Puniyamoorthy Sathiyamoorthy

Sathiyamoorthy, a supporter of the secessionist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), wrote for many pro-Tamil publications and frequently contributed to official LTTE media. His live commentaries from conflict zones were widely seen and heard on pro-Tamil television and radio broadcasts, many in Canada . According to independent Tamil news sources as well as the LTTE's, he was killed in a Sri Lankan artillery barrage while he was in a "safe area" proscribed by the Sri Lankan Army.

Colleagues outside of the conflict area, not all of them Tamils, said Sathiyamoorthy's reports and commentary were measured, and that he strove to maintain journalistic standards and an accurate representation of the wartime situations in which he found himself. His work had a global reach, beyond Sri Lanka to the large numbers of Tamils living overseas.

Born in 1972, he eventually moved to Jaffna but traveled throughout the areas controlled by the LTTE during the decades-long conflict. He was married and was the father of a 6-year-old girl.

Several Tamil media reports said Sathiyamoorthy did not die immediately and cited relatives who cared for him after the incident who said the lack of proper medical attention contributed to his death. They also offered the same translation of his name, saying that "Sathyamoorthy" means "manifestation of truth."