Sri Lanka Guardian bemoans that its website blocked to internauts in Sri Lanka and blames the « goons » of the Government.

There had been experiments carried out in America to pass messages of publicity for food or drinks embedded in films run in cinemas, which is not perceived by the conscious mind but which affect the subconscious to influence favourable acceptance of the produce publicised. These are called subliminal messages.

That means that you take note of a favourable or an unfavourable message not consciously seen but subconsciously . It is supposed to be in use in the television, and in cinemas even now. It may perhaps be put in use even in some websites we surf into where there are very good articles written by well known respected writers or journalists and in between them articles of dubious intentions, sometimes sordid character assassinations or messages of racism, discrimination against persons or institution, or the government, with the embedded “intention” of creating communal dissention or perpetrating Sinhala –Tamil conflict, the subliminal messages.

This came to my mind on reading an Editorial in the Sri Lanka Guardian some time back where the Editor bemoaned that his website had been blocked for internauts in Sri Lanka by the Government on the advise of the “goons” of the Government.

Of course Sri Lanka Guardian accepted articles by both pro-government , anti-government writers, on Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism. It also accommodated the anti-Sinhala writers like Wickramabahu Karunaratne , or Thisaranee Gunasekara. Sri Lanka Guardian is not completely a hate mongering website like the Transcurrent or the TamilNet, or totally anti Government like the Groundview.

Nevertheless, the SLG was pro terrorist, with once even an Editorials after a heroes day speech of the terrorist leader, claiming Prabhakaran as the leader of the Tamils. During the period that the terrorists were gradually being defeated by the Government Forces, its key reporter, made in one of his significant articles “After Kilinochchi, What ?, a prediction of the recovery of the terrorists after their defeat at Kilinochci.

He wrote that as the terrorists have not lost their military capabilities they would make a come back if not as a conventional armed force but as a force using guerrilla tactics. He wrote that it was not the first time that terrorists lost territory, and that they only shifted their capital from Kilinochchi to Mulativu as they had changed it from Jaffna to Kilinotchchi before , had even envisaged Trincomallee to be the capital of their Homeland.

In that article “After Kilinochchi, What ? “ he quoted B. Raman “"I am sure the LTTE must be examining the various options available to it. At present, it has very little opportunity for offensive action in the North when it is relentlessly under pressure from the Sri Lankan Army. However, it has the option of unconventional offensive strikes in other fronts far removed from the North. One such front could be Colombo. Another is Trincomallee. The third could be Hambantota, where the Chinese are reportedly constructing a modern port for Sri Lanka. Very often, turning-points in unconventional warfare come when the terrorists start attacking the economic infrastructure."

And yet again another Raman quote, “"The LTTE must be trying hard for mounting kamikaze-type attacks on military -- particularly Air Force -- targets in Colombo similar to its raid on the SLAF base in Anuradhapura. The fact that it has not succeeded so far would indicate that the physical security for such establishments is strong and that the LTTE is facing shortages of the required material for such attacks. One notices that the LTTE has not yet used all the weapons in its arsenal. It has apparently retained for itself an element of ultimate surprise."

The SLG reporter did not rest at that , he again quoted Prof Damien Kingsbury, Associate Head of School (Research), School of International and Political Studies, Deakin University in Australia, as saying “ …."The LTTE has lost Kilinochche before, and regained it. This time, it may also regain it again, although it may also be more difficult to do so, and the LTTE could fail in this bid." According to Prof. Kingsberg, if the LTTE is deprived of a permanent base it is likely to resort to more conventional guerrilla tactics, and more 'terrorism', such as bombings in Colombo and against other soft targets, as well as military targets."

And then after the end of terrorism, and the defeat of the sum total of terrorists , he writes his article “Tit for tat in Tiger Aftermath”.

In which he says, that while some are in a dilemma the die-hard Sinhala Nationalists are jubilant and celebrating their great victory while awaiting the dead body of the Leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. He never used the word terrorists in referring to them in his posts.

In this article he had put both the terrorists leader and the President on the same footing by addressing the terrorist Leader Mr. Prabhakaran. He writes”……. There are rumours that Mr. Prabhakaran surrendered to the military as a result of an agreement between him and the GoSL as mediated by the UN. Keep in mind the current understanding that Prabhakaran was trapped by the stratagems of Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse when he enforced a Tamil boycott of the last presidential elections to help him secure a victory.”

That was to show the SLGuardian’s sympathy towards terrorism. However Sri Lanka Guardian also introduced some definitely respectful Tamil writers who are genuinely seeking a fraternal association with the Sinhala and join in an effort to make Sri Lankans of all ethnic origins a united Nation of Sri Lankans.

It is worth mentioning their names, for they are such remarkable people compared to our Wickramabahus and Thisaranees, or Mano Ganeshans and Pakkiyasothies. I will not forget their names and will always read what they write.:

Dr.Noel Nadesan who wrote “Let my people go in Peace” to SLG on 30.8.2008,
Selva Gnamam, who wrote “ Open the gates of hell and let my people go” to SLG on 4.9.2008, and Thomas John Pulle who wrote ,” Tamil Racism is older than 1956 “ to SLG on 4.9.2008.

But in between the articles of these wonderful writers which should be read by all, the Guardian carried subliminal messages of hatred. It was not long ago SLG used one of its reporters to interview the wife of Karuna Amman, and publish the objectionable interview with the aim of discrediting the Minister .

Then there were other articles carrying this subliminal messages of anti government propaganda “ such as Government Giving Conflicting Messages to the International Community” ,“Aid and Access in Sri Lanka”, “Nanny Government want do”, “Did the Government Death Squad kill the arrested Tamil Tiger Leaders in the Prisons ? ”, “Unified Tamil Voices is the need of the hour for Independent Tamil Eelam “ of Satheesan Kumaran.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka Guardian is a good website to surf into for some of the good writers who contribute to it, keeping in mind the possibilities of subliminal messages. However, I prefer LankaWeb any time.