Tamil journalists in war-torn northern Sri Lanka were intimidated by the Sri Lankan army who allegedly deleted videos and pictures taken of pilgrims visiting Hindu temples after more than three decades.
On Friday (23), Prabakaran Dilakshan, Sundarampillai Rajasekaran, and Sinnaiah Yogeswaran were covering Hindus given permission to pray in seven temples, which are under military occupation.
24 Hindu temples and two Catholic churches in Jaffna’s Valikamam north remain under military control almost 15 years since the end of war.
The trio went near the Palali-Vasavilan area in Jaffna, just opposite the military camp for newsgathering where the group of around 30 pilgrims were frisked and documented before boarding military buses. The military objected to filming claiming that filming around a High Security Zone (HSZ) is prohibited.
The Tamil journalists pointed out they were only talking to the devotees to know their views about visiting the temples in the military occupied area after 34 years.
“The military recorded my name and details and also took a picture of me,” Prabakaran Dilaksan told local media.
Recently permission was granted to Hindu devotees to visit their temples on Fridays, while the Christians have been granted the same on Sundays. However, all devotees are required to register before their visit.
