A REPLY TO INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE 19TH OCTOBER EDITORIAL

Mahinda Weerasinghe
04-11-2006

I attach below the reply I sent to 'INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE'S 19TH OCTOBER EDITORIAL', responding to the claim that they insist on publishing comments and letters of significance. But naturally, it met the same muted fate as all other letters countering their one sided propaganda. The letter was factual, rational and diplomatic and read as follow:-

Dear Editor,
Your editorial "A little-noticed war" (Oct 19, 2006) reflects a fundamental flaw common to Western media in interpreting, analysing and reporting terrorism destabilising the oldest voting democracy in Asia-Pacific region - Sri Lanka. For instance, when the twin towers of New York came down in flaming ashes it was an act of appalling terrorism. When the newly built twin towers of Colombo were attacked by the Tamil Tigers in ……..the under-reporting of the identical 9/11 disaster in Sri Lanka speaks volumes for the double standards adopted by Western media.

The difference in language in describing the identical events too is discernable. Zero ground of New York was the work of terrorists, according to every media agency. The attack of the Twin Towers of Colombo was the work "rebels". This goes beyond double standards. It goes to the base of values attached to human lives. All those who attack Caucasians are terrorists. But the Tamil Tigers who commit war crimes like abducting children into fascist armies are "rebels". Why is the Western media reluctant to call a terrorist a terrorist particularly when leading members of the international community have banned the Tamil Tigers as terrorists under definitions employed by the UN?

Your editorial also urges that "All countries with influence … should push Sri Lanka government to agree". The conclusion arrived here is to push the democratically elected government to deviate from the mandate given at the last election by the majority of the people to reject the mono-ethnic extremism of a small Tamil minority clique. The story would have been different if Sri Lanka had oil. Then the coalition of the willing would be rushing to force a regime change of the Sri Lankan Saddam Hussein torturing, massacring, abducting his own Tamil people to sustain a needless war. Because there is no oil Sri Lankans are asked to appease what James Burns of the New York Times called "the latest Pol Pot of Asia" (June 25, 1995).

Last but not the least; your leader writer has come to the outlandish conclusion that it is a Buddhist vs. Hindu battle. No serious analyst has described the thirty-year-old terrorism led by a group of northern Tamils as a religious conflict. The standard description is that, it is an ethnic conflict. You're subtle addition of a religious dimension, i.e. Buddhist Hindu conflict, to it, does not help to raise the credibility of your newspaper. It may be of interest to note that the majority of Tamil-Hindus lives with the majority Sinhala-Buddhists in the south and not in the north.

Mahinda Weerasinghe

21-10-06

I feel the time is here for the Sri Lankans to act in unison to counter propaganda from media such as INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, BBC and others, which executing subtlest of propaganda on behalf of their terrorist friends.

Indeed presently INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE has started accusing the government for the disappearances of individuals in the Island, though the Putuvil Massacre of over 100 Muslims in September 2006 by the terrorist was studiously glossed over by this propaganda daily. As for the 8th October 2006 self immolation of Mr. Ferreira outside the Norwegian embassy in Colombo, this was no news to them. Obviously if it happened to be a European who set him self on fire, then it would get their full attention.

Under the circumstances I proposed the following game plan:-

a.) That Sri Lankans too adapt a 'duel policy on terrorism'.
b.) Who ever targets the west should be hereafter labelled, 'rebels'.
c.) Discourage friends and relations from buying INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE or watching BBC by making them aware as to their insidious duel policy on terrorism, this information should be specially offered to the Sri Lankan Diasporas.
d.) Direct information on to other Asians nations and enlighten them that; just like they are destabilising Sri Lanka, these 'fifth column rags' will be owning a similar subtle policy for the rest of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. If we actively carry this policy of an information war, we can give them a dose of what they have been giving us, for the last two decades.
e.) Finally by adapting such a policy of, 'do unto them like they do unto us' we can start wining this Catholic inspired terror campaigns against the Buddhist and the Hindus around the world.