Tamil Journalist Guruparan abducted in Colombo

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INDICTMENT AGAINST SRI LANKA
Censorship, Disinformation & Murder of Journalists

Tamil Journalist Guruparan abducted in Colombo
BBC, 29 August 2006

"Mr Guruparan disappeared on his way to work . A Tamil radio journalist has been kidnapped near the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, police say.
Nadaraja Guruparan, who worked for the radio station Surayan FM, was last seen leaving his house early on Tuesday 28 August 2006. His vehicle was later found abandoned and fears are growing for his safety. It is not clear who kidnapped him...' Surayan FM, for which Nadaraja Guparan works, frequently reported on human rights violations in fighting between rebels and the army. The abduction has been widely criticised.

The BBC's Dumeetha Luthra in Colombo says the station is considered largely unbiased. But friends of Mr Guruparan say that he complained of receiving threats from several paramilitary groups. Colleagues say he disappeared as he drove from his home to the office. They say that his empty car was found with its engine still running. His mobile phone was found on the driver's seat.

Reporters Without Borders said the abduction had alarming implications for press freedom in Sri Lanka.

"Murders, arrests, threats and bombings have again become the daily lot for many reporters, particularly in the north and east of the country," the group said in a statement.

Dozens of Mr Guruparan's colleagues demonstrated against the abduction outside the main railway station in Colombo to demand his release. There have been a spate of recent attacks against journalists, newspapers and newspaper delivery boys in Sri Lanka. So far this year, five people working in the media have been killed in Sri Lanka - four of them from the minority Tamil community...."