Fighting Against Terrorists: an Analysis on Chinese and Sri Lankan Experiences

Abstract

Sri Lanka fought a war against domestic terrorism for three decades and defeated it physically. However, Sri Lanka had to face a lot of allegations by the western media during the post terrorist conflict period. Majority of the allegations were hyped due to the strategic media usage of anti-Sri Lankan elements working day and night from abroad to tarnish the image of Sri Lanka. There is a western media hype against the Chinese government as well. The Chinese authorities label the crackdown on dissent on the Muslim minority in western Xinjiang as “war on terror.” Meanwhile, the Western media institutions in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and France, United States and human rights organizations are labelling Chinese reaction to terrorist as “genocide.” Among the allegations against the Chinese government are the mass trial and imprisonment of more than a million Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups in “re-education camps” without a proper trial. In addition, torture, long imprisonment, sentences or the death penalty after serious unjust trials, measures to prevent the birth of women and the forcible transfer of Uighur children from their community are also included in the list of allegations against Chinese. This article will draw parallels of the Chinese situation with Sri Lankan situation by using various reports published by media institutions in the West.