Media and the LTTE

Dr. Asela Karunanayake

MEDIA STRATEGY: A war without declaration 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 pretend 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 all the events to follow.

The massive and effective media network of the LTTE has made a wonderful impact on the whole world and are covering up what ever dirty work they are up to. The LTTE who continue to make use of suicide bombers and show no regard to human life are being uplifted to position of a recognisable group and the world leaders are deceived to negotiate with them.

A legitimate government is forced to bow down to the demands of the terrorists by these bias international powers. This is the result of the good work of the terrorist media units and the weak non focused and ineffective methods of the others. The terrorist media has been manipulating and influencing the local and world opinion to their advantage.

Media plays a key role in any conflict situation. It has the major task of creating a positive mentality among the people, keeping the friends happy, make sure the rest of the world stays interested in the conflict but ensure that they do not bring down a negative impact on the issue and make sure the moral of the enemy is very low. This was seen in all the major wars in the world over and it has been proved that the media played a vital part in the outcome of these conflicts.

Sri Lanka faces a very delicate situation that can potentially end up in the division of the country. Few media men seems to understand the gravity of this and work towards saving the country while some have become boot licking, slave dogs to their employers or their Dollar masters and continue to support the enemy.

Others who are fool hardy try to impress the world by criticising 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 who wants conflicts to prevail for their existence.

The psychological impact 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 an 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 moral 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 men have swallowed the bait of the enemy and has played to their tune. They are being manipulated and hypnotized by the LTTE propaganda units and willingly or unwillingly are being made to act against their own kind. Take for instance the style of addressing the tiger terrorist cardres- calling a bunch of gun trotting, trigger happy murderers by ranks of army officers. The use of the names of military ranks when referring to terrorists as Colonel aaa Major bbb Captain ccc is never practised 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 practised by our media and has created a situation such that aaa is always referred as Colonel aaa and bbb always as Major bbb and ccc always as Captain ccc by the people and the rest of the world. Strategy of the LTTE media units is commendable.

They are never ever seen calling their breakaway cardres by military ranks and they are referred to as traitors! The LTTE media almost always avoid mentioning the work of their opponents or breakaway cardres so that the world forgets their existence-(boost up their claim to be the sole representative of the Tamils). If they really have to mention the break-away groups, always add a phrase to link up the government with them-(strategy to discredit the government for use of paramilitary groups).

They very rarely call the proper officers of the SL army by their ranks and even the President of Sri Lanka is hardly ever called President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The LTTE media just ignore the news pertaining to the government or southern part of the island which is often referred to as the enemy and only publish their mistakes and lies 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 which are designed to glorify their men and cause. "Elite Commandos of LTTE", "LTTE Political Commission", LTTE Police Commissioner or Division, "Border districts" are a few among a many. By continuing to copy and use these LTTE made words we let them use our media to boost up the image and the moral of the enemy and also create a inflated picture of the LTTE among the general public.

The world is made to believe that the LTTE has functionally and officially got an administrative and a defense structure that is recognised by the government and the people.

Recently a key media personel 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 up his and his followers personal image. He must have been hoping to be recognized 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 coward acts could only attribute the responsibility 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 interviewing President Rajapaksa and wanted to make the government be responsible for that incident in the face of the International Community.

The irony is that spineless cardboard heroes only perform such acts in and around Colombo and they will not do such an act in the presence of LTTE men or LTTE sponsored meetings or 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!

Time has come for all media men of Sri Lanka to think seriously of their strategy. Please shed away your personal gains, loyalties to Dollars and think clear. Your motherland is in need of your help. She is pleading to you to help her 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.

Courtesy Lanka Web