India can provide training for Tamil journalists from Sri Lanka who need professional training, Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha said on Friday.
The High Commissioner was speaking to representatives of the All Ceylon Tamil Journalists Association at the Indian High Commission in Colombo.
At the meeting, the parties discussed challenges faced by Tamil journalists, repression against them, and the need for better training. New media training for electronic journalists, and gaps in equipment needed for the media profession were discussed.
The Indian High Commissioner, who listened attentively to the problems faced by the Tamil media, said that steps would be taken to provide training courses on modern media strategies, print, electronic and social media in India.
The Tamil Journalists Association detailed the problems faced by regional journalists, the oppression they face, and the hardships they face for writing news at this meeting, and also highlighted the pressures exerted on journalists by various forces in Batticaloa, Kilinochchi, Jaffna and the hill country areas. The Association also pointed out diplomatic intervention could be necessary in some such cases.
A proposal to provide housing facilities to journalists under the Indian Housing Scheme was also presented to the High Commissioner. Similarly, a detailed document on the challenges and problems faced by Tamil journalists was presented to the High Commissioner.
