In a call by an anonymous caller before the presidential election, PAFFREL executive director Rohana Hettiarachchi had been threatened with death, said one of the journalists Rosarian Lambert from Mannar.

That same caller had apparently given calls to the four journalists on the same day, Lambert said, adding the CCD wanted to know as to whether they too, had been threatened.

Stressing that none of them had received threatening telephone calls during the period in question, he said that they do not keep records of every call they receive.

Summoned to Colombo from more than 200 km away, they had been interrogated from 10.00 am onwards.

A spokesman for the Tamil Media Forum said they should not have been summoned to Colombo, and the police stations in their respective areas could have got the information for the CCD.

It was a waste of time and an unnecessary expense for the four journalists, the spokesman added, according to jdslanka.org.