Protest by journalists

Free Media Movement(FMM) says it has received complaints that the publisher of the news paper M.A Sisira Priyankara(38), lay out designer M.L.Senaviratna(35) and another activist Nihal Serasinghe(40) were abducted from suburbs of Colombo.

Sisira Priyankara is reported missing since 11.00 pm on 5 January 2007 after he went out of the working place to answer a telephone call. Nihal Serasinghe, father of two(1 and 6 years age) has been abducted on the same day around 3.00pm. says FMM in statement.

Lalith Seneviratne, former journalist attached to Hiru newspaper has been abducted by a group of people identifying themsleves as officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), his wife, P.Champika said.

	Protest against abduction of activists

"A group of seven people took him away before I came from the kitchen to enquire who were in the house. I saw a weapon in one person's hand", she said.

Champika said she has logged a complaint with the Athurugiriya police.

The complaints were also made by Sri Lanka Railway trade union about Sisira Priyankara's abduction, Movement to protect Democratic Rights logged a complaint on Nihal Serasinghe's abduction FMM said.

Saying all three arrests has been made illegally the FMM specifies that if there is any inquiry to be made against these persons it should be made legally.

The FMM urges the government to grant life security to the these persons and to present them in front of the court if they have been arrested.

	Protest against abduction of activists

FMM condemns these illegal arrests without conditions and urges for an immediate inquiry into the incident.

The FMM also expresses its concerns that if the government is assisting such illegal events, that the democratic safety of the civilians will lead to a high risk.

The Free media Movement (FMM) held a demonstration in Colombo on 6 February in protest against the kidnappings.

RSF urge President

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged President Mahinda Rajapaksa to give unequivocal orders for three journalists and trade union activists, kidnapped in Colombo on 5 February, to be found and released unharmed.

"Any journalist, trade unionist, human rights activist or politician who backs a peaceful solution to the conflict, has become a potential target for these well-organised groups of kidnappers who infest the north, the northeast and also the capital," RSF said.