Certain groups are engaged in spreading such propaganda in order to obtain petty political gains, he added.

The President was addressing heads of media establishments and editors of newspapers and electronic media at the President’s House yesterday (September 18).

The responsibility of state and private media is to provide balanced and impartial information to the public, he added.

Prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Ministers Mangala Samaraweera, media minister Gayantha Karunathilake and Justice minister Wijayadasa Rajapakshe also participated in the media briefing.

Geneva report, watered down

President Maithripala Sirisena also said that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report published early this week was a watered-down version than its earlier findings.

"We have explored new vistas in respect of our relations with other countries and shaped our foreign policy accordingly after the January 08 victory. If not for this government, Sri Lanka would have been viewed in a different light and would have ended up in utter mess. After the January 08 revolution, the international community changed their stance on Sri Lanka," the President said.

No names

The President said the earlier plan was to include many names in the OHCHR report and make it a very drastic one as far as Sri Lanka is concerned. "However, after the January 08 victory, the international community also conceded that there was a significant improvement in the human rights situation in the country.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe too, said that the government was attempting to keep the Sri Lankan issue out of the agenda of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). He said the nature of the investigative mechanism had not been decided, but the government was working on the contours of a domestic mechanism. He insisted that the recommendations of the Commission on Missing Persons, better known as the Paranagama Commission, and the Udalagama Commission will be considered in particular, along with those included in the UN report.

Displeasure

However, speaking to 'BBC Sandeshaya', veteran journalist and Director Editorial of Upali newspapers - Gamini Sumanasekara said that the Prime minister's tone hinted displeasure with regard to the reporting of certain media.

The gist of the Prime minister's speech was : without creating additional problems at the moment, let us secure the respect of the country and armed forces after become free from the charges we are facing before the UN, said Mr. Sumanasekara.