By Savitri Hensman
Ethnic nationalism has a quasi-religious appeal, and in times of conflict the state may be treated as a god
Electronic and print-media institutions have been burnt, bombed, sealed and coerced. Countless journalists have been harassed, threatened and killed. It has been my honour to belong to all those categories and now especially the last.
So wrote Lasantha Wickramatunga, in a chillingly powerful editorial published after his death. The editor of the Sunday Leader, a vigorous critic of the Sri Lankan government, was gunned down in broad daylight in the capital, Colombo, on 8 January.
At times of war, journalists can come under enormous pressure not to report inconvenient truths. This comes in part from governments intent on appearing in a favourable light. For example, the Sri Lankan authorities have been keen to publicise the successes of their military campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who have been battling for a separate state. They have been less willing for the cost of the conflict, and the plight of ordinary Tamils, to be exposed. Neither side has given priority to the safety and welfare of civilians, or seriously sought a political solution based on strengthening equality and regional democracy.
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