A group of Sri Lankan soldiers have been accused of brutally attacking a Tamil journalist who attempted to cover this week’s commemoration of Lankan Tamils who died in the LTTE’s final battle with the government troops in 2009.

In an email addressed to media minister Dullas Alahaperuma, The Federation of Media Employees Trade Unions (FMETU) said that journalist Vishwalingam Vishwachandran was subjected to a brutal attack in Mullaitivu while engaging in media reporting on November 28.

“The barbaric attack was carried out with a palm stick wrapped in barbed wire while the victim was taking photographs of the Mullivaikkala name board,” it said.

They cited eyewitnesses as saying that the attack was carried out by a group of soldiers who were stationed at the scene. It has been reported that the Mullaitivu police arrested three soldiers in connection with the incident.

Mullaitivu in Sri Lanka’s north was the heartland of the LTTE when the armed organisation ran its parallel state. Mullaivaikkal was the scene of the final battle.