Security forces played by the rule - Minister Keheliya Rambukwella

by Manjula FERNANDO

Minister of Mass Media and Information Keheliya Rambukwella, speaking to the Sunday Observer from Australia, where he is still undergoing treatment for fractured limbs, on the eve of the Victory Day Celebrations, described for the first time the challenging role he played as the Military Spokesman from 2006 to 2009, during the height of the battle.

He said the job that required him to answer calls 24/7 and endure "intense drilling" by hundreds of media outlets, made him quite a busy person, but gave him enormous satisfaction, to think that he too played a crucial role in the war against LTTE terrorism, which ended with the liberation of country and its people from a 30-year ruthless grip.

The Minister said the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) was born following a crucial meeting between military heads, the Defence Secretary, Lakshman Hulugalla and himself where the importance of a strategic unit to handle the media and disseminate the information the battle front was discussed.

Excerpts of the telephone interview:

"I would say that it was one of the most challenging jobs to be done at the time, because at the time when the war against terrorism was progressing the LTTE propaganda machinery became one of the most powerful propaganda mills in the world. To support it there was a section of the Tamil diaspora, even some intellectuals and various other players who were extremely supportive of Prabhakaran. They were also talking about a separate State.

"Against all these forces and with an international community closely watching the developments taking place in the country, the task we had to fulfil was gigantic.

"We cannot deny the fact that under Presidents J.R. Jayewardene, R. Premadasa, D.B. Wijetunga and even President Chandrika Kumaratunga, the LTTE as a group established themselves well spread right across the world as one of the most powerful, ruthless, terrorist organisations which had a highly connected network. That was the trademark of the LTTE.

"They were identified by many Western powers as an invincible group and indeed they were the only terrorist organisation which had air and sea capabilities. The LTTE was becoming a conventional Army. Then they had their own jurisdiction, the 'police', their own Courts - everything required for a separation was almost there.

"When President Mahinda Rajapaksa took up the fight over humanitarian grounds after the Mavil Aru incident, he suggested that I take over as the military spokesman. It was quite a challenge and a dangerous job given the vulnerability of the situation.

"We conquered the entire media spectrum, in fact the Media Centre that was eventually set up was able to challenge the misleading statements sent out by the LTTE targeting the international community. I had the honour of naming the Centre as the Media Centre for National Security.

A meeting was called in 2006 to discuss the setting up of a central unit to handle news related to the humanitarian operation. The objective was to get the news the media wanted released as soon as possible so that there will be no opportunity for gossip-mongers to exploit the situation.

"It was chaired by me and the others present at the Army Headquarters' meeting included Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Commander Joint Operations, Daya Sandagiri, Army Commander Sarath Fonseka, Air Force Commander Roshan Goonetilleke, Lakshman Hulugalla who later became the Director General MCNS and several other military top brass.

"There we discussed the importance of a strategic unit to handle the dissemination of information related to the conflict. I explained how it will be crucial for the ongoing operations. In fact, it was I who came out with the name Media Centre for National Security, where weekly media briefings were held to update the media on the developments on the battleground as it progressed further and became a hot topic for media worldwide.

"From there, from the day of recruiting the first person, after naming the centre, I would humbly say, as the architect minister of that unit, the satisfaction is there: The satisfaction of being an active party to the episode of fighting terrorism and finally conquering terrorism and re-establishing peace.

Q: How did you cope with the pressure of having to deal with hundreds of news outlets, local as well as international... I am sure you would have been compelled to answer several hundred calls a day at the time.

A: Yes, but it made me very active. I felt duty-bound and thought my role was minuscule compared to what some others had to do. I think I did my best and I never considered it a nuisance... It was a 24/7 job.

It was a time of happenings and in the middle of the night there were things happening, enough for the media to ring me, from all over the world. Sri Lanka's battle was keenly followed by people and media all over world.

I must mention the role played by the Media Centre itself. The Director General of the MCNS at the time was Lakshman Hulugalla. They were all very supportive; from the Defence Secretary onwards the messages were passed through to me immediately and I was kept informed of all that was happening within the Government and the battlefront.

