A memorial commemoration for the late Tamil journalist Punniyamurthy Sathiyamoorthy was held at the Mullaitivu press club, with journalists and civil society figures gathering to pay tribute to his life and work.
The event was organised under the leadership of Mullaitivu Media Association President Shanmugam Thavaseelan. During the ceremony, a floral garland was placed on the portrait of the late journalist by senior journalist A. Nixon, while Vanni District Member of Parliament Thurairasa Ravikaran lit the ceremonial lamp in tribute.
Those in attendance then paid their respects by lighting lamps and offering floral tributes, followed by a moment of silent homage in honour of Sathiyamoorthy.
Sathiyamoorthy was killed by a Sri Lankan artillery barrage inside the ‘No Fire Zone’ in February 2009.
Journalist Sumanthan delivered a memorial address reflecting on Sathiyamoorthy’s contribution to journalism and his service to the people of the Tamil homeland.
The commemoration was attended by Vanni District Member of Parliament Thurairasa Ravikaran, senior journalist and visiting lecturer A. Nixon, fellow journalists, civil society activists, and members of the public, who gathered in significant numbers to honour his memory and legacy.
Sathiyamoorthy is remembered by colleagues as a committed journalist who worked to document the realities faced by the Tamil nation in the North-East, continuing a tradition of Tamil journalism that has long faced intimidation, violence and impunity at the hands of the Sri Lankan state.
Sathiyamoorthy, who began contributing to 'Pulikalin Kural' (Voice of Tigers) later wrote the military column for the 'Eezhanaatham' daily. He was reporting from inside the 'No Fire Zone' when Sri Lankan artillery shells landed in the Mullaitivu district.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said that Sathiyamoorthy "strove to maintain journalistic standards and an accurate representation of the wartime situations in which he found himself. His work had global impact, reaching large numbers of Tamils living overseas."
“Several Tamil media reports said Sathiyamoorthy did not die immediately. They cited relatives who said a lack of proper medical attention contributed to his death," the CPJ wrote in a statement.
The Sri Lankan government declared three No Fire Zones between January 2009 and May 2009 in which they encouraged over 300,000 Tamils to gather there, claiming that they would be safe there. The No Fire Zones were subjected to heavy artillery by the Sri Lankan military and the state heavily restricted medicines and food entering these areas.
The 2015 OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) stated that "almost immediately after their creation, the NFZs, including protected civilian objects, such as hospitals, came under sustained fire from the Sri Lankan security forces."
