The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna [northern Sri Lanka] has forced three female journalists, including two journalists from UK-based Quicksilver Media, and a Sri Lankan journalist accompanying them, to return to Colombo Friday [5 October], cancelling their documentary mission in Jaffna for the British Channel 4 television.

On Thursday, an hour after arriving at a hotel in Jaffna city, with military escort they were taken back to Palali base [in Jaffna], where they had to stay overnight before returning to Colombo next day. The SLA officers in Palali, upon the arrival of the documentary team, had offered accommodation in a military camp, but the journalists had declined to accept the offer, informed media sources in Colombo said.

Reporter Sandra Jordan, director Siobhan Sinnerton of Quicksilver Media and a Sri Lankan journalist, upon their arrival to Jaffna at Palali airport, were briefed by an SLA brigade commander on the security situation in Jaffna before they were allowed to proceed to Jaffna city.

However, an hour after they arrived at Thinakkural Rest, the hotel where they were preparing for documentary work, they were instructed by the SLA soldiers to return to Palali military base with immediate effect, citing security reasons.

The journalists, despite their explanation that they had obtained clearance from the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence (MoD), were taken back to the military complex.

The documentary team was scheduled to stay in Jaffna till 7 October and to visit various places, including the islets.

Friday morning [local time], the SLA took the journalists on a guided two-hour trip to Jaffna city, where they were taken to Jaffna hospital and to the Human Rights Commission, before they were returned to Palali airport, cancelling their documentary work. Although they were allowed to video record, they were unable to freely interview people without the presence of military personnel.

Quicksilver Media has produced powerful documentaries for Channel 4's award-winning foreign affairs strand "Unreported World", featuring conflicts of Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, South Africa, Nigeria, Guatemala, West Papua and Mexico. It has won the prestigious Royal Television Society Award for International Current Affairs for the documentary "The Death Squads," a hard-hitting investigation into Iraq's death squads.

Source: TamilNet website in English 06 Oct 07

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