Sri Lankan government Minister Wimal Weerawansa said Western powers may use Facebook as part of an attempt to destabilise the country at an election rally earlier this week.
Colombo Gazette reports the National Freedom Front leader and government minister said Western diplomats were working to split the Sinhalese vote against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, encouraging UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake and even the monk Venerable Maduluwawe Sobhitha thero to stand against him.
If no absolute majority was reached in the President elections, then Facebook would be used to push for a public uprising said Weerawansa.
Facebook has previously been attacked by the Sri Lankan government, with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa labelling the social media website a “plague”.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
