MEDIA freedom is under attack, or so it seems. In a series of events which included intimidation and attacks on the self-appointed defence analyst Iqbal Athas, to a severe beating on Keith Noyr, shutting down of a number of media and internet forums, the last week saw two more blatant attacks on MTV and the editor of the Sunday Leader.
Intimidation and attacks on the media are nothing new in Sri Lanka. In any case, they are a historical factor in any nation facing existentialist threats, going a long way back. In Britain, during WWII, Sir Winston Churchill even threatened to consider any media reports on anything that can be advantageous to the Nazis to be an act of espionage and to have the responsible reporters executed as spies. The world looks back on such events with a mixture of feelings, predominant of them being admiration.
Sri Lanka's story is no different. Even though spectacular and completely unpredicted success has been achieved by our armed forces in the battle field, the oft disproven pundits still want to convince us that the war is far from over. The LTTE has been severely routed in every confrontation, and faces imminent death in the hands of a determined and overwhelming force of Sri Lankan military and they want us to believe that the Tigers have been there before and always bounced back. The facts and the dynamics of the present situation say it is a new story this time. Those who want us to believe the same old baseless bullshit are gradually becoming more desperate by the day.
In this conflict, the Sri Lankans established a new military doctrine for the world to follow. Terrorism can no longer be considered an unconquerable threat. It can and must be beaten militarily before anything else need to be done to address the 'grievences' which led to terrorism, if any exist in reality.
It is ineveitable that the process of dealing with terrorism is not a pleasant experience at a national level. It is an experience in which sometimes the innocent get caught in the cross fire. It is a time of death and a time for patience and understanding. It is also a time to look to the distant horizon for a better future, while dealing with the immediate problems so that the future aspirations can be realized soon. It is a time when the future ambitions need to be patiently waited, rather than demanded now.
It is indeed regrettable that the likes of Lasantha Wickramatunge get killed in a crusade to uphold individual rights in a time of conflict and extreme danger to our beloved nation. Their sacrifices will not be in vain, for they have seen the distant future and decided to stake their lives on the promise of a better tommorrow for the majority of the people. At the same time, the nation needs to understand the grave and urgent need to prioritize the efforts to eradicate terrorism from the Sri Lankan shores, so that the bright future in which individual freedoms can take wing can truly dawn in Sri Lanka.
In the pursuit of that goal, our national security concerns need to override all else. Those who get in the way need to understand and accept the consequences.
Intimidation and attacks on the media are nothing new in Sri Lanka. In any case, they are a historical factor in any nation facing existentialist threats, going a long way back. In Britain, during WWII, Sir Winston Churchill even threatened to consider any media reports on anything that can be advantageous to the Nazis to be an act of espionage and to have the responsible reporters executed as spies. The world looks back on such events with a mixture of feelings, predominant of them being admiration.
Sri Lanka's story is no different. Even though spectacular and completely unpredicted success has been achieved by our armed forces in the battle field, the oft disproven pundits still want to convince us that the war is far from over. The LTTE has been severely routed in every confrontation, and faces imminent death in the hands of a determined and overwhelming force of Sri Lankan military and they want us to believe that the Tigers have been there before and always bounced back. The facts and the dynamics of the present situation say it is a new story this time. Those who want us to believe the same old baseless bullshit are gradually becoming more desperate by the day.
In this conflict, the Sri Lankans established a new military doctrine for the world to follow. Terrorism can no longer be considered an unconquerable threat. It can and must be beaten militarily before anything else need to be done to address the 'grievences' which led to terrorism, if any exist in reality.
It is ineveitable that the process of dealing with terrorism is not a pleasant experience at a national level. It is an experience in which sometimes the innocent get caught in the cross fire. It is a time of death and a time for patience and understanding. It is also a time to look to the distant horizon for a better future, while dealing with the immediate problems so that the future aspirations can be realized soon. It is a time when the future ambitions need to be patiently waited, rather than demanded now.
It is indeed regrettable that the likes of Lasantha Wickramatunge get killed in a crusade to uphold individual rights in a time of conflict and extreme danger to our beloved nation. Their sacrifices will not be in vain, for they have seen the distant future and decided to stake their lives on the promise of a better tommorrow for the majority of the people. At the same time, the nation needs to understand the grave and urgent need to prioritize the efforts to eradicate terrorism from the Sri Lankan shores, so that the bright future in which individual freedoms can take wing can truly dawn in Sri Lanka.
In the pursuit of that goal, our national security concerns need to override all else. Those who get in the way need to understand and accept the consequences.
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