Activists in Sri Lanka have accused the government of trying to silence the voice of civil society groups by imposing what they call "illegitimate" new regulations.

In July, officials wrote to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) prohibiting them from holding press conferences and workshops for journalists and from circulating press releases.

"The new orders are an attempt by the government to gag NGOs and stop them from carrying out their work," according to J Chrishantha Weliamuna, the chairman of Transparency International Sri Lanka.

"The civil society mandate does not derive from the government but rather from the constitution," he told Al Jazeera. "Attempts to introduce new regulations and laws goes against both the constitution of the country and international law."

(Aljazeera)