Journalist killed in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 28 (UPI) -- A journalist and a friend were found hacked to death in Sri Lanka Wednesday, a media group said.

The reporter, identified as P. Devakumaran, and his friend, Mahendran Varadhan, were traveling on a motorbike when they were stopped by unidentified men and hacked to death at Navanthurai in the northern province of Jaffna, Colombo Page reported.

Devakumar, a MTV Television Network correspondent, is the ninth journalist killed in Jaffna since 2006, Tamil News Agency reported.

The Free Media Movement said none of the killings or incidents of journalists being abducted have been investigated by authorities.

"It is with sickeningly increasing frequency that we are compelled to ask the government to take concrete measures to halt the killing, assault and intimidation of journalists in Sri Lanka," the group said. "Vociferous condemnations and promises of inquiries are meaningless without the political will to push forward investigations."