Point of View:

Dilemma: To identify a terrorist and a civilian

by a Special Correspondent

Soon after the Vadumunai killing of 11 persons on Wednesday, BBC, Reuter and several other foreign media went to town with stories fed solely by the LTTE holding Government forces and Karuna group for the blast. It is ironical, that many local media including certain state media too blindly reproduced these foreign stuff, without checking through their own contacts.

The killing of a human being, by any group whether it is The LTTE, Karuna group or the security forces (Legitimate forces are not supposed to kill civilians), such massacres particularly, when the victims become civilians, should be condemned outright.

In the present back drop where the Government and the LTTE accuse each other for the killing spree in the North and the East, the responsibility of any independent media is heavy, to maintain check and balances, to avoid distortion, manipulation and fabrication in their reporting as their clients expect them to do an unbiased job. Failure to do so would befall direct and indirect consequences on the parties involved in the conflict especially the government and her people.

Colombo based foreign reporters failed to give prominence to the execution of 11 labourers by the LTTE child brigade at Omidiyamadu in Welikanda similar to that of the incident in Kayts. Because the LTTE was late to file its fabricated story accusing the government forces and Karuna group planning it to discredit them. The attempt was futile after two escapees returned to disclose the LTTE execution.

According to civilian and security sources in Vadumunai, all victims on Wednesday blast were not civilians. The LTTE admitted that four of the victims were their cadres, and others were residents of the surrounding area, on their way to military training.

It is not clear whether these people had volunteered. According to reports, LTTE has made military training compulsory for civilians including children and the old in uncleared areas.

However, one thing is clear in the Vadumunai blast, that is the LTTE's dictatorship which does not even spare the weaning mothers and the infants. There were reports that those who refused to obey the orders were executed including children who protested conscription.

These are good story ideas for those media pundits and self appointed human right activists to unearth, if they really hail the supreme democracy and safeguard the right to life. Unfortunately, none of them are allowed in the uncleared areas to dig such stories and for survival they attack the government issues, whether it deserves criticism or not.

Another significance is that the people in the LTTE held areas are members of civilian forces, according to the LTTE. Many of them have been given military training to handle weapons, according to newspaper reports and the dilemma is how to define them, civilians or militants. It is much questionable and complicated as much as defining terrorism.

The international media may desperately add salt to the LTTE in their stories, as the LTTE's "well oiled" propaganda machine work overtime to provide such information at a split second.

Journalists are more concerned about getting the scoop rather than the destiny of the people in Sri Lanka. But the money and time pumped by various persons and bodies to propagate responsible journalism looks in vain under such a situation experienced in Sri Lanka.

The void in professional and efficient teams on the government side to counter such false propaganda and provide the media with the truthful situation has stood positive for the LTTE's disinformation campaigns.

The LTTE's blame on the Government cannot be justified as neither a judge nor the CID is allowed to uncleared areas to investigate incidents such as Vadumunai. According to civilian sources, the LTTE failed to rush the injured for medical treatment and they had to wait hours until the ICRC or the SLMM reached the spot.

The particular road was believed to be used only by LTTE cadres and prohibited for civilians. It is questionable why the victims used a banned road if they were civilians.

A military officer referring to a recent BBC story titled on 'State within a State' said that the writer boasted about the LTTE capacity to run a illegitimate 'State' in Kilinochchi where he may have visited.

Some journalists are impressed when they are invited to visit uncleared areas and given esteem to sit with terrorists which other civilians cannot do so. But none of them could investigate into their drastic acts including child conscription and extortion.

None of them dares to criticise. He said such journalists were fed with exaggerated and manipulated information to promote separatism. "One injured person died at the scene as he was not rushed to hospital in time and he queried why the administrators of such a 'State failed to save their people.

The particular journalist should know that the funds to run public institutions including schools, hospitals, administrative offices, irrigation and electricity are still provided by the Government in this so call 'State'.

The LTTE wants its version to be the Gospel truth and every one to believe it. Its version would no doubt be manipulated to bolster its separatist struggle. Therefore, balancing news is challenging to journalists as reporting one side of the parties to the conflict would throw fuel into the fire, to see a nation bleed to death.

Media has done much damage to the country, its parties especially to the government and security forces during the past 23 years. They might not have realised the core issues to the conflict, and failed to realise that the LTTE was not the sincere saviour of Tamils. Many problems are common to the majority whether they are Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims.

As the old adage, 'Horage Ammagen Pena Ahanawa' or asking the mother of her thief son's whereabouts, some media believe the LTTE's version to make profit. Alas, the poor people in this country has to pay the price.