Media and the LTTE

“Sri Lanka faces a very delicate situation that can potentially end in the division of the country. A few media men seem to understand the gravity of this and work towards saving the country, while some have become boot licking bone sucking slave dogs to their employers and continue to support the enemy. Others who are fool-hardy try to impress the world by criticizing their own, expecting the label "Independent journalists"!!
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by Dr. Asela Karunanayake

(May 01, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The world attention is`A0drawn to Sri Lanka due to the latest developments in its fight against terrorism. Sri Lanka appears to be a lone fighter struggling hard to`A0 free itself from the` A0 web of terrorism spun around it by the LTTE and its sympathisers. A war without any declaration of war, is the best description that could be given to the situation in Sri Lanka.

The LTTE is doing its utmost to create chaos and terror with its brutal murderous tactics in the country with the idea of dividing it, yet pretending to be the one taking the Gandhian pathway! The world is made to believe this lie and they do it very successfully. The victim is made to look like the predator and is also blamed for everything. The massive and effective media network of the LTTE terrorists has made a wonderful impact on the whole world in covering up whatever dirty work they are up to. The terrorists who continue to make use of suicide bombers and show no regard to human life are being uplifted to a position of a recognised group and world leaders are deceived into negotiating with them. A legitimate government is forced to bow down to the demands of the terrorists by these biased international powers. This is the result of the work of the terrorist media units and the weak, non-focused and ineffective methods of others. The terrorist media has been manipulating and influencing local and world opinion to their advantage.

Media plays a key role in any conflict situation. It has the major tasks of creating a positive mentality among the people, making sure the rest of the world stays interested in the conflict while ensuring that they do not bring a negative impact on the issue and that the morale of the enemy is very low. This was seen in all the major wars in the world, and it has been proved that the media played a vital part in the outcome of these wars.

Sri Lanka faces a very delicate situation that can potentially end in the division of the country. A few media men seem to understand the gravity of this and work towards saving the country, while some have become boot licking bone sucking slave dogs to their employers and continue to support the enemy. Others who are fool-hardy try to impress the world by criticizing their own, expecting the label "Independent journalists"!! This is a trendy fashion these days, which brings immense benefits from the enemy as well as the organisations that want conflicts to prevail for their existence.

The psychological impact that media can create within a community is huge and it is the psychology of the people that wins wars. For a country to win a war or gain advantage over a destructive element, the people should be motivated and convinced that it is a needy and achievable target that is worth fighting for. It is the duty of the media men to generate patriotism among the masses, motivate and boost the morale of the military men who would guard the nation from the enemy. We need to ask ourselves whether we have done our duty. Unfortunately we have been badly out-played by the enemy.

It is sad to note that our media personnel have swallowed the bait of the enemy and played to their tune. They are being manipulated and hypnotized by the LTTE propaganda units. For instance, take the addressing of tiger terrorists as cadres, calling a bunch of gun totting, trigger happy murderers by ranks of army officers. The use military ranks when referring to terrorists, such as Colonel, Major, Captain, is never practiced anywhere in the world, and amounts to contempt of military honour. This is just blind copying of the nomenclature of the terrorist media. It has been so commonly practiced by our media has created a situation where a tiger is always referred to as Colonel, Major, and Captain by the people and the rest of the world.

The strategy of the LTTE media units is commendable. They are never ever seen calling their breakaway cadres by military ranks and they are referred to as traitors! The LTTE media almost always avoids mentioning the work of their opponents or breakaway cadres so that the world would forget their existence (and boost their claim to be the sole representative of the Tamils). If they really have to mention the break-away groups, they always add a phrase to link the government with them. (the strategy is to discredit the government). They very rarely call the proper officers of the Sri Lankan army by their ranks and even the President of Sri Lanka is hardly ever called President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The LTTE media just ignores the news pertaining to the government or to the southern part of the island, which is often referred to as the enemy, publishing only their mistakes and lies that are fabricated to discredit it. They maintain absolute silence on the crimes committed by the LTTE, and even deny such incidences. This strategy is very effective and has even made the world sympathetic towards the LTTE.

There are so many words that we "copy" or "borrow" from the LTTE media that are designed to glorify their men and their cause. "Elite Commandos of LTTE", "LTTE Political Commission", "LTTE Police Commissioner", "LTTE Police Division", and "Border districts" are a few. By continuing to copy and use these LTTE made words, we let them use our media to boost the image and morale of the enemy and also to create an inflated picture of the LTTE among the general public. The world is made to believe that the LTTE has functionally and officially got administrative and defense structure that is recognised by the government and the people.

Recently a key media person had walked away from a official function when a government minister walked in, in protest of the killing of Uthayan staff. This probably was done to gain cheap popularity and recognition to boost his personal image. He must have been hoping to be recognised as a "Brave journalist who will stand up against intimidation". At a time when the real culprits of that crime are not yet known, such cowardly acts could only be attributed to the government, and create an embarrassing situation for the image of Sri Lanka. What he does not know is that the Uthayan attack was most probably done by the LTTE themselves, as a "punishment" for Uthayan’s interview of President Rajapaksa. The LTTE would have wanted to make the government look responsible for that incident in front of the international community. The irony is that the spineless cardboard heroes only perform such acts in and around Colombo, and they will not do such a thing in the presence of the LTTE or LTTE sponsored meetings, and will not even raise a question in a press conference called by the LTTE. Such "brave men" have not uttered a word about the massacres done by the terrorists or protested against the child recruitments or voiced concern over suicide bombings!

The time has come for all media personnel of Sri Lanka to think seriously on their strategy. Please shed your personal gains, loyalties to dollars and rupees and think clearly. Your motherland is in need of your help. She is pleading to you to help her get out of the jaws of the terrorists, and you may never get another chance. Please use your pen to save Sri Lanka. Make your pen talk to the children to love their country. Tell your brothers and sisters about the need to protect their country, tell your mothers and fathers to support you in saving the motherland and show the nation the way to emerge victorious in this battle against the curse of terrorism.
- Sri Lanka Guardian