Satellite television operators re-broadcasting Tamil channels from India are blocking out some of the development in Tamil Nadu about the Sri Lankan situation.
The move came in the wake of political parties, film producers traders, and students in Tamil Nadu staging an agitation campaign over developments in Sri Lanka. On Friday shops closed in protest over alleged difficulties faced by Tamil civilians in the north and yesterday Tamil film stars, including superstars Rajnikanth and Kamalahassan, joined a protest fast in Chennai.
Cable TV operators are reported to have been told to blackout reportage about developments in Tamil Nadu. One of them told The Sunday Times last night that a Government directive had warned them that their licence would be cancelled if they continued to show them. Operators were blocking their screens with colour bars.
However, Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said he was unaware of any such directive to cable TV operators. “If the TV companies have a problem, tell them to call me,” he told The Sunday Times. | 
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