by Malinda Seneviratne in Kilinochchi

At Wednesday’s media conference, the LTTE leadership is reported to have stressed that the event was organised to tell the world that they were committed to peace. Perhaps this is the reason for the LTTE to offer special treatment to the foreign news agencies and their media personnel that were present in Kilinochchi.

The organisers suddenly decided that only one person from each media organisation or newspaper would be allowed to attend the media conference. The claim was that they had not expected so many journalists and as such they were faced with a space problem. The facility in which the media conference was to take place just couldn’t accommodate everyone who had taken the trouble to get their papers in order and arrive in Kilinochchi.

And yet, it seemed strange that every single foreigner present was given the green light, whereas local journalists were made to sit twiddling their thumbs in the "Eelam Economic Development Organisation" headquarters in Vattakachchi. Among those earmarked for preferential treatment were even freelance journalists, some of whom were only doing internships in Sri Lanka.

A pre-media conference "briefing" was held to "discuss the modalities of the proceedings. All questions posed to Sudakaran, Secretary to Thamilchelvam, with respect to the time  of the media conference, were met with a flat refusal to divulge times since "The national leader’s security was of paramount concern". In fact, journalists were informed that they would be subject to a body check and that there would be restrictions placed on items they could carry to the press conference.

When some journalists pointed out that they needed some time frame so that they could inform their respective news editors when to expect copy, an Australian journalist suddenly took it upon himself to defend Sudakaran, explaining, "Can’t you see that our national leader’s security is the most important thing? You are here, because he is here!" He was duly informed that it was the opposite that was true.

The LTTE took care to take mug shots of all journalists, foreign and local, who were accorded the "privilege" of seeing Prabhakaran say nothing new. Some local journalists who had been peeved at the way they were checked by the Sri Lankan security forces, and who came all starry-eyed about the humane face of the LTTE, might have been bemused by the humiliation of the LTTE’s brand of body-checks. But then again, maybe not. Servility can be addictive, I suppose.

For the record, the media conference itself, was stage-managed through and through, ending with almost all the questions being asked by the foreign media. The locals, apparently, were there for ornamental purposes. Perhaps to add some colour.