A senior journalist attached to a state television station was apprehended by the police at a checkpoint in Medawachchiya on Thursday with 10 digital cameras and five laptops in his possession.
The journalist, who had been covering the ongoing conflict in the Wanni for a considerable period of time, had told the police that the cameras and laptops were his property.
However, after further questioning, he admitted the equipment had belonged to the LTTE.
Several religious artefacts were also found in the journalist’s possession. According to a senior police officer who did not want to be identified, the artifacts had been removed from Hindu temples in the North.
The police later released the TV journalist but confiscated the equipment and artifacts he was carrying.
According to sources, the Medawachchiya police had received instructions not to record the incident.
Members of the independent media are banned from entering the conflict zone in the North. |
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