28 May 2008
Paranirupasingham Thevakumar
Knife attack
Jaffna region journalist P.Thevakumar, 34 working for Colombo based Shakthi TV and his friend Mahenthiran Varathan, 24, a computer technician were killed after being hacked to death on Wednesday afternoon 4:00 p.m. in Naavvanthurai, Jaffna by unidentified men, sources said.
Mr Devakumaran, who was a resident of Kokkuthuduwai, had joined the Maharajah Group in 2005 as the Jaffna correspondent of the three news channels. According to news reports, police say a mob attacked P. Devakumar on his motorbike in Navanthurai village in the Jaffna peninsula. A friend of Devakumar's was also killed in the attack, says FMM. The police told reporters it was too early to comment on possible suspects. Devakumar was among only a few journalists working in Jaffna, which has been under military control for more than a decade and has been a battle zone between Tamil Tiger rebels and the government. Many journalists living and working in Jaffna have given up their jobs, fearing for their lives, says FMM.
