Police say the journalists have tried to collect information over VVIP movements

Three journalists working for Lanka Irida newspaper were arrested by the police on Wednesday in Deniyaya while covering forthcoming elections, its editor Chandana Sirimalwatta told BBC Sinhala service, Sandeshaya.

The journalists are yet to be produced before a court of law.

"Our lawyers and representatives were told that they will be brought to police Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) in Colombo," the editor said.

Tissainayagam verdict

The police confirmed that the three, Ravindra Pushpakumara, Shalika Wimalasena and Daya Nettasinghe, are accused of a conspiracy to secretly collect information regarding the president's movements.

Investigations have revealed that they have questioned the workers at a bungalow on the movements of the president and defence secretary Police spokesman

Police spokesman, DIG Nimal Mediwaka, told BBC Sandeshaya that the journalists have tried to gather information of the movements of VVIPs.

"Investigations have revealed that they have questioned the workers at a bungalow on the movements of the president and defence secretary," he said.

A court in Sri Lanka recently sentenced a prominent Tamil journalist, JS Tissainayagam, to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment under tough anti-terrorism laws.

He is the first journalist in Sri Lanka to be sentenced under Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). And it is the harshest sentenced meted out to any journalist in Sri Lanka.

Irida Lanka is a Sinhala weekly affiliated to opposition Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).