Matsuura - latest broadcaster for Voice of Tigers

H. L. D. Mahindapala

Here are the precedents on which UNESCO was deaf, dumb and blind.

*Report No:1 from CNN, May 12, 1999:*

NATO spokesman Jamie Shea said Sunday that eight radio relay sites and more than a dozen road and rail bridges were hit. On Sunday, NATO air raids hammered a major Yugoslav power plant, knocking out power across Serbia, including in Belgrade, senior Yugoslav officials told CNN.

A freshly imposed U.S. embargo on all but food and medicine to Serbia and a European Union ban on oil shipments also is tightening the economic noose.

*Report No: 2 from The Guardian*

Journalists trapped in burning building within hours of surprise peace move by Milosevic

3 A.M. News: Martin Kettle and Alex Brummer in Washington, Chris Bird and Maggie O'Kane in Belgrade*

Friday April 23, 1999 - Guardian Unlimited

"Nato targeted the heart of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's powerbase early today by bombing the headquarters of Serbian state television, taking it off the air in the middle of a news bulletin. A large number of civilian casualties were reported.

The bombs slammed into the side of the four storey building, collapsing the two top floors and trapping journalists inside. As ambulances arrived at the scene, stretcher bearers struggled to evacuate the dead and injured from the burning building."

What was UNESCO doing when these radio and TV stations were being flattened by the leading democracies that shout from the top of their voices about freedom of expression ?

Where was the voice of UNESCO when journalists were blown to smithereens in Serbia ? Why is Matsuura so concerned about targeting a communication centre glorifying terrorism in Sri Lanka?

Is his partisan act a means of upholding the principles enshrined in the UN Charter or is he the latest recruit to the one-man fascist regime in the Vanni?

This, incidentally, is not the first time that the UN heads got their wires crossed. When Kofi Annan made a visit to survey the impact of tsunami in Sri Lanka he went out of his way to offer his condolences to a minor apparatchik of the Tigers, Lt. Kausalyan, the military commander of the east. It was quite unwarranted because it did not help the peace process, as he thought it would.

On the contrary, it strengthened the hand of the Tigers to commit more war crimes and crimes against humanity. It is un-understandable as to why the CEO of human rights should offer condolences to a political criminal in the killing machine of the Tiger terrorists.

What did he gain by it? What did Sri Lanka gain by it? Would he have offered his condolences to a Nazi officer in charge of a concentration in the Belsen camp? Besides, Kofi Annan should have known that the Tamil Tigers had repeatedly reneged on agreements with the UN not to recruit children. He was fully aware of this crime when he went that extra mile to offer condolences to Kausalyan.

Matsuura seems to be leaping out of his seat to do one better than his former boss. No one would disagree with him in proclaiming the right to defend the lives of civilians and freedom of the press. But his latest statement takes just not the cake but the whole bakery.

He says: "Regardless of the content of the broadcasts aired by the Voice of Tigers, there can be no excuse for military strikes on civilian media.... Such action contravenes the Geneva Convention which requires the military to treat media workers as civilians."

Matsuura obviously is knotted in his own crooked logic. He invokes "the Geneva Convention" which he says "requires the military to treat media workers as civilians." In making this statement he is either naive or he is plain dense.

In making this bland generalisation he has revealed his incapacity to distinguish between civilians and active agents of terrorists disguised as civilians/journalists. For instance, if according to UN Resolution 1373 glorifying terrorism is banned does he consider the "civilians" in the Voice of Tigers as civilians or active agents of terrorism?

Besides, journalists and civilians are required to respect the laws of the country in which they are operating. They have no special licence to violate national and international law and the Charter of the United Nations. The "civilians" for whom Matsuura was shedding tears were an integral part of a terrorist outfit violating national and international laws.

Perhaps, that was the rationale behind NATO bombing the hell out of a string of radio and TV stations in Serbia. When these bombing took place not a peep came out of either UNESCO or our local NGOs. Sri Lanka's Free Media is notorious for targeting the state in the name of protecting freedoms and rights. The VOT and its masters are not even a blip on their screens.

This also raises the role of the journalists in a conflict situation. If, for instance, a victim of a terror bomb is on fire should the journalist douse the fire or take the picture ? Can he avoid his responsibilities by saying that it is the duty of fire brigade to put out the fire and his duty is to take the picture of the burning victim?

Also, if a journalist is knowingly a part of a terrorist organization does he have exemption and protection under national and international laws? Matsuura's argument appears to be that anyone carrying a press card has protection under the Geneva Convention. Sorry, Matsuura, you should go back to your text books and get your act together if you are to perform better in your seat.

According to the UNESCO statement Matsuura has also stressed that "killing media personnel are not going to help reconciliation" and urged the authorities "to ensure respect for the basic human right of freedom of expression."

Perhaps, Jayantha Dhanapala, who is the Chairman in the Council of United Nations University, should brief Matsuura on the fact that ill-considered and partisan statements too do not "help reconciliation".

Matsuura represents a prestigious institution and he should not let his tongue run riot and bring disrepute to UNESCO. If he does not know his subject the best course of action is to keep his mouth shut.

His colossal blunder can be atoned only by apologising for rushing into a place where angels fear to tread.

Asian Tribune