Media prevented from covering Jaffna city development plan meeting

An official had stated that the invitation was only for other events and that they could not stay for this session 

By. Thevatharsan Sukinthan  

Journalists were asked to leave a meeting held yesterday (Wednesday) at the Jaffna District Secretariat under the leadership of Minister Bimal Rathnayake, after being informed that they would not be allowed to report the meeting..   

As part of his visit to Jaffna, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake participated in several official events. One such event was a discussion on the Jaffna city development plan, held at the District Secretariat with the participation of Members of Parliament, the Jaffna District Secretary, the Mayor of Jaffna, and several departmental officials.   

Journalists had been invited to cover the event by the Minister’s coordinating officer. Accordingly, media personnel attended and recorded video footage before the discussion began. However, they were later informed by an official from the District Secretariat’s media division that journalists would not be allowed to remain during the meeting and were asked to return after it concluded.   

Despite journalists clarifying that they had been officially invited to cover the discussion, the official stated that the invitation was only for other events and that they could not stay for this session. As a result, journalists left the meeting hall.   

The decision to bar journalists from attending a meeting involving a cabinet minister of the current government has caused dissatisfaction among media personnel.