CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

Iqbal Athas -Is he with us or is he not?

By Legionary

Athas is someone who does not understand the meaning of freedom of speech and media freedom. Such freedoms do not mean you can say and do whatever you want. Being irresponsible leads to abuse. As for being a "respectable" journalist sadly he doesn't have any journalistic ethics since he believes that he can report whatever he wants as long as it is in the confines of the law. Which also emphasises his disregard for the meaning of media freedom..

He doesn't know much about military hardware, military terminology, military technology and how fighter planes work either. He compares the whole process to cars and antiques. He relies too much on his "sources". (Doing a google search is easier and more reliable).

He also doesn't know that when you pull on one thread -in the name of media freedom- to a State secret, the whole thing unravels. This happened with the safe house raid, which he dutifully reported, thus giving the confirmation the LTTE needed about the Military LRRP agents in order to hunt them down, and now his obsession with the Mig27 deal is about to expose some of the countries top military/scientific experts who are on the TEC. They'll be killed thanks to him.

Athas crying like a baby over the loss of his security and not "reporting" was very amusing. As soon as his security was lost he acts like he's "under threat", what a way to inflate himself to an artificial level of importance.

Why must the state provide security to journalists anyway-for free at that? Providing security is the job of the journalist's boss. They should hire from a private security company. (Oh that's right Athas only wants the best for himself such as VIP security and STF as he alluded to).

Note how Athas in his last few "Situation Reports" over the last couple of months (before the security he nor any other reporter deserves was removed) has said zero about the "situation" at the front, instead he was covertly and at times overtly talking about the cost of living, following another agenda.

Into one situation report he whined about 800 shells being lost and need to be replaced, he brought up that loss again and again.He then makes a big deal out of the use of ammunition for the war in the East, also about how they too will have to be replaced again costing money.

He then goes on and on about the Mig 27 deal, even after adequate explanations were given. Once more complaining about money and the cost of living.

He then makes fun of the military victories in the East, calling them meaningless, weak, failures and lies.

He even complains about Government propaganda (e.g. Kayts going out of Government control for 8 hours) yet he praises the LTTE propaganda and makes fun of the Government for its lack of propaganda (see August situation reports from 2006), but when the government does "correct" propaganda with regards to Kayts, he disapproves and talks about "hiding" the truth.

He stated that the Air Force "in its entire history has never operated Mig21 aircraft" (this was related to the Mig 29 issue) yet the Air Force uses the F7 aircraft from China which is the name given to the Chinese version of the Mig 21. The Air Force inventory even calls them Mig 21s.

Athas was the biggest detractor of the Kfir aircraft. Situation report after situation report a decade ago condemned the purchase of the Kfir stating it to also be "over kill", once more another dramatisation and false reporting based on his immense lack of knowledge.Today the Kfir is the work horse of the SLAF.

Athas made a reputation and got a job from Janes, because of his "great" reporting during the CFA and before. Everything he said turned out to be rubbish or an exaggeration.

But the fact is he merely filled a vacuum in Sri Lanka's military reporting field, because when he started there had been no English language reporting on the military side of the conflict, it was only done in Sinhala, especially at a time when the West was gaining "interest" in the conflict.

Had there been other English medium articles and situation reports made -like there is today- then he'd be a nobody as can be seen by his poor skills and extreme lack of knowledge in the military field. Why else have all his situation reports for the last few months been more politically orientated and have nothing do to with the situation at the front?

Athas spends a lot of time trying to protect his image (he even wasted three situation reports doing so) and in every situation report he writes some crap about himself as the great patriotic protector of freedom who speaks nothing but the truth. Not once has he admitted his mistakes, this again owes to his own lack of knowledge on Military hardware and sheer arrogance.

Athas is reporting for money and personal advancement..."the heroic journalist working to expose the truth for his people and threatened for doing so, for doing what is right, his ethics and unbiased nature being his guide has had some unscrupulous inhuman individuals brand him as an enemy for serving his nation"

This kind of ego rub and elevation, which appears from time to time, is what wins him awards and all kinds of goodies making him think so much of himself.

He's just some celebrity now and enjoying the limelight.

I wouldn't mind him doing all this for his personal advancement if he didn't have the nerve to say he's doing this "for the country" and that he speaks the "whole truth and nothing but the truth".

The problem is that a) He filled a vacuum in the English medium for reporting on the conflict and b) Many in Sri Lanka from civilians to politicians have extremely limited knowledge about military hardware, technologies and strategy. Thus what he says appears to be the ultimate truth, when in reality it is not.

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