One Colombian mayor puts ban on gossip in his town.

Ignacio Jimenez, mayor of Icononzo, southwest of Bogota, told a local newspaper he decreed the ban because loose tongues can cost lives in Colombia - in the grips of a guerrilla war involving Marxist rebels and far-right paramilitary outlaws.

The mayor reported at least eight people were in the local prison on charges based "purely by gossip" of being members of the outlawed, Marxist-inspired Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

According to Jimenez, people could be killed after rumors spread that they sympathize with one of the illegal armed groups.

The mayor and other supporters of the gossip ban, which went into effect this week, say people need to think hard before making unfounded allegations. Failing to do so in Icononzo can now result in fines or up to four year behind bars.