The spokesperson of Sri Lanka’s police force, Ajith Rohana has denied that a group of Tamil journalists travelling to a workshop in Colombo were detained and said that only their vehicle was taken into custody.
Rohana said the police was not aware that the people travelling in the van were journalists and that they were stopped due to a tip-off that the vehicle was smuggling heroin, reported Colombo Page on Sunday.
Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya, spokesperson for the Sri Lankan army also dismissed the journalists' account that the military planted the drugs during the stop.
Eleven Tamil journalists travelling to the workshop were stopped and questioned by security forces on Friday, whilst the driver of the vehicle was detained. The journalists said they saw a soldier placing a bag under the driver seat of the vehicle.
Military stop Tamil journalists travelling to press workshop, driver detained (26 July 2014)
Protesters disrupt workshop in Colombo for Tamil journalists (26 July 2014)