Suresh Kumar and Ranjith Kumar incident explained

Suresh Kumar and Ranjith Kumar were minority Sri Lankan Tamils working for the Uthayan – a Tamil newspaper published from Jaffna. Uthayan has been specifically targeted for its independent reporting by the Sri Lankan military and the paramilitary group EPDP.^{[1] [2]} They were killed on 2 May 2006 during an attack on the Uthayan office.

Background

In Jaffna – which is under Sri Lankan army control – journalists, human rights activists and civilians have lived under constant fear. These killing are part of series of killing, abduction and attacks on the Tamil Media in Sri Lanka.^{[3] [4] [5]} These killings, abductions and threats are seen as part of the dirty war launched by Mahinda Rajapaksa government.^{[6] [7]}

Incident and reaction

Suresh Kumar and Ranjith Kumar were killed after a Uthayan published a cartoon mocking Douglas Devananda the leader of EPDP a paramilitary group allied with the Sri Lankan Army.^[8] Armed Gunmen entered the office of Uthayan in army controlled Jaffna on 2 May 2006 and demanded to see the editor R. Kuhanathan and finding he was not there opened fire and the two employees died instantly.^{[9] [10] [11]}

Notes and References

1. http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=18578 Gunmen set fire to Tamil newspaper’s press
2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1273789.stm Jaffna paper beats the odds
3. http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=52740 Tamil media caught in ongoing conflict
4. http://www.lankaeverything.com/vinews/srilanka/20060904014736.php Intimidation of Tamil media.
5. http://www.wan-press.org/print.php3?id_article=12552 Press Freedom, World Review, June - November 2006
6. http://www.medico-international.de/en/projects/srilanka/watch/20070824rsf.pdf Fact-finding report by the International Press Freedom Mission to Sri Lanka
7. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2007/03/070323_jaffna_batticaloa.shtml White van 'terrorises' Jaffna
8. http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/media-terror-in-sri-lankas-jaffna Media Terror in Sri Lanka's Jaffna
9. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4966252.stm Gunmen 'kill two' at Jaffna paper
10. Web site: Jaffna’s media in the grip of terror . Reporters Without Borders . en . 24 August 2007 . 30 August 2020 .
11. Web site: 11th anniversary of Uthayan killings remembered . Tamil Guardian . 3 May 2017 . 22 February 2023.