The Media and the Future of Sri Lanka: Young Canadians’ Peace Dialogue on Sri Lanka
Repost This ArticleThe co-editor of Groundviews Nigel Nugawela spoke recently at a progressive forum of young Canadian – Sri Lankans in Toronto on the role of media in post-war Sri Lanka, including the use of new media and ICTs. The discussion also featured,
- V.V. GANESHANANTHAN – Novelist (Love Marriage), Blogger and Journalist
- ARJUNA RANAWANA – News Manager, OMNI TV Alberta, Edmonton
- MARTIN REGG COHN – Deputy Editorial Page Editor, The Toronto Star
Nigel’s presentation starts at around 38 minutes into the video.
The event was part of a series of invitation-only events organised by the Mosaic Institute called “Peace Dialogue” for approximately 100 young, peace-focused members of the relevant sub-communities of Sri Lanka, all ages 18-30, presented in cooperation with the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre.
Man things I learn, by listening to people. Thank you for chipping away on my ignorance. At least I used a discount card on Barnes & Noble and ordered Love Marriage”, I am sure I will gain some by reading..
Will this have any effect on things in Sri Lanka? I don’t think so.
I listened to the whole thing. Each person related his experiance. There appeared to be agreement that media freedom is essential for democracy. One spoke about Tamilnet but did not express any opinion.
I beleive that Tamilnet reports are correct – it is quoted by sri lankan and foreign media.
There was passing reference to Sun Sea & the tamil asylum seekers.
The fact that the majority of sinhalese in canada too, came as refugees was ignored.
Towards the end there appeared to be consensus that ‘terrorism’ was defeated. But State Terror (ism) which caused it was not mentioned.
@Gagan – a dialog that leads to understanding between Sinhalese and Tamil communities in the diaspora can have many positive effects in Sri Lanka. As the organisers of this event pointed out one of the key objectives of this process is to identify a concrete project that could be undertaken, by the participants in this dialog, to help in the peace and reconciliation process in Sri Lanka.
@ Justitia –
The panellists pointed out that no single news source (including Tamilnet) could be trusted to give the full picture of the situation in Sri Lanka. I think Mr. Cohn pointed out that during the war period Tamilnet was a useful ‘tip’ service for potential stories. I guess this is true because Tamilnet had access to sources within the LTTE controlled areas. To me, the fact that Tamilnet reports rarely (if ever) admitted to LTTE casualties in their reports of military engagements with the SLA suggests Tamilnet *was* biased in favour of the LTTE.
Also, you suggest that the majority of Sinhala expatriates in Canada also arrived as refugees. Could you provide some evidence of this? Whilst I can see that some Sinhala people could have claimed refugee status, I don’t see on what grounds a majority could have done so.
Life in Hitler’s Third Reich and Rajapaksa’s Family Reich
The paragraph given below is taken from William L. Shirers “THE RISE AND FALL OF THE THIRD REICH”.
When reading it, substitute the word Sri Lankans for Germans
substitute the word Nazi officials and sources with those in power
substitute the names Hitler & Goebbels with those in or close to the regime
“I myself was to experience how easily one is taken in by a lying and censored press and radio in a totalitarian state. Though unlike most Germans I had daily access to foreign newspapers, especially those of London, Paris and Zurich,which arrived the day after publication, and though I listened regularly to the BBC and other foreign broadcasts, my job necessitated the spending of many hours a day in combing the German press, checking the German radio, conferring with Nazi officials and going to party meetings. It was surprising and sometimes consternating to find that notwithstanding the opportunities I had to learn the facts and despite one’s inherent distrust of what one learned from Nazi sources,a steady diet over the years of falsifications and distortions made a certain impression on one’s mind and often misled it. No one who has not lived for years in a totalitarian land can possibly conceive how difficult it is to escape the dread consequences of a regime’s calculated and incessant propaganda. Often in a German home or office or sometimes in a casual conversation with a stranger in a restaurant, a beer hall, a cafe, I would meet with the most outlandish assertions from seemingly educated and intelligent persons. It was obvious that they were parroting some piece of nonsense they had heard on the radio or read in the newspapers. Sometimes one was tempted to say as much, but on such occasions one was met with such a stare of incredulity, such a shock of silence, as if one had blasphemed the Almighty, that one realized how useless it was even to try to make contact with a mind which had become warped and for whom the facts of life had become what Hitler and Goebbels, with their cynical disregard for truth, said they were.”
