OPINIONS

The press continues to fail the Tamil people

Journalists who visited the Vanni last week reported on the miserable conditions its residents live in. Ravi Thurairajah looks at the why it has taken so long to bring to light a story which has been common knowledge for years.

Last week the international and domestic audience observing the situation in Sri Lanka were treated to a deluge of reports detailing the plight of the Tamil people who had been living under a Sri Lanka Army imposed economic embargo due to the fact that they did not reside in Sri Lanka government controlled areas.

The cause of this sudden spree of press coverage was due to the Government of Sri Lanka easing rules pertaining to the press censorship of the north and east of the island to benefit from the public relations benefits of allowing the international community to witness the convoy of food being allowed into the territory as part of their goodwill gesture to the Liberation Tig-ers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The forty or so journalists filed harrowing reports of poverty and misery, which apparently should surprise the international community. The fact that the world's press rolled into the Vanni in time to witness the new government's ostensible act of magnanimity and exposed a humanitarian crisis which Tamil human rights activists have been publicising over the past five years smacks of a state orchestrated propaganda campaign.

The fact that the Sri Lanka government barred journalists from the Tamil media from crossing into Liberation Tiger territory confirms that the entire event was a public relations exercise as opposed to a new government embracing the ideals of a free press.

Though it is unlikely that this is part of a global conspiracy the reality is none the less equally concerning. Neither the State Department nor Whitehall summoned the press corps into their respective offices to feed them an official line on Sri Lanka. A harsh but likely presumption is that most career journalists don't consider the effort necessary to explore the story in question justifiable. Most journalists are well aware of the risks of pursuing stories that are off limits.

Apart from the physical hazards, venturing into territory like Sri Lanka's north and east could get them black listed by the government concerned, limiting their careers in the region. Hence the majority of the journalists, whether Colombo based or otherwise, took the opportunity the Sri Lankan government had provided to enhance their resumes at relatively little risk to themselves.

Fortunately, reporting from concocted press tours is notorious for its lack of journalistic merit. Journalists who maintain the ideals of exposing suppressed truths, that brought them into the industry are pitifully few and far between. Marie Colvin exemplified that particular breed of journalists when she broke through Sri Lanka Army lines, at great personal risk and was subsequently black listed by the government, but succeeded in highlighting the plight of the Tamils of the north and east in the Western press, when coverage was sparse.

Amongst the flock of reporters were also the more malicious journalists intent upon utilising the opportunity to push a different agenda. "That journalists were allowed into rebel territory for the first time in seven years was indicative of the separatists' eagerness for peace talks," said the Associated Press in its report, implying that the press censorship of the North and East to date had been due to LTTE constraints. The ethnic nature of the war ensures that Sinhala journalists, who have ethno-political agendas, based in Colombo writing for international news agencies generously pepper their reports with subtle forms of propaganda.

There is little that can be done about the actions of the latter however one can hope that more neutral journalists take a proactive role in reporting on what is one of the longest running and most bloody conflicts in the world. The Tamil media is littered with information which, though from a Tamil perspective, allows observers to construct a detailed picture of events. The only impediment remaining is the reluctance to upset the authorities. An accusation justified by the limited coverage of the damning Human Rights Watch reported which was released in the same week.

The free press has a responsible role to play within a liberal democracy. The citizens of Western nations will judge the actions of their respective governments in Sri Lanka based on the information they have on the situation. The failure of the free press is one of the root causes of anti Western sentiment in the third world.

One can expect the present government like, its predecessor to coerce, intimidate and restrict members of the press. Should the current peace efforts fail the Sri Lankan government will once again attempt to obscure the plight of the Tamil people from the world and one hopes that in such an event the Western press will redeem its past failings by standing resolute against the press censorship it has timidly accepted thus far.

We should not forgot Sri Lanka’s past atrocities

In calling Sri Lanka a 'rogue state which practices state terrorism,' Thamilchelvan has identified an unaddressed issue in addressing Tamil concerns writes Bavani Suntharam.

Certain elements in the Sinhala far right have been outraged by the fact that the head of the Liberation Tigers' political section, Thamilchelvan, allegedly referred to Sri Lanka as rogue state. His words, as quoted in this week's Sunday Times were: 'We are confidant that one day we will be accepted as a liberation organisation fighting against a rogue state which practices state terrorism.' Accepting the Sunday Times' interpretation and translation as being a genuine representation of what he said, the question still remains as to what is so outrageous about such a statement.

The Tamil people have been fighting the Sinhala state for decades now, expressing their anger and outrage at the actions of subsequent Sri Lankan governments and several incidents point to the validity of the Thamilchelvan's characterisation of Sri Lanka. The country has an internationally acknowledged track record for practices contemptuous of human rights - torture continues to be a standard practice by the Sri Lankan forces and disappearances continue to occur. The government's 'licence to terrorise' - the Prevention of Terrorism Act - is still in force, sanctioning inhumane practices and protecting the perpetrators of those acts. While there are too many incidents to mention them all, the treatment of prisoners at Welikade and Bindunuwewa amongst many others, the massacres at Kokkadichcolai, airstrikes on Navaly church, the hundreds missing, believed buried in Chemmani, the thousands massacred in the 1983 pogrom and the thousands starving to death as a result of the economic blockade on the Tamil areas are but examples of the lack of caring demonstrated by the Sri Lanka state towards the Tamil people. In calling Sri Lanka a rogue state, Tamil Chelvan was, if anything, being magnanimous towards a series of regimes that have systematically planned and executed a campaign of destruction against the Tamils.

