The freedom with which Sri Lanka’s Media denigrates Sinhala Buddhists
Posted on August 15th, 2014
Shenali D Waduge
The freedom with which Sri Lanka’s Media denigrates Sinhala Buddhists
§ There are accusations that there is no media freedom in Sri Lanka.
§ There are accusations that the majority are discriminating the minorities in Sri Lanka.
§ There are accusations that the minorities are unable to voice their views in Sri Lanka.
The following headlines are for readers to decide if this is the freedom that is claimed to be denied.
The below specimen samples are just but a handful of hundreds of other online and even print name calling.
Buddhist monks have been referred to as : ‘mob of monks’, ‘marauding monks’, ‘monkish terror’, ‘monkish violence…represents evil incarnate’, ‘thug monks’, ‘these are the modern day Devadattas and Buddharakkithas who are out to destroy Buddhism’, ‘delegation of saffron robed horrors’, ‘bhikku death squads’. ‘monkish anarchy’
The high priests were not spared as well:
‘most revolting of all is the capitulation of the Mahanayake of the Malwatte chapter in the face of this unprecedented monkish thuggery’.
The Malwatte Mahanayake thero was accused of ‘limp acquiescence’ and accused of turning himself ‘into a cipher’.
Given that Sri Lanka’s media has been only too pleased to carry such articles it is not difficult to imagine how people are commenting on the below titles too. These comments are too vile to showcase as examples however, most often the websites themselves make comments entering pseudonyms to project that in Sri Lanka the Sinhala Buddhists are hated.
What would be a nicer thing is to reveal exactly why they are angry but that is an unlikely option because behind the denigration there is another plan.
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Title/Link |
Date |
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Justice Minister (and leader of the Muslim Congress) Rauf Hakeem at a meeting in Kalmunai had demanded President Rajapakse should defeat ‘yellow-robed terrorism’
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Aug 2012 |
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‘Fascists’ in saffron robes? The rise of Sri Lanka’s Buddhist ultra-nationalists http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/32133
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July 2014 |
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Buddhist extremists attack innocent http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2014/06/buddhist-extremists-attack-innocent.html
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June 2014 |
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Barbarism of Sinhala Buddhist extremist forces against Muslims
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June 2014 |
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Bodu Bala Sena’s Thug Leader Gnanasara Thero Should be Flogged Publicly and Chased on the Road with Full Exposure on TV http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/29655
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4 May 2014 |
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Why Gnanasara has to be dealt with’ http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=102690
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3 May 2014 |
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Saving Sri Lanka from the Monkish Terror http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=102281
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26 Apr 2014 |
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Expose Thugs In Robes And Isolate Them http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2014/04/27/expose-thugs-in-robes-and-isolate-them/
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27 April 2014 |
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The ‘Mad Monk’ Phenomenon: BBS as the underside of Sinhala-Buddhism http://groundviews.org/2014/04/15/the-mad-monk-phenomenon-bbs-as-the-underside-of-sinhala-buddhism/
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15 April 2014 |
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Saffron robed destroyers of Sinhala-Buddhism http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=101536
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11 April 2014 |
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An unholy alliance of Buddhists http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2014/04/an-unholy-alliance-of-buddhist.html
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April 2014 |
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Email subject heading circulating amongst ‘intellectuals’ & Colombo elite
Yellow robed Jackals of the BBS invade Fatima Church”
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Aug 2014 |
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Summon Lord Buddha to Geneva – Sharmini Serasinghe Colombotelegraph
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Jan 2014 |
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Buddhist Extremists Hope to Attain NIBBANA” by Attacking Muslims, Mosques and Muslim Owned Businesses http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/24278
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14 Aug 2013 |
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Buddhist fanatics on the streets http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=80392 |
Jun 2013 |
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Mad men of Dambulla http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2012/04/29/the-mad-men-of-dambulla/
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Aug 2012 |
The editors were well aware of the contents of the articles. Yet they published them.
The newspapers owners were well aware that their newspapers were carrying articles with inappropriate headings, yet they allow such publications.
The 1964 Press Commission Report is invaluable for its findings remain valid in todays context and highlights the same issues.
No other minority religion has been called by such names to the extent the Buddhist priests have been subject to, even the Catholic priests who have been linked to LTTE have not been subject to the same denigration despite terror links.
There were and are no foreign envoys, UN special rapporteurs, UN human rights head, civil society organizations that came out to say that the trend of denigrating the majority Sinhala Buddhists of Sri Lanka via disproportionate media coverage was incorrect, unjustified and unethical. Yet, we ask, is this the freedom with which media should function?
When these examples are highlighted the easy way out is to claim that these are attempts to incite ‘racism’ for it affords the perfect excuse to evade responding.
With the examples given it is for the readers to decide for themselves.
Shenali D Waduge
Further reference:
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/buddhism-bashing-columnists/
August 15th, 2014 at 4:47 pm
Why?
Because article 9 of our CON-STITUTION is impotent.
We have to CHANGE article 9 so that ANY DUMB BRAIN can clearly understand Buddhism is STATE religion and bashing Buddhism and monks is a GRAVE CRIME.
Until that happens there are NO LEGAL methods to stop Buddhism/Buddhist bashing. Until then the ONLY way to eliminate ANTI-BUDDHIST groups by an unidentified group.
August 15th, 2014 at 9:03 pm
If Mahinda Rajapakse is a president who is sensitive about country’s needs he would have brought Shenali like people in to the parliament and not the thugs, criminals, clowns, thieves, kudu mudalalis and dumb family members of the politicians that he is keeping and brought inside the governing machinery.
August 16th, 2014 at 2:24 am
Very true, agree with AnuD.
වස් නැති දුකින් පෙලෙනා බොදු සිහලුනේ
කුස් පුරවන්න කිසිවක් නොමකරමිනේ
මුස්ලිම් වරුන් හට මිලියන පුදමිනේ
ඇස් ගෙඩි දෙකම පොට්ටද ජනපතිඳුනේ
August 16th, 2014 at 9:37 am
Thank You Shenali.
The Time line above clearly shows who is responsible for these “troubles”.
In any case i would not call the BBS monks as Buddhist monks they are far from representing the Buddhist and you are wrong to assume “in Sri Lanka the Sinhala Buddhists are hated”
August 16th, 2014 at 1:01 pm
I agree with the article and it is time that the Badu Bala Sena not only should be willing to sue these media outlets for the defamation of the BBS and demand they recant derogitory articles against them and publicly apologize. That would be the exercise of power over the rampant power of the media.
Secondly create a greater presence than in Sri Lanka to promote the BBS as the voice of Sri Lankan Buddhist nationalism. There are plenty of people sick and tired of the Tamil Diaspora and their strangle hold of foreign media including governments who are more than willing to voice their opinions.
August 17th, 2014 at 6:47 am
Hi I tried put an ad in Sunday Observer when Nair pillar was in Sri Lanka Last September. The ad said ” Hon. secretary of UNHCR Ms Nawanathan Pillayan an Indian colonial parasite from South Africa should stand aside in dealing with matters dealing with victims of Indian colonialism and imperialism. The SO refused the paid advertisement and the Sunday Island got the money and refused to publish it. This is our press freedom.