'IPKF should have stayed in Sri Lanka for some more time'

By Our Staff Correspondent

MADIKERI, SEPT. 21. For the 20- member team of the Indo-Sri Lankan Journalists' Friendship Association, including two from India, the sojourn at the Capitol Village, a fascinating resort 4 km. from here, on Wednesday evening, turned out to be a rich experience.

The interactive session between them and members of the Kodagu District Journalists' Association was illuminating.

The week-long Indian leg of the cultural exchange tour, which commenced on Sept. 19, has helped the visitors to understand India, its history, culture, lifestyle, politics, and journalism, in the southern part of the country. The Ramayana is still a special subject in Sri Lanka, they say. It was one of the subjects that figured in the interactive session.

``The Indian peace-keeping operations should have continued, feel the people of Sri Lanka,'' said the senior journalist and chairman of the association, Mr. D. F. Kariyakawana, replying to a question from a member of the Kodagu District Journalists' Association. He is also the President of the Sri Lanka Press Association. At that point of time, the people of Sri Lanka wanted the Indian peace-keepers to go back. But now, they feel that the presence of IPKF would have hastened the peace process.

Many of the Sri Lankan journalists agreed that whenever the Army is in control (in certain areas), some ``atrocities'' on the civilians occurred. Barring stray incidents during the presence of the IPKF, people, by and large, felt satisfied. However, when the issue of ethnic strife in Sri Lanka came up for discussion, many of them did not agree that - barring the northern Jaffna peninsula - their country was facing a war-like situation.

``It is not as made out to be by some foreign TV channels and newspapers''. They admitted that there were frequent bomb blasts and disruption of normal life in Sri Lanka caused by extremists and said this was being done to vitiate the election process.

The Sri Lankan mediapersons were unequivocal in calling the LTTE cadres as ``terrorists'' rather than those fighting for a cause. The majority Sinhalas in Sri Lanka peacefully co-existed with the minority Tamils, including Muslims, they said.

The area of trouble was only Jaffna. Mr. M. N. Pinto, manager of the delegation, and Mr. M.A.C.M. Fahim of The Economic Times were unhappy that the foreign media often misled the people outside the country. One should visit Sri Lanka to assess the ground situation, they said.

A few journalists, belonging to what they called the ``nationalised sector'' of the media, said there was no restriction whatsoever in the coverage of news pertaining to the war. However, some said there were some ``restrictions'' in publishing reports on the war that portrayed the Government in a poor light. Ms. Anjana Samindanie of The Observer said the private newspapers were not bound by such norms.

Mr. Saggere Ramaswamy, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Indo-Sri Lankan Journalists' Friendship Association, read out Sinhalese words that were similar to those in Kannada.

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