Sri Lanka says attack on LankaeNews is a malicious attempt to discredit government

The Sri Lankan government has said today that the arson attack on the office of a news website was carried out by persons trying to bring disrepute to the government.

Media Minister and government spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella has told the media that the attack on the office of LankaeNews website was a malicious attempt to place the government in an intricate position and tarnish the government's image.

According to him, the attack has been carried out simultaneously to the commencement of election campaigning for the local government elections.

Rambukwella has noted that it has been a continuous practice of certain criminals to attack media personnel and media institutions whenever elections are forthcoming.

He has further noted that the intentions of groups like those who have attacked the LankaeNews office have been witnessed during the abductions and attacks on media personnel in the past.

Rambukwella has also assured that the government had no intention off creating trouble for media organizations or news websites, as it has supported the media to carry out their work.