COLOMBO, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The two French journalists who were arrested in Sri Lanka's south for filming a detention camp without permission were released here Wednesday after being produced in court, officials said.

    The police at Ratgama, about 104 km south of Colombo, on Monday arrested the two French journalists belonging to "France 24 TV" for filming the area surrounding the Boossa detention camp.

    The Police Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) produced them before the Colombo Magistrate Mohamed Macky on Wednesday.

    The TID told the court that the two journalists were not involved in terrorism related activity so they were freed, court officials said.

    Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said the two French men can not be identified as journalists as they did not get permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as required by Sri Lankan law.

    The Boossa camp drew attention late November when a large number of Tamil minority were rounded up in Colombo and its suburbs on suspicion of links with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

    The arrested were sent to the Boossa camp.

    The authorities say the round-ups are important to ensure national security as Tamil Tiger rebels infiltrate the capital to carry out attacks.

    The LTTE has been fighting more than two decades to set up a separate homeland for the minority Tamils in the north and east, resulting in the killing of about 70,000 people.