A Propaganda Tsunami

Tsunami killer waves of Dec 26, 2004 brought sorrow and destruction to mostcoastal parts of Sri Lanka. The wave did not discriminate between rich or thepoor, the army or the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the governmentcontrolled areas or the areas temporarily controlled by the LTTE.  Many saythat clouds of war were looming when the Tsunami struck, and this tragedy hasgiven an opportunity for all Sri Lankans to work together and to re-build thecountry as it faced the worst natural disaster in its history. Nearly fortythousand perished within just two hours. The long conflict, so far, has seenjust about 70,000 dead over a period of twenty years. As he surveyed thedevastation, former US Secretary of State, General Collin Powell, said he hadnot seen such destruction even in the battle field or a war zone.

Neither Sri Lanka nor the world was ready to face a disaster of this magnitude,but each rallied around to do its part. The Sri Lankan President, ChandrikaKumaratunga, returned immediately from London; a Centre for National DisasterOperation was set up to coordinate relief and rescue operations across affectedareas in the country, whether under the control of the LTTE or in the South. Inthe initial stages, the LTTE leader Prabhakaran was no where to be seen leadingto speculation that he had become a victim of the Tsunami. However, he appearedmuch later to meet with the Norwegian foreign minister, Jan Petersen, thoughmany in Sri Lanka continued to believe that Prabhakaran was dead and that it wasonly a double who met Petersen.

With the Tsunami, the LTTE front Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), knownas its fundraising outfit and banned in a number of countries, including USA, UKand Malaysia, came to the forefront in the areas temporarily controlled by theLTTE. They seized the opportunity, riding on the sympathy wave around the world,with the TRO organizing fundraising campaigns even in countries like the UnitedKingdom (UK) where they are banned. The governments of these counties turned ablind eye to these activities, even though posters and other publicity materialrequested support only for the north and the east of Sri Lanka. At the sametime, the TRO and the LTTE carried out a sinister propaganda exercise, claimingthe government had done nothing to help the people of the north and the east.The Sri Lankan foreign minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar, on March 17, told agathering at the prestigious International Institute for Strategic Studies inLondon that the LTTE should not be allowed to use the Tsunami for propaganda.

The World Food Programme and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),which have often been seen and accused of being sympathetic towards the LTTE,have both denied that the government had neglected the North and the East in itsrelief operations. Nevertheless, the TRO/LTTE campaign of calumny continues, andhas secured some sympathy from sections of the western media and gulliblewestern countries and International Non-governmental Organisations (INGOs).

The TRO, mainly with support from some INGOs, appears to have taken full controlof the situation and the operation in the areas under the LTTE's currentcontrol. A report published by the TRO this month on their progress lookedimpressive in print and shows many foreign nationals working with the TRO.However, the world does not have a full report on the damage, death anddestruction in the areas currently under LTTE control, and there is evidence ofsignificant distortions. A community worker in the North said "We arefacing a dilemma here. The TRO prevents us from working freely here and theyobstruct any form of relief other than through them." 

Academic and Conflict Analyst, Dayan Jayatillke, said "Unless the TRO isgiven the monopoly they will continue to obstruct others from working in thenorth/east and giving relief to the affected people. They are adopting thepolicy of a 'Tiger in the manger'." He also said that TRO and the LTTE wereusing the Tsunami as an opportunity to gain lost sympathy and to fill theircoffers. Given the sheer quantum of relief funding flowing in, the LTTE-TROseeks direct control, while the government has proposed a joint mechanism thatwould ensure greater accountability. This is yet to be finalised and discussionshave dragged on.

Some sections of the NGOs in the North have, nevertheless, claimed that TRO hasdone a good job in trying to re-build the areas that have been devastated, evenwhile it helps the LTTE raise funds for other purposes. Even though there aremany LTTE front organizations, including, for instance, the White Pigeon,operating after the Tsunami, the TRO has taken the lead role, and it is evidentthat the LTTE is keen to give legitimacy. It is difficult to determine the exactquantum of funds being handled by the TRO after the tsunami, but, independentanalysts believe it to be in the billions of rupees. A TRO document concededthat the organization had received a sum of nearly USD 500 million betweenDecember 26 to January 26, including USD 500,000 from Norway. It stated furtherthat local institutions and private donations had added SLR 52.4 million, postalorders SLR 3.8 million, and another SLR 20.7 million from NGOs.

At least some of the relief operations are being exploited for illicit ends.Customs sources indicate that the TRO has cleared more than forty containerssince the tsunami, and more are pending clearance. However, the government wasforced to tighten its regulations on customs clearance for most NGOs and INGOs,including the TRO, after many unwanted goods and even sensitive communicationequipment, arms and helicopter and plane parts were found in containerspurportedly carrying relief goods. 

Thus, for instance, Sri Lanka's Air Force, on January 22, 2005, detained twounassembled helicopters that arrived with Tsunami aid supplies, saying theypresented a potential threat to national security. A Bell helicopter and anunidentified aircraft arrived at the international airport, sealed in woodencrates as part of a Tsunami aid consignment. The TRO, in retaliation, hasstarted a disinformation campaign, claiming that the government is taxing reliefgoods and making things difficult for relief organisations. A senior Brigadierof the Sri Lanka Army said " We cannot allow the country's security to bethreatened and allow interested parties to smuggle arms and other equipment inthe name of relief. That's why we have asked the Navy to check all thecontainers" However, Analyst Dayan Jayatillke said it was a ploy by theLTTE to create hatred among between international organizations and the government.

The LTTE, in turn, has accused the government of wanting to take control of thefunds in order to use them as a bargaining point in the stalled peace process.The government, however, has clearly stated that it has no intention ofexploiting the relief issue for political gains, as this is the largesthumanitarian disaster the country has ever faced. Some government officials havealso gone on record to state that 'ground level cooperation' with the LTTE hasbeen 'excellent'.

The present crisis is too great for relief to be held ransom to politics. Allthe victims want is a roof over their heads, their lost livelihood, and thechance to recover the fragments of their lives in peace.

Bandula Jayasekara is Correspondent, The Island newspaper in SriLanka, and The Lanka Academic. Courtesy, the South Asia IntelligenceReview of the South Asia Terrorism Portal