About Us
“Saving Sri Lanka” is written by a group of individuals who are deeply concerned about the suppression of truth in Sri Lanka. We believe that access to independent information is crucial to the sustenance of justice and democracy. Our stories may not appear in the public media, but we hope that by highlighting them here, they will be heard.
It is often said that truth is the first casualty of war. Our mission is to act as a source of objective information about what is happening in the beautiful but war-torn country of Sri Lanka. The reason is simple: most news in Sri Lanka comes from one of two sides and freedom of press is not a reality.
The Sri Lankan media, like the people, is highly polarized. The Sinhala media, which has the widest reach and thus very significant influence, has become increasingly nationalistic in its tone; accordingly, the government is portrayed as the heroic savior of the Sinhala nation, while all those who dissent are vilified as the enemy. The Tamil media, which enjoys a large audience in the diaspora, is similarly divisive. The situation becomes further complicated when the government and LTTE use physical threats against the media to ensure that only positive accounts of their actions are published. Their determined antagonism to democratic dissent is evidenced by the murders, abductions, and assaults that occur almost daily against journalists, activists, and other citizens who try to report realistically about unflattering aspects of the nation’s war (see our Tribute section, and future posts, for more information).
The “objective” reporting which seems wanting here is a role which is ostensibly filled by the international media, but there is a problem: their reports are filtered through the government. They only know as much as the government wants them to, and therefore, so do the people of Sri Lanka and the international community. See the problem? Some people in Sri Lanka know things, terrible things that would cause local and worldwide outrage if publicized, but how can they disseminate that information? Either they publish it in their own side’s media and appear to be biased and preaching to the choir; or they can express in a more objective forum until they are silenced by the government or the Tigers; but mostly they keep their mouths shut for fear of their lives.
This blog was started to get this information out to you, the people of Sri Lanka and the world, so you’ll know that there are major problems here beyond what you hear about on CNN or the BBC. Both sides are committing atrocities, but the government would have us believe that they are the good guys and the Tigers are terrorists; meanwhile, the Tigers claim they are the true voice of the people. There is more to the story; neither side has clean hands. The world needs to know. We may be endangering ourselves by having this site, but now we are in the public eye. If the blog falls silent without warning, you’ll know something has happened to us; someone has made the attempt to shut us up.
This site has been created with an English-speaking international audience in mind and is designed to be readily accessible. Please visit our “Background” page to familiarize yourself with the basic situation in Sri Lanka, and the “Who’s Who, What’s What” section if you find yourself lost in unfamiliar names and terminology.
If you have any material to contribute please write us at saving.sri.lanka@gmail.com.
