International   

Shock over journalist’s abduction

COLOMBO: The abduction and subsequent release by unidentified persons of a senior woman Internews journalist in Sri Lanka last Wednesday, after several hours of detention and a 45-minute “interview” on her work, has sent shockwaves among the media community here.

The California-based Internews describes itself as an international NGO that fosters independent media and disseminates information worldwide and the abducted staffer based in Colombo, Krishni Ifham, is a journalist for 13 years.

As per Ms. Ifham, her abductors drove her to Kandy (three hours drive from the town on the outskirts of Colombo where she was picked up). At the end of the “interview”, she was told that there would not be any further warnings. “Although I was not ordered not to write, one of the three abductors told me not to cause trouble,” she said.

“They took me blindfolded into a rundown room where they were a few chairs and some books on a table,” she said. While the van in which she was driven had curtains so that she could not see outside or seen from outside the vehicle, she had been blindfolded moments before she was taken to the place of interrogation.

“Once I sat down, they removed the blindfold,” she said, adding that during the questioning she was offered a fish bun and sachet of milk. She was questioned regarding her work, particularly her articles in the post-Prabakaran era. Of the three abductors, one sat behind with her during their ride.

Ms. Ifham, a mother of two, said the abductors dropped her off at the Kandy bus stand to get back home after giving her Rs. 200 to pay for fare. The former Virakesari staffer said she has lodged a complaint with the police. But the police have not been successful in tracing the abductors till Sunday evening.

She had a short stint with Lankapuvath and the London-based PANOS before joining Internews. Ms. Ifham was the second journalist to be targeted after a recent furore over a much-talked about mysterious list naming a group of media personalities accused of being on the payroll of the LTTE.

In an editorial titled “The return of the white van” English daily, Island said the episode raised many disturbing issues. “If an official agency was in fact responsible for taking this young mother of two to Kandy from Wattala to ask her some questions about her previous employer, to say the least this conduct is not only reprehensible but also unacceptable”.

In another development, 28 lorry loads of northern produce were dispatched to Colombo from Jaffna earlier in the week.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Iran harassing staff: U.K.
Rafsanjani signals reconciliation
China adopts law on rural land disputes
Shock over journalist’s abduction
Rs. 50 million on Mehsud’s head
Bringing together the greats
A new destination for Indian stone exporters

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu