Separatist politics of a tsunami : a Sri Lankan case study

The political machinations of post-tsunami Sri Lanka continue to divide the nation, and any hope of reconciliation between the Government and the Tamil Tigers has long been lost. Reconstruction efforts littered with allegations and counter allegations of racial discrimination continue to dominate post-tsunami politics, with both the Government and the Tigers continuing to gain a political edge through the rehabilitation program. However a closer look at the pro-Eelamist media, in the wake of the tsunami devastation, reveal the political optimism and a hope for reconciliation may have been ill-founded form the onset. Thus an analysis of pro-Eelamist media which flooded the internet, suggest a Tiger media strategy, albeit in the form of a preliminary politico-media tactic had emerged within the first few hours of the Tsunami. This strategy of accusing the Sri Lankan government of preferential treatment to Sinhala Tsunami victims of the South and neglect of North-Eastern Tamils, was in line with the wider claims of the Eelamis media machine. This paper attempts to outline the pro-Eelamist media strategy, and decipher the numerous narratives and subnarratives that were carefully orchestrated by the Eelamist lobby to secure an political advantage in the international arena.