A Tamil journalist was attacked with acid in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo just as he left hospital where he was undergoing treatment after an assault by soldiers in June, the Free Media Movement (FMM) has reported.
KP Mohan, who worked for the newspaper Thinakkural, received burn injuries after the attack in downtown Colombo Wednesday and was undergoing treatment at the capital's National Hospital, FMM said.
"An unidentified gang threw acid on him around 3:00 p.m. (local time) on August 15 while he was on his way home from the national hospital in Colombo. He was immediately admitted to the same hospital for treatment. This attack on Mohan is not only a threat to him, but will make all journalists think twice before doing any critical reporting," FMM said.
The government, meanwhile, removed police security for the defence correspondent of the Sunday Times, Iqbal Athas, after he exposed alleged corruption in the purchases of MiG 27 fighter jets, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) reported. The article on the MiG deal appeared last Sunday and was subsequently translated and appeared in the Sinhala language publication Lankadeepa, reaching a wider circulation on Tuesday.
Athas has been under threat due to his analytical defence columns and exposure of alleged corruption in military purchases. Two former air force officers were earlier sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment for armed intrusion into his house and threatening his family and himself, prompting the government to provide a police commando security.
FMM expressed serious concern at the continuing violence directed against journalists and media in the country. "This trend, if not curtailed, will restrict media freedom and diminish peoples right to information", the FMM said in a statement.
