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Message: <blockquote data-quote="lkdood" data-source="post: 12288040" data-attributes="member: 92282">Sri Lanka has imposed censorship on security-related mobile phone  messages despite the withdrawal last year of tough emergency laws  following the end of its separatist war with Tamil rebels.The  defence ministry's Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) in a  directive to media organisations said they must get prior approval to  publish SMS news alerts "related to national security and security  forces."The censorship, which was announced in a directive dated  Friday but seen by AFP on Monday, appeared to be limited to SMS news  alerts issued via mobile phones.The directive came after reports  of the killing Friday of three soldiers in the island's north raised  fears that the Tamil Tiger rebels, crushed in May 2009, were regathering  to resume attacks.However, tensions eased after the army  announced that the killings were carried out by a soldier who later  turned the gun on himself and no rebel activity was suspected."Any  news related to national security and security forces (and) the police  should get prior approval from the MCNS before dissemination," MCNS  Director General Lakshman Hulugalle said in his directive.The  government imposed censorship during the height of fighting between  troops and Tamil Tiger rebels using emergency laws that were relaxed  last August following intense international pressure.It was not immediately clear what legal provisions were being used to censor SMS alerts.The  censorship directive came into immediate effect and applied to over a  dozen news services. Sri Lanka's five-player mobile industry has over 18  million subscribers.Almost all major media outlets have their own SMS alerts to complement their mainstream radio, television and newspapers.The  directive came at a time when Sri Lanka is facing censure at the UN  Human Rights Council in Geneva over its handling of the war against  Tamil Tigers as well as its treatment of the independent media.Some  17 journalists and media employees have been killed in Sri Lanka in the  past decade, pro-opposition websites have been blocked and media  organisations opposing government views have been attacked, according to  rights groups.International rights organisations say at least  40,000 civilians were killed in the final stages of the conflict, while  the government insists not a single civilian was killed by security  forces.<img src="http://www.google.com/hostednews/img/afp_logo.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></blockquote>

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