PM appeals to media:

Refrain from misleading tourists

Media must not misuse freedom:

Rohan Mathes

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka cautioned the media to refrain from misusing media freedom and democracy to misreport events in the country in a way that misleads tourists.

Premier Wickramanayaka was addressing the inaugural ceremony of Presidential Awards for Travel and Tourism, at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday.

He pointed out that tourism has become a crucial and a valuable foreign exchange earner for the economic well-being of the country and the attraction of more and more tourists to our resplendent isle was solely in the hands of individuals for whom this event has been organised, as a measure of recognition and encouragement of their talent, expertise and enthusiasm, and uplifting the tourist industry as a whole.

“There are those selfish and narrow-minded elements and interest groups with their own agendas who run this country down to discourage tourists from coming here,” he said.

He was of the view that terrorism has now become a global phenomenon and the travelling polity has got accustomed to it.

Nonetheless, when isolated and sporadic incidents do take place in the country, certain sections of the media have gleefully twisted the essence of it and publicised it as a blanket travel ban.

“They get a sadistic delight in denigrating their Motherland and causing damage to her interests. We will continue to be tolerant of the media, but we have no intention of being tolerant of terrorism,” he said.

He accused certain Western powers of practising ‘double standards’ as regard to terrorism and terrorists.

“They want us to talk to and be nice to terrorists in our country, but they will not hear of talking to terrorists who threaten their own countries. For them, apparently, there are good terrorists and bad terrorists. For us, all terrorists are bad. Terrorism is terrorism,” he added.

He asserted that terrorism would be eliminated before year end and urged all peace loving people to unite to fight the menace of terrorism and make tourism a more pleasant business.