These are truly encouraging signs – as long as there are people who are willing to cross boundaries and listen and open their hearts to ‘others’ there is hope.
Arjuna’s point about the way the media is divided on language lines and reflects the biases in society is striking
the manipulators are very smart – and it is always easy to mobilize hatred against the other – not compassion
so long as people see things in terms of generalizations spouted by opinion makers there is a huge challenge in moving fwd. maybe one way is to use the same tactic to beat them down –
I suppose if we want to change this country we must change the way we relate to its people – all of them – politicians included
Repression of nations of people, has the common characteristics of discrimination, denial of truthful justice, abductions, torture, arbitrary arrests, rape, disappearnce and murder; regardless of where it comes from.
The plan, pattern and design of the oppressor is identical, and the purpose is to remove the dignity and identity of people.
With the intent to eliminate such ugly violence against humanity, a resurgence of the oppressed people all over the world, especially amongst the repressed people in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangaladesh, Afghanistan, Burma, China and Russia has become absolutely necessary.
We must say “enough is enough” and form a World forum and strongly voice the acts of repressions in Countries. “Time has come for the week to say I am strong”
If non aligned movement can exist why not us?
We could name this movement as Movement Of Oppressed Nations(MON)
God, who created this world for all of us to live happily, is against injustice and all forms of oppression.
His favour and blessings will surely be with MON to crush the head of repression with a loud voice.
@ dear ordinary lankan,
the French revolution and the Russian revolution were not made by …like you said.
“so long as people see things in terms of generalizations spouted by opinion makers there is a huge challenge in moving fwd. maybe one way is to use the same tactic to beat them down.”
NO. There is a time to talk…and a time to act! WE CAN NOT TURN THE OTHER CHEEK WHEN IT COMES TO A DICTATORSHIP! Sri lanka today is a functioning dictatorship under the guise of a democracy. FULL STOP. Ha…ha…ha…Thittha! Wake Up! Be Aware about what is happening in this beautiful country! In the near future the JVP will start something (which will be called a revolution)… and then it will become like going into the frying pan into the fire! Read about the Girondists and the Jacobins…during the French revolution! Remember Chairman Mao’s Red Guards? Listen to our local Goebbels (Hudson Samarasinghe) on Sinhala SLBC in the morning at 7am. The programme is called “Dasa desin hatha ta.”
Justita
Your loyalty to ‘tamilnet’ is as same as that of the cohorts in the government media. The two sides of a coin!
No Sinhalese has migrated to Canada as a refugee, and if there are any please show evidence. All the Sinhalese have gone on various categories like skilled, student, work permit and family package. Canada won’t consider the Sinhalese as refugees (how good if they did, to live on free money for five years or so…!)
See the how the children of refugees spoke in the discussion here!
The experience Arjuna has had in the media both in Canada and Sri-Lanka, made his views to be particularly illuminating. The Tamil diaspora tends to view post war situation from a mind set that seems resolutely unwilling to understand the changed ground reality in Sri-Lanka.
The lack of free expression in Sri-Lanka is often high lighted from a view point of deteriorating democratic values. But as a Tamil, I find there is virtually no discussion in the Tamil media either in Sri-Lanka or overseas of the human right abuses committed by the tigers such as forced recruitment of children, assassination of moderate Sri-Lankans, expulsion of Muslims and Sinhalese from Tamil areas and the forced imprisonment of Tamil people at Mullivaikal. Tamils need to understand that unless these issues are addressed and atoned for, the premise (that a genocide has been committed on Tamils) on which the next phase of the “struggle” that is being undertaken will be hollow. Lastly Tamilnet is not a source of credible news but one of the sources to consider, in comprehending the current situation in Sri-Lanka. I guess you have to read a lot in between lines!
As one of the attendees of the event, its great to see some responses from the wider community. Speaking on my own behalf, I would like to respond to some of the comments.
@Gagan: given the amount of knowledge you have about the group, I would caution against such dismissive attitudes about our impact in Sri Lanka.
@longus: there are enough Sinhalese who can recount their own experiences in leaving. As Arjuna Ranawana himself states, he had to go underground as a dissident journalist.
I would also encourage you to watch the first session here:
http://bit.ly/aqzL2R
Romesh H
Thank you for the second video, where I saw that chubby American making the admission that there is hypocricy in the activities of the US and the Western powers in Iraq, Afganistan and elsewhere, BUT the “SCALE” of humanitarian tragedy is far less than in Sri Lanka!
My Holy Foot! I think this speach was made before the wikileaks made that final damning revelation recently!