Consider country's interest first, President tells media

COLOMBO: President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday stressed that the media should consider the country's interest first regardless of any political or other differences.

"The Government has granted full freedom to the media. But whatever profession we do, we should have a country to live in. Therefore we should always give priority to our country," the President told the Heads of the Media institutions at Temple Trees yesterday.

He said media has the right to criticise him or any Government Minister. The Government has not done anything to restrict the media. " But I request all media institutions not to criticise our Security Forces, underestimating their morale. Media should not highlight the lapses of our Security Forces which may be advantageous to the enemy."

He pointed out that media should not publish or telecast news items which Damage our national interest.

Commenting on the LTTE air attack on the Katunayake Air Force Base, the President said this attack has not affected our air power. The Tigers could not achieve their objectives. Anyway we are grateful to the Air Force for averting a major disaster through their heroic defence of the base.

In May 2005, The Hindu Newspaper had carried an article on the air capability of the LTTE. Therefore the LTTE's air capability is not a secret. The President said we should be concerned about country's national security irrespective of the profession we do.

The President said he has no problem with MPs Mangala Samaraweera or Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi. But no one has right to compromise the country's national security. If both MPs admit the wrong things they have said on national security, there will be no problem for them to rejoin.

Although the media reported many disappearances of people, in most cases the victims have returned safely. He announced that a special hotline number (116) has been set up to enable the public to immediately inform security authorities if they see an unidentified air craft of flying object.