Every argument has two sides

It is not every day I agree with a state newspaper, so please spare me you're liberal rantings. The article in question is the editorial "Double Standards" in the Daily News (www.dailynews.lk). In particular, I concur with this stand:

"The Security Forces and the Police/STF are named and shamed at the slightest opportunity, even without substantial proof. The Forces have been blamed for the Muttur aid workers' killings, the Pottuvil massacre and most recently the abduction of children in the East, even before any proper investigation could get underway.

On the other hand, the LTTE often gets a more sanitised treatment. These statements often say that the perpetrators have not been identified yet, that more evidence is needed or worse, a 'third party' could be responsible even in instances where the blame could be laid squarely on the LTTE's door."

Anyone who has paid even passing attention to the civil conflict in Sri Lanka will realise this statement is true. The UN, NGOs and the international press is particularly guilty of this malaise. I once complained to the BBC about the stance they take over extra-judicial killings and such, and was told that while the BBC strives to maintain impartiality, it is very hard to gather information on the ground, and thus they relied heavily on eyewitness reports.

Well ofcoure no-one is going to irritate a terrorist organisation that has thrived for over 26 years by killing off every opponent. Further, when pressed that the reporting was overly skewed towards reporting news of atrocities commited against Tamils, the BBC responded to me saying (in essence) that this was market driven since most of BBC's readers concerned with Sri Lanka are Tamils. While I applaud the BBC and other news organisations for their business prowess, I call into question their impartiality claim. When you report only one side of the conflict, especially its excesses, you give readers the impression that only one side commits atrocities and prolongs the conflict. The same idea applies to apportioning blame for atrocities. The UN, NGOs and the international press should either stick their neck out and blame the LTTE on the spot for atrocities bearing their hallmarks (suicide bombings, claymore attacks etc.) or show restraint when reporting on the GOSL or army behaviour.

Please note that I am not condoning the conduct of either side over the last two decades (even though I despise the LTTE). I am simply stating that BOTH sides in this conflict are bastards and it would be an injustice to claim otherwise.