jaffna
peninsula.
Simultaneously, Mr. S M Gopalratnam editor and
Mr. K.Rushankan sub editor of Thinakathir, the
only Thamil daily of east Sri Lanka were summoned
to the camp a few days ago by the same army
officer and warned in the same fashion. They were
accused of supporting the Tigers Both of them are
members of the Eastern Journalists Association.
We wish to bring this too to your notice.
We demand that an immediate
inquiry is held regarding this gross violation of
freedom of expression of three Tamil language
journalist from eastern Sri Lanka. At the same
time we request you to inform the Commanding
Officer of the 23-3 battalion in Batticaloa to
respect the journalists rights to gather and
disseminate information without any restrictions
as there is no censorship is in force at
present.
FMM takes this opportunity to express its strong
protest at threatening behavior of the concerned
military officer and to reaffirmed our solidarity
with of all media personal working in war zone
under extremely difficult conditions in
fulfilling their duty to the follow citizens.
Sincerely yours,
Sunanda Deshapriya
Convenor
Waruna Karunathilaka
Secretary
24.07.2001
Copies to:
1. Army commander
2. Director of Information
3. International freedom of expression
organizations
4 Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance
Please send appleas to;
Mr. Anura Priyadarshana yapa
Minster for Information and Media
Republic Sq. Sri Baron Jayathilaka Mawatha,
Colombo 01
Fax+ 94 1 323730
Col. Manawaduge,
Commanding Officer of the 23-3 battalion in
Batticaloa , Batticoloa, Sri Lanka
