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. According to independent Tamil news sources as well as the LTTE, he was killed in a Sri Lankan artillery barrage in the Mullaitheevu district.
Colleagues outside of the conflict area, not all of them Tamils, said Sathiyamoorthy’s reports and commentaries 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 global impact, reaching 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 conflict. He was married and was the father of a 6-year-old girl.
Several Tamil media reports said Sathiyamoorthy did not die immediately. They cited relatives who said a lack of proper medical attention contributed to his death.