There were separate media briefings by the Foreign Ministry and the Cabinet spokesman, but the MCNS press conference was one that everyone looked forward to where important details of the progress of the humanitarian operation would be announced.

My role as the military spokesman gave birth to so many cartoons in the newspapers, three to four years back, I think it exceeded 4000 cartoons. Seeing them I always felt that I am the one who had the last laugh. At the time I was the Government laundry man with a big sack of soiled laundry on my shoulder.

This media enthusiasm on my role gave me a kind of encouragement. Someone had to maintain the good image of the country, the 'dirty clothes' were the result of partial and unfair treatment of Sri Lankan affairs by a section of the international community, misled by the LTTE.

The handling of the media at the time was carried out as if all of us were part of a well-woven fabric. Everyone chipped in and kept the crucial centres informed of the developments taking place. This update took place within minutes of an incident. That was very vital in getting the right coverage from the media.

Q: What would you say about the behaviour of the media, especially the international media then and now - especially when the humanitarian operation was in full swing?

A: The LTTE was one of the richest organisations. They were able to spin money, they were able to buy people from every walk of life.

We have proved a point that there is no room for terrorism here. They thought Sri Lanka will never win this battle against Prabhakaran. In fact, they kept on telling us that Sri Lanka should go for a negotiation process and we should come to a compromise with this megalomaniac Prabhakaran.

But we proved that it was a misconception and this message given to us by the so called most powerful nations was wrong. The President was determined that the country should be freed from the terror, grip of that he should do what is right by the country and its people.

This arbitrary action by Sri Lanka to fight terrorism may have angered some members of the international community and we had to fight so many battles. The media battle was one of them.

I would say Sri Lanka was unfairly treated by many.

Q: Your comments imply that the LTTE propaganda machinery was responsible for the change in the media's attitude towards Sri Lanka. However, there are allegations that the Government failed to address human rights abuses adequately? What do you have to say?

A: When you are a terrorist organisation, or an NGO sympathising with them, there are no limits to what they can do, to make whatever fabrications to demonise their enemy.

There are no rules that govern terrorist organisations, no ethics, norms, rules or regulations. They just say what they want. A democratically elected government, however, is compelled to play by the rules.

You simply cannot compare the two. In my opinion, Sri Lanka has made a tremendous effort to inquire into the allegations levelled against it within a short span and it needs more time to show further progress.

Q: Will there be any major changes to strengthen media freedom in Sri Lanka in the future?

A: The biggest change has already been made. After years and years of emergency regulations in the country, President Rajapaksa and the Government decided, as soon as terrorism came to a conclusion, to do away with the emergency regulations. That itself is a major step forward to ensure media freedom.

We are moving ahead. Just because Prabhakaran was eliminated, the threat of the LTTE is not completely vanquished.

The remnants in the international front are still operative and we need to ensure that their presence will not pose a threat to Sri Lanka once again.

A gradual process is taking place to restore freedom. Sri Lanka was under emergency rule for over 17 years. Therefore, removing the emergency was a giant leap forward in my opinion.

Q: What is the general feeling among the people in Australia about the 'new' Sri Lanka, as per what you have been witnessing during your unplanned extended stay there?

A: There is much hope, especially in the developments taking place in the tourism sector. Such news gets more attention among the Australian audience than the negative propaganda circulating in the West. We have to be proud that terrorism has been eliminated from the four corners of Sri Lanka.

I will be out of hospital, may be within the next few days. Within a week of my discharge from hospital I will be in Colombo. Before that, I may be able to meet up with members of the Australian Government. A few Aussie Parliamentarians have already visited me in hospital.

The Australian Immigration and Citizenship Minister was in Sri Lanka a week ago to ink a deal with his Sri Lankan counterpart to resume direct flights between the two countries in the future. This is the kind of cooperation we expect from the international community to help rebuild Sri Lanka.