Media rights group expresses concern over detained Lankan journalists

Colombo, Mar 13 : The media rights group, Reporters Without Borders (RWB), has expressed its concern over the detention of some Sri Lankan journalists after they were accused of receiving money from the rebel LTTE.

The Paris-based group has called for an explanation as to why the anti-terrorist police had arrested them last week.

Sri Lankan Government has not commented about the detention.

"After making inquiries, we came to the conclusion that the journalists had received money from a foundation in Germany for Tamil exiles," the RWB said, adding that the funds were aimed at financing a website and for helping Tamil students.

It was also discovered that in order to extract confessions, from the detained journalists, the police treated them badly during the initial days of their detention.

"Among the arrested journalists, V Jasikaran was the owner of a printing company and a writer known for his pro-Tamil views and J S Tissanayagam was a writer of the Sunday Times," the RWB said in a statement quoted by the BBC.

"Sri Lanka is becoming one of the most dangerous places for journalists to operate in due to the worsening violence and unofficial censorship," campaigners for press freedom said.

ANI