COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Over the past week, five Tamil reporters have been arrested by Sri Lankan police for receiving money from Tamil Tiger rebels.

However, after investigation into these allegations, Reporters Without Borders found that the reporters actually received the money from a German organization and Tamil exiles with no connection to the Tamil Tigers.  The money was going to be used by the reporters to help Tamil students and fund an outreach website in Sri Lanka.

Reporters Without Borders condemns the fact that these reporters were beaten during the first few days of detention, and demands that Sri Lankan authorities explain why they are still being held.

For more information, please see:

Reporters Without Borders – Tamil journalists arrested and beaten by police acting on wrong information – 12 March 2008