Colombo - A journalist working for a private radio and television station in strife-torn northern Sri Lanka was hacked to death along with one of his friends on Wednesday evening, the radio station reported.

The journalist identified as P Devakumaran, 34, and his friend Mahendran Varadhan were travelling on a motorbike when they were stopped by unidentified men and hacked to death at Navanthurai, Jaffna, 390 kilometres north of the capital Colombo.

The journalist was attached to the Maharaja broadcasting corporation which operates the popular Sirasa and MTV news channels.

The incident occurred in a military controlled area in the north. It was not known who was responsible for the attack.

The incident came less than a week after an associate editor of an English newspaper was abducted, badly assaulted and released. He is still receiving treatment in hospital.

No arrests have been made, but the journalist and his newspaper believes that a critical article which he had written about the military had provoked the attack.

Journalists organizations in Sri Lanka have strongly protested the incident and held a demonstration close to the president's house last Friday.

In a related development two journalists attached to the state run newspaper and responsible for organizing Friday's protest have been summoned by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, who is President Mahinda Rajapaksa's brother, and severely warned not to be critical of the military.

Government troops are currently involved in a major offensive against Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka and restrictions have been placed on journalists visiting the rebel held areas. (dpa)