The Sri Lankan president and defence secretary’s joint publication of an article in an United States Department of Defence (DoD) journal, is a “dangerous piece of state-sponsored propaganda” writes an international consultant for the Washington based Asian Correspondent.
“Rajapaksa’s essay is clearly designed to defend the actions – past, present and future – of the ruling regime. The writing is smooth and clear. Astute Sri Lanka watchers are unlikely to be persuaded by some of the false, misleading or dubious claims in this article. Nonetheless, an intelligent general audience would be more susceptible to this sort of sophistry,” said Taylor Dibbert.
Warning that such a publication could mislead readers, he said,
Highlighting Sri Lanka’s impunity for rights violation, Dibbert, questioned the US publication PRISM’s decision to host the Sri Lankan essay entry.
“To be fair, it’s clearly stated that the views expressed in PRISM don’t necessarily reflect those of the DoD or any U.S. federal agency. Nonetheless, the desire to share diverse viewpoints should be balanced with ethics and standards. There is a degree of irony here; as far as media freedom goes, Sri Lanka is quite literally one of the least free places on the planet. According to Reporters Without Borders, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, all score more favorably than Sri Lanka. And when it comes to punishing those who do kill journalists, it should come as no surprise that impunity reigns on the island nation,” added Dibbert.
“Rajapaksa’s essay is clearly designed to defend the actions – past, present and future – of the ruling regime. The writing is smooth and clear. Astute Sri Lanka watchers are unlikely to be persuaded by some of the false, misleading or dubious claims in this article. Nonetheless, an intelligent general audience would be more susceptible to this sort of sophistry,” said Taylor Dibbert.
Warning that such a publication could mislead readers, he said,
“Given the fact that Washington has been so vocal about Sri Lanka’s clear lack of progress on accountability, human rights and the rule of law, why would Rajapaksa’s piece even be considered for publication? Does Washington view this piece as constructive engagement with an authoritarian regime.”
Highlighting Sri Lanka’s impunity for rights violation, Dibbert, questioned the US publication PRISM’s decision to host the Sri Lankan essay entry.
“To be fair, it’s clearly stated that the views expressed in PRISM don’t necessarily reflect those of the DoD or any U.S. federal agency. Nonetheless, the desire to share diverse viewpoints should be balanced with ethics and standards. There is a degree of irony here; as far as media freedom goes, Sri Lanka is quite literally one of the least free places on the planet. According to Reporters Without Borders, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, all score more favorably than Sri Lanka. And when it comes to punishing those who do kill journalists, it should come as no surprise that impunity reigns on the island nation,” added Dibbert.