Tamilnet

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Sri Lankan Conflict
Background

• Sri Lanka • History of Sri Lanka
Origins of the Civil War

• Origins of the Civil War
• Black July • Human Rights Issues • Riots and pogroms
• Attributed State terrorism
• Prison massacres
• Tamil militant groups
LTTE

• LTTE • Attributed Terrorist attacks • Child Soldiers
• Attributed assasinations
• Notable Attacks • Expulsion of Muslims from Jaffna
Major figures

• Mahinda Rajapakse
• Velupillai Prabhakaran
• Karuna Amman
• Sarath Fonseka
Indian Involvement

• Operation Poomalai
• Indo-Sri Lanka Accord
• Indian Peace Keeping Force
• Rajiv Gandhi • RAW
See also

• Military of Sri Lanka
• TMVP • EPDP
• Notable assassinations

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TamilNet is a news website that provides news and feature articles on current affairs in Sri Lanka, specifically related to the ongoing ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. Its reporting is considered to be pro-rebel LTTE organization.[1][2][3][4]

The website was formed by members of the Sri Lankan Tamil community residing in the United States and publishes articles in English(See here)and German (see here).

Contents

[edit] Modus operandi

Tamilnet articles are written in the elegant,simple and informitive style of reporting. This is in the neutral-authoritative tone of most Western wire news services. Facts and figure are double sourced, checked and are considered "100 % credible", according to V. Sambanandan, Sri Lanka Special Correspondent for the prominent Indian English Daily, The Hindu.[5]

Tamilnet reporters are on the ground mostly in the provincial villages of the North and East, where reporters are supplied with digital equipment. Reports are generated in Tamil and emailed to bilingual translators and editors in United States, Europe, Australia or to Colombo, Sri Lanka. [5] This network of on the ground reporters has allowed Tamilnet to circumvent Sri Lankan government's censorship laws[5]

[edit] Perceptions

In its reporting, Tamilnet is widely considered to support the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a politico-military organization fighting to carve out a separate homeland for Tamils in Sri Lanka. The LTTE is listed as a terrorist organization by a number of countries including the United States, Canada and the European Union. Reuters, AP, AFP and Xinhua all refer to TamilNet as "the pro-LTTE website". [1] [2] [3] [4] The Christian Science Monitor calls Tamilnet "the official website of the LTTE". [6]

ExpertsMW[›] in the field argue Tamilnet merely shares the Sri Lankan Tamil NationalistSri Lankan Tamil Nationalism[›] ideology of the LTTE and is not an arm of the organization. [5] For instance Tamilnet had fired a sub- editor, once he became an activist for the LTTE. [5] Tamilnet has faced complaints and 'extreme displeasure' from both the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE. [5] The LTTE has been deeply unhappy of 'undue' coverage given on Tamilnet to criticism of the organization by international human rights organizations.[5] However much of the criticism directed at Tamilnet by the LTTE is off public view, since the LTTE considers such moves as weakening Tamil nationalism [5]

[edit] References

It is often used by the international news media outlets such as BBC, CNN, Reuters, AP, AFP and Xinhua to report the LTTE perspective of incidents in Sri Lanka. [1] [2] [3] [4]

[edit] Controversy

Tamilnet has been accused of false reporting by the government of Sri Lanka and adhering to a Tamil Nationalist perspective.[7] Experts in the field argue Tamilnet's accuracy of its reporting has "rarely been successfully challenged that such charges ring hollow".[citation needed]

  • On August 6, 2006, a Tamilnet article titled "SLA shelling kills 15 civilians, injures 20" included published photographs of people it said died from "shells fired by the Sri Lanka Army and Sri Lanka Navy."[8] The report stated that "the shelling" took place at "around 7 p.m." on August 6. However, the camera timestamp on the pictures indicated a time of between between 12.37 p.m. and 12.40 p.m [8]. Tamilnet has subsequently acknowledged the timestamp on the pictures were incorrect. [8] Asian Tribune reported that unnamed analysts questioned as to how an incident that took place "around 7.15 p.m." on August 6 presuming it was photographed over five hours earlier.[9] It is alleged by the Asiantribune that one of the images was subsequently removed from the website.[9] The Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence posted a copy of the Asian Tribune article and added that, since all the photographs were of women, it speculated that they were from the LTTE "Women Brigade", and had been dressed as civilians after they were killed in previous fighting.[10]
  • On August 11, 2006, Tamilnet reported that LTTE aircraft had attacked a Sri Lankan Military base at Palaly, Jaffna.[11] The Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence claimed that this was a lie.[12] While Tamilnet claimed that the attack had started at around 9.30 p.m. Sri Lanka time[11], the article itself was posted at 15:29 Greenwich Mean Time or 9:29 p.m. Sri Lanka Time.

