Sri Lanka: a report on the Tamil newspapers
Thanks to Zacki Jabar, Deputy News Editor, The Island Newspaper, (in Sri Lanka) for this posting: a personal view about what happens in Jaffna and the Tamil areas.
"The North - South divide, a direct result of Sri Lanka's ethnic war between the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils has had an impact on the attitudes of both its southern and northern journalists. Deep scars have been caused by a 23 year old war, that has left nearly 70,000 people dead - Sinhalese ,Tamils and Muslims included. However,there are journalists on both sides of the divide who look at issues objectively, with a view to recording the events that unfold."
"It would be too much to assume that Sinhalese and Tamil journalists and Muslim journalists to a lesser extent could report events especially killings ,without a degree of emotion. Contacts between northern and southern journalists exist and they do exchange information and articles, which depending on the policy of the particular newspaper may or may not be published.
There is hardly any media freedom in the northern areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which is fighting for a separate state in the North-East of Sri Lanka. Tamil newspapers published in theses areas are subject to LTTE strictures and “over stepping the limits” could result in death.
Similarly newspapers published in areas under the control of the Karuna Faction in the East of the country cannot exceed its guidelines. Journalists who fail to abide by the "rules" do so at a risk to their lives (The Karuna Faction broke away from the LTTE in March 2004 and is now helping government forces in its battle against the LTTE).
The "Thinakural”, “Udayan” and “Valamburi” newspapers published in Jaffna in the North, are privately owned but they cannot be critical of the LTTE .
The “Thinakural” daily has a circulation of about 45,000 while its Sunday edition sells around 60,000 copies. The sale of “Thinakural” in the East was banned by the Karuna Faction in August this year. The “Udayan”, which is a daily newspaper has a circulation of about 20,000. “Valamburi”, sells about 10,000 copies.
“Namadinadu”, which had a circulation of about 10,000 in Jaffna stopped publishing in August 2006, after its proprietor Siva Maharaja who was also a parliamentarian representing the Tamil United Liberation Front was gunned down allegedly by a paramilitary group.
The pro LTTE newspaper "Elanadam" has a circulation of around 20,000 in the North and about 15,000 copies are sold in LTTE controlled areas of the East.
The “Thinakadir”, which was published in Batticaloa in the East,closed down after its office was attacked allegedly by a paramilitary group about three years ago.
The Pro LTTE newspaper “Sudoroli” which was published in the East was banned by the Karuna Faction also in August this year. It had a circulation of around 10,000.
“Thamiladi”, a pro Karuna Faction newspaper commenced publication in the East about five months.
On October 23, 2006, about 20,000 copies of a leading Colombo based Tamil Newspaper the “Virakesari”, was burnt allegedly by the Karuna Faction at Kiran in Batticaloa.
There is greater media freedom in the South compared to the North and East, but abductions and killing of journalists for over stepping the “limits" by armed gunmen occur in the South as well.
The debate goes on, as to who the suspects are , but the finger has been pointed at paramiilitary groups and in some cases at southern operatives of both the LTTE and Karuna Faction.
So it is in this atmosphere that both the southern and northern journalists strive to maintain contacts and exchange news and articles.
Source: Zacki Jabar, Deputy News Editor, The Island Newspaper, (in Sri Lanka)
PS. The Editors Weblog invites contributions from outside sources that don't necessarily represent its views. For another view on the overall Sri Lankan media situation, see this article from the International Freedom of Expression Exchange.
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Threat to journalists in this type of a campaign is very much expected. Specially in the case of the LTTE, an organization depend on propaganda. Most of the time their very survival depend on the picture they paint on the public. In this case if a journalist challenge this posture by revealing the truth they need to neutralize that threat or threaten them until they fall in line with the organizational aspirations.
In this back drop one cannot accept a recognized news paper to reveal the real situation on ground. Therefore opinions of individuals on the paper, specially on the internet would be very much of value to assess the true picture as they are not bound of such obligations. For example the true picture on the ground in Sri Lanka can be identified as follows:
Demand of the Eelam covers 2/3 of land area and 3/4 of the sea area in the Island, and the Tamils are about 17% (This included the (Indian) now Sri Lanka Tamils who doesn’t have any problem of this nature. This means over 80% of the people will have to shire less that 1/3 of the land area?
Also out of the total Tamil population 52% live out side North and the East, while in the North LTTE had ensured total ethnic cleansing resulting 0% of Muslims and Sinhalese in their area.
How many Tamil papers reported these facts? Especially the percentage living out side the LTTE controlled areas. Why Tamil people choose to leave outside of LTTE controlled areas? So its not only the journalist that are been threaten.
Therefore in this context regular newspapers have no voice. If this fact are presented to the Tamil people they would start demanding an end to the war as they would realise that this is an unjust demand which can’t be achieved. Instead they would demand for sound devolution. So the Tamil politician would get the support of the Tamil and the Sinhala masses for such demand.
In this context giving publicity to the Opinions by individuals on the internet would be on one method to see the factual situation.
I think it would be appropriate to include the killings of Tamil journalists in the so called high security zones controlled by the srilankan armed forces. The well known example is the assassination of Taraki (Sivaram). There have been amble evidences on the autocratic attitude of the srilankan govt towards the Tamil print media. International media organizations are aware of many such incidents. Designing a column by carving out and magnifying a govt-sponsored factional dispute from a major ethnic conflict doesnt exhibit the columnist's neutrality!
Mr.Zaki Jabbar fails to give a broader picture of what is happening in the entire Sri Lanka in terms of free press. He also fails to mention about the LTTE's killings of Tamil journalists such as Mrs. Selvarajah and Atputharajha (Thinamurasu) in Colombo and the killings of veterant journalists like Sivaram and Nadesan by unknown killers, who are suspected of members of other Tamil militant groups. He is wrong to say that "Thinakadir" was attacked three years ago by the paramilitary in Batticaloa. The " thinakadir" office was destroyed by the LTTE about 4 years ago. There was no Karuna Fation there at that time. " Thinakkural" is published in Colombo not in Jaffna as Zakki noted and the Tamil papers like Veerakesari and Thinakkural are pro LTTE papers and enjoy the freedom of free press in the South and most of the coloumnist in them promote the LTTE's interest.The Muslims of the East do not recognise those papers are neutral correctly identify them with the LTTE. It is also unfortunate that most of the Tamil political coloumnists are from the North of Sri Lanka.
I recently had the pleasure of covering the Sri Lanka peace talks in Geneva and was surprised by how plentiful, lively and well-equipped the Sri Lankan media are. Much of the press seems to have been based outside of Sri Lanka though, so any examination of Sri Lanka's media should take into account that which is produced by the exiled communities.