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TamilNet has no right to media
freedom
By J Perera
sriyanjanaka@gmail.com
With the IT revolution, media in the contemporary world has become
the most effective weapon for either better or worse more than any other
time in history. And terrorists are obviously using it to their maximum
advantage. Needless to say the LTTE has beaten all other groups in this
venture. In fact today the Tigers rely on propaganda even more than
firepower.
There is no better proof of it than the way they created in less than
two decades a network of Western sympathizers and supporters who lobby
on the LTTE's behalf in Europe and North America, despite the fact that
the Tigers have been banned in the U.S., Canada and over 20 countries
in the European Union.
So if - as often trumpeted - defeating terrorism worldwide is top priority
for the U.S. and her Western Allies as well as Russia (among other countries)
it is imperative that terrorism - whether it is unleashed by the LTTE
or Al Queda, Taliban or any other extremist group - has to be dealt
with on two fronts, military and media.
Crippling the Tigers' propaganda worldwide has to be an essential part
of this anti-terrorist strategy. Here we need to be on high alert for
those bogus free media champions who charge that blocking the strongly
pro-LTTE website Tamil Net is a violation of media freedom.
The international community should clearly note that Tamil Net is not
just another media organization that is criticizing the government within
the democratic frame work of an undivided Sri Lankan State. If we go
by this absurd `free media' logic then the U.S. government should permit
the Al Queda and Taliban to publish newspapers and operate radio and
television stations in that country.
As we know the websites of Islamic terrorist groups have been blocked
in many countries. Hence we see no reason why the GOSL or any other
government should tolerate the TamilNet.
Did the British Government allow Nazis to run newspapers and radios
in Britain or her colonies in Word War II? The pro-Nazi Englishman,
William Joyce alias Lord Haw Haw had to flee Britain and do his anti-British
propaganda from Germany.
Cockeyed arguments on `media freedom' should be treated with the contempt
they deserve.
The Tamil Net is the propaganda arm of the enemy of the Sri Lankan
State and the Sri Lankan Nation – not merely the government regardless
of which political party has formed it. The TN was set up for the specific
purpose championing the LTTE's cause and to justify the bisection of
Sri Lanka.
In fact blocking this website should have been done much earlier. Now
that has been done in this country anyhow it is the duty of the big
powers including India to ensure that it blocked in their countries
too, if they are genuine opponents of terrorism.
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