Tamil journalist shot dead

A Sri Lankan Tamil journalist was shot dead in the eastern city of Batticaloa yesterday, police said, the latest in a string of killings plaguing the volatile region and undermining a ceasefire with Tamil Tiger rebels. Police said the man was shot dead...

A Sri Lankan Tamil journalist was shot dead in the eastern city of Batticaloa yesterday, police said, the latest in a string of killings plaguing the volatile region and undermining a ceasefire with Tamil Tiger rebels.

Police said the man was shot dead as he rode his motorcycle, taking to at least 16 the death toll in violence that broke out since the Tigers vanquished a breakaway rebel commander known as Karuna early in April.

"There are no eye-witnesses coming forward, so we can't say who is responsible, but our investigations are underway," said Batticaloa Senior Superintendent of Police Lasantha de Silva.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.