The LTTE has hired a team of British journalists to edit its media releases that are despatched to more than 200 print and electronic media organisations around the world.
The releases are edited whenever there is sufficient information to make-up a bulletin. The press releases, purportedly issued by the political committee of the LTTE, are distributed by mail, fax and through a state-of-the-art internet information system called the Tamil-Net, head quartered in Norway.
The LTTE information system is primarily fed through two sources Ñ Sri Lanka and LTTE overseas offices. From Sri Lanka, the LTTE satellite phones operating out of the Mullaitivu jungles relay hot news and an LTTE cell in Colombo relays messages through phone and fax either to the LTTE London or Paris offices.
LTTE overseas offices, mostly the offices in Paris and London, debrief refugees and other visitors and provides information for the media releases. All the releases state that they originate from the LTTE Headquarters in Tamil Eelam, the separate state the LTTE has been fighting for over a decade.
Although listed as the LTTE international secretariat, the LTTE office in 211 Katherine Road, London E6 1BU, United Kingdom, is no more than the center for propaganda activity. Since the establishment of Tamil House in London, the LTTE has employed a number of foreign journalists. Today, the LTTE media releases are written by these foreign writers whose writing style appeals more to a Western audience. Further, the LTTE has sought the assistance of a Public Relations Agency. In keeping with the advice of the PR agency, the latest releases of the LTTE focus on the humanitarian aspects of the crisis and project that the people of the north east are totally against the government and for the LTTE.
They also focus on generating grey propaganda. Grey propaganda, as opposed to white and black, is generated using half truths. Verification of the story reveals that it is true but not totally. Often the story has been slanted to suit the LTTE. Examples of LTTE stories are:
“Sinhala Colonisation Resumes: A fresh wave of Sinhala colonisation has begun in the heart of the Tamil port city of Trincomalee, residents confirm. Hindu temples, cemetery lands and Tamil homes have been taken by force by the Sri Lankan army which is making way for Sinhalese settlers. Existing deeds are being disregarded and fresh ones issued to the new inhabitants. The administration of much of Trincomalee district has now been handed over to Sinhalese officials hand-picked by the government to eject Tamils from their traditional areas and replace them with Sinhalese.
“State-sponsored colonisation of the Tamil land has been ongoing since Sri Lankan independence in 1948. The intention of these projects has always been to try and obscure Tamil people’s traditional homeland which existed even long before the period of European colonialism. During British rule, it was not easy to find a single Sinhalese living in the entire Trincomalee district.”
“Army Helicopter Crash Lands: Deputy Defence Minister General Ratwatte and Army Commander Rohan Daluwatte fled for safety after their helicopter came down with mechanical failure yesterday in Vavuniya. The Bell military helicopter carrying top officials of the army and police landed in the jungles one Kilometre away from army positions yesterday. The helicopter crew and military officials escaped back into army controlled territory in a rescue helicopter. The abandoned army helicopter which was lying close to army positions was destroyed by the LTTE fighters who arrived on the scene.”
“Murdered Tamils Washed Ashore: The bullet ridden bodies of two Tamil fishermen killed by the Sri Lankan navy while fishing were washed ashore in Nachchikuda (near Mannar) on Friday. The third fisherman Ponnuthurai Collington (19) who was also with them is still missing. The fishermen washed ashore are: Alphonso Yokanatham (45) and Christopher Sebastian (37).”
“Mankulam Hospital Unable To Cope: Patients are being turned away from the Mankulam hospital in Vanni as the one doctor who runs the hospital is unable to cope with the ever increasing number of patients who come to the hospital for treatment. Despite the government’s claim that they are looking after Tamil people living in unoccupied territory the reality is that the Sinhala-dominated government is deliberately depriving these Tamil hospitals of staff as well as other medical facilities.”
“Army Tightens Grip: In an effort to tighten its grip on the Tamil port-city of Trincomalee the Sinhala army has decided to issue special identity papers to residents from January 1997. One copy is to be given to the head of the family, the second is to be held by the local headman while the third will be held by the police. The residents will have to pay for the cost of the identity papers.
“All visitors to Trincomalee will have to surrender their national identity cards to army officers at the entrance to the city. On surrendering their identity papers, the visitors will be issued at the army barrier with temporary permits. Residents of Trincomalee describe the city as fast becoming in a state of siege.”
Of late, the LTTE has mounted tremendous pressure on Amnesty International, International Committee of the Red Cross, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and various International Non Governmental Organisations to support it.. It continues to bombard these organisations with media releases.
An Amnesty International official said that “for us to investigate a human rights abuse case anywhere in the world we spend Sri Lankan Rs 50,000 to 60,000 on an average. We do not take the cases brought forth by the LTTE seriously. The LTTE has killed more Tamil people than anybody else. We have no access to LTTE jails, where there is brutal torture.”
He added, “After the posters appeared in Paris questioning the killing of two LTTE leaders and the whereabouts of Mahattaya, we are considering collecting information about Mahattaya, the former Deputy leader of the LTTE, and Balasingham, the Political Advisor of the LTTE.”
Meanwhile, government propaganda chiefs have been asked why they have failed to bring the recent series of massacres by the LTTE to the attention of the international press.
One of them responded, “We do not have the resources like the LTTE.” A Ministry of Defence official said, “An interministerial committee between foreign affairs and defence has been proposed but until this gets going the LTTE will be on top of us in terms of propaganda.”
He added, “The report calls for a 24 hour operations room to monitor LTTE activity around the globe We are now convinced that the LTTE generates money and buys weapons through propaganda and we have to fight the LTTE propaganda network.”
Go to the Fifth Column
Return to the Editorial/Opinion contents page