States should collaborate closely to combat incitement and the spread of hate and violent extremist propaganda through the use of modern information and communication technologies, Defence Ministry Secretary Gen. (retd) Shantha Kottegoda told the opening session of the Colombo Defence Seminar in Colombo yesterday. The two-day ‘Colombo Defence Seminar - 2019,’ the 9th in sequence commenced at the BMICH yesterday (29), under the theme ‘Evolving Military Excellence in the Contemporary Security Landscape’.President Maithripala Sirisena, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces as the Chief Guest graced the inaugural ceremony at the invitation of the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva. Foreign participants, representing 42 countries were scheduled to attend with 13 foreign and 14 local speakers. However, Colombo-based diplomats of several western nations had reportedly absented themselves from the formal Seminar inauguration yesterday morning.