The attack on the sacred Temple of the Tooth allegedly by the LTTE lead to the organisation being banned in Sri Lanka and resulted in unprecedented outrage being expressed by Sinhala Buddhists, yet the continued destruction of thousands of Hindu temples have not even merited a footnote in Sinhala annals. When Jaffna Library was burnt, precious manuscripts, thousands of years old, and irreplaceable texts were lost for ever. The Tamil people, their architecture and infrastructure, their records and culture, have all been under attack for decades now, by successive government intent on wiping out a people Sinhala nationalists view as not belonging on sacred Buddhist ground. Where is the error in calling such a structure a rogue state?

The current Sri Lankan government is making some efforts to understand the concerns of the Tamil people and address them. The economic embargo on Tamil areas, which pushed the regions deeper into poverty and desperation, has been eased, though it will be months, if not years before the effects of the action will be felt in many areas and travel restrictions, which had made it difficult for Tamils to travel into and out of the Vanni, have been eased and though passes still have to be obtained, the process has been made easier. However, there are still many obstacles on the path to peace talks - the Liberation Tigers have stated that they will not talk until people in the Tamil areas enjoy a level of 'normalcy' and have also cited the Sri Lankan ban on the organisation as an impediment. These efforts must be appreciated for the break with tradition they are - the former government refused to even acknowledge that certain items were not permitted in the Vanni - but they cannot make the Tamils forget the history of the island since independence.

While looking forward to a positive future, the Tamils cannot ignore the realities of the past. The actions of the Sri Lankan government stand as testimony to the fact that it is a rogue state, and one that practices state terrorism. If there is truly to be peace, perhaps it is time for the government to at the least acknowledge and apologise for the genocidal actions of past regimes, if not make reparation for the immense harm caused.

“Our nation has learnt an important lesson”

The Jaffna based Tamil daily Uthayan in a special op-ed on the Pongu Thamil campaign campaign calls for patriotic Tamils to support the protesters.

The Pongu Thamil uprising started by the Jaffna University community at the beginning of last year is still continuing. It has impressed a key point upon the Sinhala chauvinists and the majority community's leaders. Tamils worldwide rose in unison to demonstrate that until their aspirations are fulfilled, until their right to self-determination is recognised, there can be no peace in this island, that conditions of normalcy cannot prevail. The first anniversary of the day when the then Sri Lankan government tried and failed to suppress the uprising of the Tamil people's emotions should be celebrated with pride.

The army prevented the people going into the university compound to join the protests last year. We have to commemorate the day when people from all walks of life scaled walls to take part in the events. It was a key moment in the political history of the Tamils. Our nation has learnt an important lesson from the mistakes made by its past leaders. It was because of this that political parties came together to contest the recent elections with important demands.

Because it knew the greatness of freedom, because it wanted to enjoy all that was good when it was free in the past, this nation has sacrificed many thousand lives. The Tamil National Alliance was formed prior to the election because this is the undeniable truth. This alliance fought the elections on the manifesto made up of three demands; the recognition of the Tamil people's right to self determination, the lifting of the ban on the sole representatives of the Tamil people, the Liberation Tigers, and demanding the government reciprocate the ceasefire and with the help of the Norwegians to create the right atmosphere for negotiation.

The United National Front under the leadership of Ranil Wickremesinghe fought the elections promising to deliver a solution acceptable to the Tamil people and lead the country on a path of growth and development. The Tamil and Sinhala public voted for these parties having accepted these demands and shunned the path of ethnic hatred. Having thrown out the Kumaratunga government which conducted a so-called ' war for peace,' the people have said they prefer a true and just peace. That the Sinhala people have broken the spine of the racist Kumaratunga regime and elected Wickremesinghe on a mandate of peace has placed great responsibility on this government. Sinhala parents do not wish to lose their children trying to suppress the aspirations of the Tamil people in the North and East.

It seems like the UNF government has recognised this. It appears ready to open the door for peace. The easing of the economic blockade of Wanni and travel restrictions point to this. But, the government should do this [seek peace] with sincerity. Otherwise it would have betrayed the peace loving Sinhala public. Tamil people have expressed the high regard they have for their freedom movement's leadership at the last elections. On the other hand, the Tamil people have voted for the Tamil National Alliance and for its manifesto of campaigning for the removal of the ban on the Liberation Tigers and establishing a ceasefire to enable negotiations.

The present government will suffer the consequences if it chooses to ignore these truims. If the Tamil political parties forget these facts they will be taught the requisite lessons by the Tamil people themselves. What the Tamil people long for is the right to self-determination and their dignity. And that self-respect will be maintained when the Liberation Tigers set about securing this self-rule. On the battlefield and during political discussions, the Tamil people will not want to lose their dignity. They do not want the Liberation Tigers to enter negotiations while still under a ban. The Tamils want to be seen as a people who cannot be sidelined.
Therefore, the Tamil speaking community wants the ban on the Liberation Tigers to be lifted, for their leadership to be invited to negotiate with dignity, and for their right to self-determination be fulfilled. It is to once again stress these demands that Pongu Thamil has once again taken place on January 17 this year. No one can ever deny the relationship between the Jaffna university and the Tamil struggle.

This Pongu Thamil uprising has renewed that sacred link. Every patriotic Tamil and every patriotic organisation should salute this and further strengthen it.