Indian High Commission and opinion in media

Thursday, 26 March 2015 14:15 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

I, as a Sri Lankan, am pleased to read both Mano Ratwatte’s article titled ‘Modi Mania, Hindu Raj Policies and Sri Lanka’ as well as the Indian High Commission response to Ratwatte. However, my colleagues and I were intrigued how a diplomatic mission of a civilised neighbour gets over excited regarding the content of Ratwatte’s article and virtually demand your esteemed newspaper not to publish articles with similar content in the near future. Of course, the article herein referred to consists of historical facts well known to the local and international community, but with the writer’s own interpretation. It is a common practice followed among researchers, commentators and policy analysts to interpret the facts to support their hypothesis or argument(s). The concept of Indian expansionism has been in the discourse in South Asia since, the publishing of the Panikkar doctrines in the 1930s. In the 1960s Rohana Wijeweera, the leader of the then leftist JVP, articulated the concept and introduced it as the first lesson of five series indoctrination. Though the Indian High Commission had made many critical comments on Ratwatte and his article, no attempt has been made to present any counter arguments. Of course, surprisingly, Ratwatte himself has not referred to the well-known fact that India was behind the training and arming of the murderous LTTE which put back Sri Lanka’s development for over 30 years. The key point I wish to emphasise is that the Daily FT as well as other Sri Lankan newspapers have the right and responsibility to give due publicity to articles such as ‘Modi Mania...’ as well as the Indian High Commission response. No diplomatic mission or government has the moral, legal or ethical right to demand or even request a respectable national newspaper like the Daily FT not to publish any article or comment as long as they do not contain defamatory remarks on individuals. Lakshman Hettiarachchi Peliyagoda