Indian-American journo thrown out of pro-LTTE meeting

Dr Prakash M Swamy, a senior journalist of New York and a United Nations accredited correspondent, was allegedly manhandled and pushed out of the venue yesterday after being invited to cover the event by the organisers, Association of Tamils of Sri Lanka in the USA and Ilankai Tamil Sangam.

They also abused him as "an agent of Government of India and Sri Lanka" while forcibly pushed him out of the door in the cold though he pleaded that he had come all the way from New York to cover the event at their invitation, Swamy said in a release.

Swamy has written on the formation of Trans-national Government of Tamil Eeelam (TGTE) headquartered in New York in the Indian media especially for popular Tamil magazines such as Junior Vikatan.

The day-long programme included news worthy events like video conference from Chennai by Vaiko, MDMK leader.

"These are of great interest to Tamil readers both in the US and in India," he said. Swamy was forcibly escorted outside the ballroom and again asked to show his credentials.

He is also planning to complain to New Jersey Governor Chris Christy and New Jersey State Human Rights Commissioner for preventing a journalist from discharging his duties, Swamy said in a press release.