The Media Centre for National Security ordered Sri Lankan journalists to get its approval before reporting news about the police or military. (Credit: NationalSecurity.lk, screenshot)

The government of Sri Lanka announced prior review of some stories– the nation’s news outlets must “get prior approval before sending mobile phone alerts about the military or police,” Reuters reported, noting that it also received the order from Media Center for National Security Director-General Lakshman Hulugalle.

The center’s order explained that it must approve in advance “any news related to national security, security forces, and the police.” However, the center claimed it wasn’t trying to limit reports – just be aware of them.

Reuters noted that the order coincided with news reports about a “murder-suicide that left three soldiers dead of gunshot wounds,” “a police officer’s arrest for soliciting a large bribe, and a botched abduction attempt blamed on soldiers.”

Read more about the order here.

We’ve written previously about censorship in Sri Lanka. Late last year, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Mass Media and Information was granted permission to createa  news website registry