REFUGEE

Several heads of private media institutions have informed their journalists not to report on statements made by opposition politicians about military personnel or the military in line with a directive issued by the Defence Ministry.

The ABC Network, which broadcasts Hiru FM had requested for letters from its media personnel stating they would not give publicity to any such comments made by politicians. The administration had also warned its employees that if a journalist was at fault for carrying such a news item, he/she would have to face any charge leveled against them by the government on their own and that the institution would not

be responsible for any harm that may befall the respective journalist in such an eventuality.

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe commenting on this media censorship said there was no law in the country to prevent the reporting about the military or about military leaders planning to enter politics. He questioned as to how legal action would be instituted against the media for such reporting apart from the statements made by Military Spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara that publishing such news stories was illegal and Police Spokesperson DIG Nimal Mediwaka that legal action would be taken against persons and institutions that publish such information.

The Opposition leader also said that heads of the military and the police had the freedom to enter politics if they so wished and there was no law to prohibit the media from publicizing reports to the effect.