The Editors Guild condemned the killing of Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge in the severest possible terms.

The Guild said in a statement: "The Editors Guild of Sri Lanka condemns the assassination of Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge in the severest possible terms and records its disgust at the trend in which media freedom, or what is left of it in Sri Lanka, is being trampled upon.

"This incident, coming in the wake of the arson attack on the MTV/MBC station early on Tuesday morning, clearly displays a complete disregard for Democracy and the Rule of Law.

"What we are witnessing is an ongoing campaign against the dissemination of information to the citizenry and democratic dissent. An adversarial relationship between any government and the media is good for governance and Lasantha epitomized this. It is also the inalienable right of the people to be kept informed and to decide on the choice of media.

"What is most disconcerting is that there is no real attempt to stop - or in the least-discourage this violent campaign that has been unleashed.

"The finger, therefore, would point in the direction of the Government due to the inaction on its part to stem this slide into authoritarianism that the people of this country abhor.