Abductions & hijacking human rights by Janaka Perera

Having read in the March 1 The Island the best LTTE joke in 20 years (Tigers committed to champion human rights in EU Parliament) the attempt to abduct veteran journalist and Asian Tribune Advisor H.L.D. Mahindapala at Geneva on February 22 seems to us another strange expression of LTTE’s "commitment to human rights!"

All those who do not subscribe to the Tigers' 'HR' agenda have undoubtedly breathed sighs of relief that the LTTE abduction attempt failed. Condemning the Tigers for the attempt – or for that matter any other of their despicable acts - would obviously serve no purpose. A skunk is always a skunk. Does it care a hoot when, where or how many people or how many times it is called a skunk? (A host of clowns are already preparing to bathe the skunk in perfume at the EU Parliament on March 7)

Nevertheless, many Sri Lankan patriots are surely curious to know the response of some of the vociferous free media champions to the abduction attempt. The world has witnessed how these defenders of freedom of expression exploded in 'righteous anger' whenever a pro-LTTE journalist met a violent death but became tongue tied or begin to stammer when a journalist falls victim to Tiger bullet. They largely ignored LTTE's attack on the Tamil Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) in London among other Tiger acts of violence against the media both in Sri Lanka and abroad.

But the 'free media champions' really need not worry. There are ways and means wriggling out of such a difficult situation. The best way is to call the abduction attempt a possible fabrication. Or else they can attribute the attempt to a mysterious 'third party' as the Norwegians and LTTE sympathizers did in the case of the unprovoked terrorist attack on a Chinese trawler off the Sri Lanka coast a few years ago.

In the event the free media champions are compelled to issue a statement deploring the abduction attempt they can always use the wishy-washy language that the National Peace Council uses when referring to Tiger terrorism. May be the Free Media people and the NPC can issue joint statement that can be worded thus:

"The alleged attempt to abduct Journalist H.L.D Mahinadapala, if true, was perhaps not in keeping with the spirit of the Geneva talks. If indeed the LTTE was involved in this incident, the international community is bound to deplore the attempt as an act bordering on intimidation and may be even terrorism. Therefore while welcoming the LTTE’s positive response to the talks, we would nevertheless appeal to the Tiger Leadership to ensure that it’s image is not tarnished by even an isolated act of violence that can obstruct the peace process."

In November last year several papers editorially condemned the assault on two Sunday Leader journalists at the funeral of Lt. Colonel T.R. Meedin – despite the fact that the reasons behind the incident remain sketchy. Will or can the same papers – including the SL - condemn with equal vehemence the attempted abduction of Mahindapala

(http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=17203)