Rivira Newspaper Editor Attacked

Chief editor of the privately-owned Sinhala weekly Rivira, Upali Tennakoon, and his wife were attacked this morning (Jan 23) at around 6:40am by two men on motorcycles who blocked their car at Imbulgoda, outside the capital Colombo, a reporter on his paper said.

"They were stabbed and are now being brought to hospital in Colombo," the reporter added, saying the editor's condition was said to be stable.

"His wife was also in the car and she too has been injured."

The attack came two weeks after another editor, Lasantha Wickrematunga, was killed as he drove to his office on the edge of Colombo. His car was also blocked by the unidentified gunmen on motorcycles.

Earlier this month, attackers allegedly torched a privately owned television station Sirasa, labeled as "unpatriotic" for its coverage of the war and sympathy towards the LTTE.

Meanwhile, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to appoint a special Police team to probe attacks on media immediately.