Anti-Terrorism Laws Also Protect Human Lives, Human rights, Property and the Civilised Society

Dilrook Kannangara

It is a common practice around the world to muzzle the press during times of war. US, UK, Japan, Australia, EU countries, Israel, Canada are classic examples of such suppression during their wars. Repeated attempts by Al Jazeera to telecast into these countries have failed recently thanks to anti-terror laws. Funds of many Muslim organisations including media, charitable and religious organisations have been frozen. Sri Lanka’s PTA is a copy of the UK legislation and therefore like effects should be expected from it.

Anti-terrorism laws are implemented to avert LTTE attacks on the population and economic nerve centres. They have been very effective the world over. Given the barbarianism of the LTTE, its navel and aerial capabilities, its record number of suicide bombers (world’s largest suicide brigade) most of whom are women and children, its use of very powerful bombs unseen anywhere in the world and its stealth, we have to implement strong counter terrorism measures. As part of such measures, deliberate and/or unintentional attempts to cripple the war effort or to support the terrorists are barred.

However, HRW should appreciate that in spite of these measures, the right to news is not curtailed in anyway in Sri Lanka.

Any right thinking person would agree that Sri Lankans have more important things at stake than press freedom. More over media freedom is not curtailed in Sri Lanka; all popular media channels are free and only a minority upon a minority number of people out of the 20 million are affected by not having access to Mawbima, Standard, Sudar Oli, etc. Even less number of people depend on these newspapers for news. Majority of Sri Lankans do not read any of these as they are known to be utterly sympathetic towards terrorists. If the civil society is let to suffer such nonsense, it defeats the spirit of democracy, law and order and respect for fellow citizens.

It should also be recognised that Sri Lanka is one of the very few countries that don’t have media guidelines, media ownership restrictions and other similar controls. It is pathetic that HRW makes no attempt to highlight the good side of the laws and doesn’t point out the number of readers affected as a percentage of the 20 million.

As mentioned above the vast majority of Sri Lankans support the government’s war effort for obvious reasons. LTTE has repeatedly proved that they are nothing but a barbarian group hell bent on destroying the civilised and democratic society. We are ready to procrastinate our desire to indulge in all forms of freedom, unrestricted, for the day when the last terrorist dies. If the war effort continues at this rate, that day is not far away. HRW should respect our priorities and they should appreciate that we know what our priorities are and they HRW has no right to tell us what our priorities should be.

Criticizing the Karuna Group is another common exaggeration. Karuna Group is engaged in humanitarian missions in liberated areas; they are doing a great job. For the first time people trapped in war zones en masse started crossing to the government side. Karuna Group is among their true liberators. What HRW should do is to help that group improve on their record, not criticise.

Sri Lankans are after true freedom; we are not satisfied with name-sake freedoms when the country is plagued with terror. Biggest threat to human rights is not anti-terror laws, but terrorists. Help us eliminate terrorists and terrorism, freedom will dawn automatically. If HRW is genuinely concerned with human rights, that is what they should do. Until they make that move, we have to put up with their bulls hit (deliberate).