Amidst the prevailing harassments against the journalists in the North, more than 40 journalists from Jaffna peninsula and Vanni mainland gathered at the Jaffna Press Club on Sunday marking the 14th death anniversary of Mylvaganam Nimalarajan, who was assassinated on 19 October 2000. The journalists also paid their tributes to the veteran journalist, Iya Sachchithanantham, who had recently passed away in Jaffna at the age of 64.
The editor of Puthiyavan daily published from Mannaar, Sivaharan, who delivered the special address, said that the Tamil journalists, working in the North have to face both the ‘known’ and ‘unknown’ enemies of the Tamil nation. The situation of threat against media workers remains as it was during the times of the war, he said. Those who collect stories at the grassroots level are seriously affected in carrying out their duties, he said. The situation is particularly worse in Jaffna peninsula, Mr Sivaharan observed.
The memorial event, organised by Jaffna Press Club, was presided by Journalist Tharmapalan Vinojith, who is the chairman of the JPC.
N. Parameswaran, a reporter with Daily Mirror and Lanka Deepa, who had worked with Nimalarajan, garlanded the portrait of Nimalararajan while the Secretary of JPC, Mr Gajatheepan, garlanded the portrait of Iya Sachchithananthan, a senior journalist who recently passed away in Jaffna.
Senior Journalists N. Parameswaran and Ratnam Thayaparan delivered memorial addresses on the life and character of Nimalarajan, who worked as regional correspondent in Jaffna for several media organisations, including the BBC and TamilNet.
A. Sabesan, who is a lecturer of journalism and N. Ponrasa, who is a deputy editor at Thinakkural, delivered memorial addresses remembering the contributions by Iya Sachchithanantham.
Another deputy editor of Thinakkural, Jeyabalan, staged a poetry event on media freedom.
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