The Sri Lanka government does not want the world (or, for that matter, even the Sinhala people) - to know the Destruction of Tamil Eelam.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Photographs of the Devastation in Tamil Eelam would cause an avalanche of international criticism and may even increase Sinhala opposition to the war.

Thus, photographing the destruction in Tamil Eelam is an offense in Sri Lanka, and several, including foreign nationals, have been arrested for doing just this. Some have been deported and others are still in prison.