Untitled Document

Editorial

News management or censorship?
What's the government's answer to the increasing incidence of ceasefire violations by the LTTE? To pretend that such violations do not happen. That at least seems to be the bottom line, considering the fact that the government has decreed that all news emanating from the operational headquarters of the Ministry of Defence, be channelled through the "Peace Secretariat.''

Our Situation Report on the opposite page carries a detailed report of the latest Government directive. But it's worth asking who is fooling whom, in this whole peace charade? The Situation Report also points out pertinently that the LTTE has not relented in its own dissemination of anti-government news. The net result is that the government soft peddles LTTE ceasefire violations, while the LTTE goes ahead full steam in its own propaganda exercise of discrediting the government by giving its own version of various incidents that have taken place, particularly in the so called cleared areas controlled by the Sri Lankan army.

A tense situation developed last week when some guerrilla leaders and cadres in uniform attempted to crossover to the Wanni. But the Sri Lankan defence establishment was not happy, as such a movement of cadres in uniform with weapons was clearly in violation of the ceasfire agreement. But, such provocative activities by the LTTE which the army certainly does not want to condone, are now being subjected to a virtual censorship by the authorities.

Even though the previous regime resorted to direct censorship at least during one particular interregnum in its stewardship, the current trend seems to be even less transparent than direct censorship is. The government's own media czar who also occupied similar spokesperson positions during the previous regime has apparently not ruled out censorship - but the insidious way in which news is to be "managed'' or controlled by the peace secretariat is definitely not exemplary behaviour by a so called transparent regime.

Apparently the government has lodged almost fifteen times the number of complaints about ceasefire violations than the LTTE has, and it is in the government's own interests to ensure that such violations are known by the public at large and the international community in particular. But the "see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil'' policy of the government seems to be aimed at maintaining an artificial "peace euphoria'' while also saving face for the government which has signed a ceasefire agreement with the LTTE separatists. Apparently the government's media czars have suspended the publication of daily situation reports over the army website, which is clearly a signal for the army to shut up and put up with the ceasefire violations. It is worth asking what the government seeks to accomplish by muzzling its own Army in such a way.

Perhaps the government does not want to look too silly - after having waxed eloquent about a ceasefire agreement which was sold as a precursor to peace. The fact of the matter is that there are still no real sources of information other than the Army and the MoD reports, but when these are being censored obliquely (or managed by the peace secretariat) there will be confusion and chaos because there will be the element of independent reporting which will certainly map out at least some of the violations suppressed by the peace secretariat.

This will only add to the rumour and uncertainty about the entire peace process - and the peace euphoria perhaps will be damaged more than the government thinks it will be damaged with a free flow of information.

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