Eelanatham newspaper – Last with the Vanni War.
Eelanatham newspaper – Last with the Vanni War.
Eelanatham newspaper was started in Yarlpanam on 19th March 1990. Since the day Eelanatham was started, it published daily amidst many crises, published most of the important news happening in Sri Lanka and was the leading daily newspaper in the North that exposed to the world the sufferings inflicted on the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan government.
In 1995, following the war between the Sri Lankan army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelanatham was moved from Yarlpanam and operated in the Savakachcheri Kalvayal area. Later, Eelanatham moved to Kilinochchi and published continuously.
In 1996, due to the Satjeya military operation towards Kilinochchi, the Eelanatham company was moved alternately to the old Murikandi area, then to Karipatta Murippu and then to Puthukudiyuruppu.
Eelanatham newspaper was one of the only mass media published in the Vanni-controlled area during the Vanni crisis period of 1996-2002, i.e. until the opening of the main Kandy Road.
After the 2002 Memorandum of Understanding, this newspaper, which was operating in Kilinochchi, was also published in other districts. It was also published in the military-controlled districts of Yarlpanam, Vavuniya, and Mannar.
After August 11, 2006, this newspaper was published only in the Vanni region, bearing the critical circumstances of the Tamil people.
After most of the lands in the Vanni were occupied during the final war, the Sri Lankan troops occupied the areas surrounding Kilinochchi, and they carried out heavy artillery and air strikes on Kilinochchi city and its surrounding areas. In this situation, Eelanatham was temporarily operating after moving from Kilinochchi to Tharmapuram in early October 2008.
Later, it was operating in the Uthayarkattu area from Tharmapuram in the month of January. Later, it was also published in the Devipuram area on February 10. The Eelanatham newspaper was published in the Devipuram area for only one day.
The printing presses and furniture from the Devipuram area were damaged by the heavy shelling of the army and were moved to the Iranipalai area with the cooperation of the remaining workers. But the printing presses were so badly damaged that there was no possibility of printing the newspaper there.
At this time, the Eelanatham newspaper presses were completely damaged, and with the efforts of the machine director Suganthan, a machine called a plate maker was repaired.
With the help of a company, the printing presses were loaded into a vehicle and operated as a mobile newspaper company. It is not an exaggeration to say that it was the first mobile newspaper company in Sri Lanka.
When the rockets fell very close, it was Antony (Anranikumar) and Tharshan who worked 24 hours a day to move it to another place. Both were experts in moving the vehicle to other places. Even other journalists are amazed by their brave work.
Following the Kibir airstrike in Iranaipalai, Eelanatham resumed its operations on the 20th between Iranaipalai and Puthumathalan. The vehicle is ready to move, carrying the printing machines. The generator is doing its job properly.
At 5.30 am, all the news for the newspaper is made into pages on the computer and a worker is carrying the main computer on a motorcycle. Another worker is carrying an A-3 laser printer. There are no tables to place it on. A tray is spread on the ground. The main computer printer is placed on it and the connection between the computer and the printer is established.
People are passing by the roadside in droves. Some are amazed. Families, who have moved to the nearby printing vehicle offer them tea.
Within 15 minutes of taking the printing machine is ready for printing. Both Suganthan and Tharshan in the vehicle increase their speed. The engine is pounding the newspaper of the day as hard as it can.
A few meters away, shells fall with a bang. A few minutes later, a shell explodes in the air. The scattered shells fall from it and explode. People run screaming and shouting, and there is a lot of noise. The backs of many looked as if they had been pricked with a fork.
This was the briefest scene that happened that day.
The next day, the newspaper vehicle stopped 400 meters away in the same area. Despite having to operate computers from bare sandy ground, the publication of this newspaper continued with the efforts of a very small number of staff including Jayarasa Susiparan (Suganthan), Nallaiya Maheswaran, Mari Arulappan Antonykumar (Antony), Sankarasivam Sivatharshan (Tharshan), Sasimathan, Marianayakam Anton Benedict (Anton).
As the Sri Lankan troops continued to advance, it continued to operate for some days in the Puthumathalan area and for some days in the outlying area between Pokkanai and Valignarmadam.
It was during this period that Chandrasekharam Sasimathan of Mulliyavalli, Vattapalai, was killed in a mortar attack. He was working as a newspaper distributor in Mullaithivu. During the same period, Mary Densey, a computer page designer for Eelanatham, and her husband were also killed in a mortar attack in the Pokkanai area. Later, Marianayagam Anton Benedict (Anton), who was working as a newspaper distributor in Mullaithivu, was killed in a mortar attack while riding a motorcycle. A few days later, Nallaiah Maheswaran, the manager of the Eelanatham advertising office in Puthukudiyiruppu, was killed in a mortar attack.
The advertising office was located under a tree on the roadside outside Pokkanai, Valignarmadam. When it comes to advertising offices, no one needs to think that they are in the same place. There is a ray with a name plate. Nalliah Maheswaran would be there. He could place advertisements for the newspaper there.
That evening, after collecting all the advertisements, he went to the Eelanatham printing press, handed over all the advertisements, and completed his work before going to his relative’s house in Pachaipulmottai. Since his family lived in Yarlpanam, he usually stayed at his relative’s house. An hour after he left, one of his relatives informed him that Maheswaran had been killed. The media workers who rushed to Pachaipulmottai buried his body the next day.
The newspaper was published daily in four pages with the printing materials in stock without any facilities. Many Eelanatham workers were unable to work with the people who were carrying the burden of displacement, such as displacement, shelling, airstrikes, and family displacement. At this time, while he was making page layouts on the computer and printing the newspaper on the printing press and selling it himself, Sankarasivam Sivatharshan (Tharshan) was injured in the thigh by a bullet fired by the soldiers at the Puthumathalan junction. He later recovered and returned to work within a few weeks.
In April 2009, the Eelanatham newspaper company operating in the Dwettu Vaikkal area continued to publish details of those killed and seriously injured in the ongoing shelling attacks.
On April 20, 2009, more than 1500 civilians were killed in the attack by the soldiers in the Puthumathalan and Pokkanai areas. Eelanatham media workers and other media workers have also come to Mullivaikkal Hospital to help in the rescue operation of those seriously injured in this attack.
On April 25, 2009, a journalist named Suren Karthikesu, who was covering news in the Valignarmadam area, was seriously injured and Suganthan alias Jayarasa Susiparan was killed on the spot.
After this, Eelanatham, which was operating in the Mullivaikkal area, continued to publish without a break. Operating with very limited resources and a small staff, the newspaper continued to operate until May 12. On the night of May 10, all the computers were completely damaged in the shelling, rendering it unable to continue its work.
The media workers named Antony and Tharshan, who had been working until that day, were killed in a military attack on May 14.
All journalists express their deepest condolences to the families of those media workers who lost their lives carrying the burdens of their families and doing their media work during the final war.
(Translation by Tamilpriya)
0 Comments