CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

The Fallout Of Bad News Reporting Can Sometimes Be Totally Misleading! But It Could Also Be Based On A Private Agenda!

© Insight By Sunil Kumara For LankaWeb

June18th 2007
When the South Asia Media Network which appears to have intonations of Pro LTTE sympathy in some of their recent critical articles relating to Sri Lankan Government policy matters, invite attention to the general public about a travel embargo on Gotabhaya Rajapaksha, Sri Lanka's Minister of Defence, it is unclear whether this is a covert recommendation to the International Community or a broadcast message on speculative hearsay. It also makes the more discerning wonder if this be the case, about where they get their substance for such items and what right they have to be so bold as to confront the Sri Lankan Government which it is tantamount to and take the liberty to name Mr Rajapaksha as 'Sri Lanka’s controversial' defence secretary.' There is nothing controversial about him if analogies were drawn to his predecessor or by any definition of the requirements of his office. That is if by some unknown definition,the term effciency is misrepresented as controversy by the news source reporting this charade which consequently distorts the real scenario and a huge boost for the terrorists and truly a favourable orchestration eagerly lapped up by veritable dogs in a manger of their creation!

The SAMW needs to be very careful when they classify without clarification that " Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is facing a travel embargo along with other officials for allegedly committing human rights violations and abductions in the country, that Rajapaksa also faces the threat of being turned back at international airports in some Western countries for admitting the eviction of Tamils from Colombo and the rampant abductions taking place in the country, which is a ‘human rights violation’, informed sources said." which sounds like a load of cheap sensationalist propaganda! as it refers to the actions of a Sovereign Nation in its bid to thwart the terrorist plague which it has been fighting for the past several decades and a matter of opinion if there was in fact any human rights violations at all consequently! By definition, anything which confronts and disrupts the progress of terrorism in Sri Lanka ironically seems to be labelled by some as human rights violations!

While it would be interesting to know who these 'informed sources' are, the reference to several Western Diplomats based in Colombo being of the opinion that their countries are unlikely to issue a visa in the event the need arises for the defence secretary" for the greater part discloses the identities of 'these sources' and sums it all up as far as realities go where the opinions of Western Diplomats neither constitute the requirements by international law on such issues as granting or refusal of of entry visas, nor do they have any carte blanche to be so liberal with their dispensed opinions about policy matters of a Sovereign Nation which may be a direct breach of protocol relative to their diplomatic status.If this be the case they have no business maintaining diplomatic ties with the country in the first place beyond being a joke! It could also be interpreted as interference into matters relating to the country where they have been posted as goodwill emissaries and the South East Asia Media Network consequently seem to have their wires crossed and should be more careful about what they broadcast as international news as it could easily compromise their integrity as a foreign news medium!

The blatant attitude of this particular news source next takes on an air of arrogance as it further reports that "However, as Rajapaksa is a citizen of the United States of America, regulations have it that he does not need a visa to travel to some parts of the world. “But the option of denying him entry into that country at the respective country’s international airport still stands,” which the sources have said and sources which seem to have cast their own diplomacies to the wind in being this outspoken over an issue which they seem to have an apathetic ignorance about as what transpired in Sri Lanka recently was not an expunging of Tamils from the City of Colombo as the painted picture on the international Bulletin Boards suggested with na bit of help from pro LTTE propaganda but a selective weeding out process of known LTTE terrorist supportives to which the Government of Sri Lanka is fully entitled to without the muddled up opinions of misinformed News Sources and their collaborative string of LTTE sympathetic Foreign diplomats.

In reporting that" The diplomats expressed these sentiments following the defence secretary’s outburst against Western countries and to justify the violation of human rights including the recent eviction of hundreds of Tamils from Colombo and making statement to the effect that ‘anything is fair’ taking into consideration the present context in the country. " it is is a bold and grossly inaccurate misrepresentation of the realities involved where the speculations of the news report by far exceeds the real circumstances and should be cautioned about taking such liberties in the future as they could easily be emulated by all the wrong sources for all the wrong reasons!

While it seems fair enough to say that“The embassies in Sri Lanka will not entertain anyone who has been involved in violating human rights,” according to this report, it is also important that such a sensitive issue needs confirmation and corroboration through more tangible means than what meets the common eye as well as hearsay towards the facts relating to the accusations the sources are reported as saying. For their part their accusations have been to a degree effective as the Government of Sri lanka has tendered an immediate apology for the related incidents where it has failed to point out that the apology was intended to appease a lesser proportion of innocent Tamils whose bonafides have been established towards their presence in Colombo albeit caught up in the evictions and not those who were found to have direct links with the LTTE and hence the confusion and misrepresentation of facts which has led upto the unnecessary villification of the defence secretary who was quite justified in carrying out his administrative as well as national security related duties!

While it becomes somewhat ludicrous to read that "Foreign embassies have already collected details of those who have been involved in such incidents including those of police officers following the recent outburst of UNP MP Lakshman Seneviratne in Parliament who disclosed a list of names all of whom being part of a group allegedly carrying out the abductions in Sri Lanka.''it seems a huge aberration once again of the norms surrounding the requirements of Foreign Missions based in Sri Lanka or any other country where it seems as though their primary expectation is to meddle in the internal affairs of the country of their posting as well as direct the law enforcement operations of the Nations concerened which makes a mockery of the logic of it all!

It might also be very confidently concluded that the report about " several Sri Lankan led civil organizations based in the United States are contemplating to take legal action against the defence secretary based on the recent eviction and the abductions." reeks of LTTE propaganda based motivation which the international community must be well aware of by now and should pay scant attention to as there are no more civil or human rights violations taking place in Sri Lanka any more than the exaggerated violations taking place in Guantanamo Bay as well as Iraq and Afghanistan by the propaganda sources who want the world to beleive it their way!

They should try Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Dafur, Palestine, Rwanda and even the Peoples Republic of China to name some if they really want confirmation of the definition of Human Rights Violations rather than make comical accusations against Sri Lanka ! where the defence secretaries of these nations too would be refused entry into the major cities of the world on the same basis!!

If as reported "these organizations are awaiting the Sri lankan Defence Secretary’s arrival in the USA to proceed with court action and are in the process of seeking legal advice with regard to this matter,” the sources awaiting this manifestation might as well wait for the "Return Of The Pink Panther" as nothing of great significance is bound to come out of such hoopla and hype beyond the cheap sensationalism! as no intelligent,perceptive or assertive conclusions drawn by the right sources in determining what such reports are tantamount to are ever going to beleive they are anything close to the truth if they have any links to being propaganda for the terrorists!

In this respect the South Asia Media Metwork would be better off going back to the drawing board to re assess their next attempt to discredit the Government of Sri Lanka and its Defence Secretary if this is what it is all about!

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