By Muditha Dayananda   

Government Information Director General Nalaka Kaluwewa yesterday instructed media institutions to refrain from publicising photos or videos of swords and kris-knives which are being seized during the special operations carried out by the security forces.  

At a meeting held with heads of media institutions at the Government Information Department, Mr. Kaluwewa said President Maithripala Sirisena had instructed the department not to publicise swords and knives as parents would fear to send children to schools after seeing such photos and videos.  

Mr. Kaluwewa also instructed media institutions only to publish news that come through the police spokesman.  

Speaking to media heads, Police Spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said reporting of special operations has to be restricted as security forces not only arrest true offenders but also those on various suspicions.  

“Sometimes, some occasions are being filmed in a way which could damage the reputation of suspects. On some occasions, incidents which are not illegal can also be portrayed as illegal incidents. Such occasions could lead to legal issues. Therefore, to prevent that, all police stations have been instructed not to accompany journalists in special security operations,” he said.