President wants journalists’ attackers apprehended

President Mahinda Rajapaksa who has expressed concern over the assault on two media personnel, of the the Sri Lanka Press Institute and the British High Commission, yesterday directed the newly appointed IGP Jayantha Wickremaratne to deploy special police teams on the investigation.

Several media organizations have held the Government indirectly responsible for the assaults on the two journalists on Monday evening at Polhengoda. They cited a number of previous incidents where no suspects had been apprehended for assaults on journalists.

The victims, Namal Perera, an executive director of the Sri Lanka Press Institute and Mahendra Ratnaweera of the British High Commission, said when they were travelling along Baseline Road they had noted a white van following their vehicle. At Polhengoda, near the Hatton National Bank Kirulaponne Branch, the white van had overtaken and blocked them. Since the doors of the their vehicle were locked the attackers had used wooden poles and smashed the glass windows and windscreen. The journalists were severely injured.

Both victims were admitted to the Apollo Hospital. Ratnaweera is being treated for head injuries. However, according to hospital sources both are out of danger.

Several media organizations condemned the attack and lamented that despite several such attacks in the recent past not a single case had been solved.