[edit] Threats & Murders

It has been alleged that members associated with various Sri Lankan political parties have threatened reporters of Tamilnet with arrest for "treason", and once hinted, that "uncontrolled extremists might be inspired to perform some extra-judicial killing".Extra Judicial killing[›][5] (See Notable assassinations of the Sri Lankan Civil War)

Mylvaganam Nimalarajan, a Jaffna based reporter for the BBC, [13] who also filed news reports for Tamilnet was shot and killed in 2000. The accused who is a ex-member of EPDP (Eelam People’s Democratic Party) headed by cabinet minister Douglas Devananda, a coalition member of many ruling alliances, has been absconding since his bailout.[14]

In 2005, Tamilnet's editor Taraki Sivaram, was kidnapped and then shot and killed in Colombo by unknown gunmen. His body was found next to the parliament building.[15] Currently a former member of PLOTE(Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam) a minor political organization and a known paramilitary group has been accused in the murder.[16]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  • ^  Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism:  Sri Lankan Tamil nationalism is expressed in the political desire by some to form an independent nation state called Tamil Eelam for the minority Sri Lankan Tamil people. Both moderate TULF and TNA and militant groups such as LTTE, EPRLF, PLOTE, EPDP etc have expressed such political goals either in the past or now.[19]
  • ^  Extra Judicial killing:  Sri Lankans have suffered an a spate of extra judicial killings since the beginning of the civil war. The UN and other international bodies have expressed grave concern over the spate of extra judicial killings in Sri Lanka. [20]


[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Gardner, Simon. "Tamil Tigers warn Sri Lanka offensive could end truce", Reuters, 2006-08-31. Retrieved on October 1, 2006.
  2. ^ a b c "Sri Lankan military says 11 soldiers killed in fierce battle with rebels in the north", Associated Press, 2006-09-08. Retrieved on October 1, 2006.
  3. ^ a b c "Peace hopes rise as Tigers ‘agree’ to talk", AFP, 2006-09-28. Retrieved on October 7, 2006.
  4. ^ a b c "Sri Lanka Air Force bombs rebel positions in north", Xinhua, 2006-09-22. Retrieved on October 7, 2006.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mark, Whittaker (2006-08-31). "Tamilnet.com: Some Reflections on Popular Anthropology, Nationalism, and the Internet". Anthropological Quarterly]. Retrieved on 2006-10-19. 
  6. ^ "Tamil Tiger suicide attack kills dozens of Sri Lankan sailors", Christian Science Monitor, 2006-10-17. Retrieved on October 21, 2006.
  7. ^ Pirani, Cenan (August 2005). Charting Tamilnet’s Influence on International Media Reporting. Retrieved on October 1, 2006.
  8. ^ a b c "SLA shelling kills 15 civilians, injures 20", Tamilnet, 2006-08-06. Retrieved on August 6, 2006.
  9. ^ a b "LTTE propaganda boomerangs again", 2006-08-08. Retrieved on October 1, 2006.
  10. ^ LTTE propaganda boomerangs again. Sri Lankan Military of Defence (2006-08-08). Retrieved on October 2, 2006.
  11. ^ a b "Tiger aircraft rockets Palaly base, curfew in Jaffna", Tamilnet, 2006-08-11. Retrieved on October 2, 2006.
  12. ^ Tamilnet Exposed "Lying" once again. Sri Lankan Military of Defence (2006-08-13). Retrieved on October 2, 2006.
  13. ^ CPJ Report Mylvaganam Nimalarajan, free-lancer killed (December 1, 2000)
  14. ^ Ex EPDP confesses to the killing Tamilnet report (July 04, 2002)
  15. ^ Frontline report End of a dissenter (May 21, 2005)
  16. ^ "Tamilnet editor's murder still unpunished after one year", International Federation of Journalists, 2005-04-28. Retrieved on April 6, 2007.
  17. ^ Amiable Incoherence: Manipulating Histories and Modernities in a Batticaloa Hindu Temple By Professor Mark Whitaker, Publisher: Vu University Press July 1999 (ISBN 9-053-83644-6)
  18. ^ USCA faculty Professor Mark Whitaker,1986
  19. ^ Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism: Its Origins and Development in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, By Professor A. Jeyaratnam Wilson Publisher: University of British Columbia Press (March 2000) (ISBN 1-850-65338-0)
  20. ^ APWLD/FA Statement on extrajudicial killing in Sri Lanka, Philippines and Chechnya at the UN Human Rights Council Asia Pacific forum on Women, Law and Development 2006

[edit] Further reading

  • Nurturing a Nation on the Net: The Case of Tamil Eelam , by Maya Ranganathan, NATIONALISM AND ETHNIC POLITICS; 2002, VOL 8; PART 2, pages 51-66. ISSN; 1353-7113
  • Nurturing Eelam on the net : the transmission of nationalist ideologies through Sri Lankan Tamil websites , by Maya Ranganathan, Clayton, Vic. : Monash Asia Institute, 2006 See infor here
  • Potential of the Net to Construct and Convey Ethnic and National Identities: Comparison of the Use in the Sri Lankan Tamil and Kashmir Situations, by Maya Ranganathan, Asian Ethinicity: Taylor & Francis Group, 2004
  • Learning Politics from Sivaram, The Life and Death of a Revolutionary Tamil Journalist in Sri Lanka, by Mark P. Whitaker Publisher: Pluto Press (UK) 2007 (ISBN 0-745-32353-7)

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../t/a/m/Tamilnet.html"
In other languages