Media groups raise concern over obstruction of journalist

COLOMBO (News1st): A journalists' association has urged the government to take its duties seriously, in the wake of an obstruction caused to a journalist recently. Neomal Rangajeewa, a police inspector dragged away a photojournalist, who tried to capture his photograph at the Colombo High Court premises on Friday. State media reported that Rangajeewa, the first suspect in the 2012 Welikada Prison Massacre, had subsequently apologized over the incident, that has sparked concerns on media freedom. "...extending an apology does not end this matter," Vimukthi Samaraweera, a member of the Asia Young Journalists Association said on Sunday. "If this had happened to a journalist with a state identity card, another journalist at the premises of a court can be murdered". The government information department that issues identity cards for journalists has sought a probe, citing that the incident had obstructed the journalist's duties. "The government or Rangajeewa cannot escape by simply extending an apology," Samaraweera insisted.