Grease yakas (grease devils) have been reported islandwide. Groundviews is somehow implicating the military. Graphic by Sunday Times
Groundviews has joined the Grease Yaka hysteria, linking them to the military. Their ‘ground report’ also alleges that people are collecting virgin blood for the President and/or to obtain the legendary crown and sword of Dutugemenu. This is complete nonsense that any responsible journalist or blogger would A) not publish or B) clearly label as unreliable to the point of being mad.
Instead, Groundviews says “we reproduce this content not as verified fact, but for open debate and discussion“. Well, it’s not a verified fact that there’s a bomb under everybody’s bed. Is that really responsible journalism? Here’s some of the content Groundviews wants to discuss:
MP Vijitha Herath stated in Parliament that some are attempting to get female blood in order to obtain the legendary gold crown and sword from Dutugemunu and that there is a connection between the Government and these incidents
At the same time there is another rumor spreading that a blood offering of 1000 young women is required for the reign of the president to continue
Some political commentators have stated that since the government is being pressurized by the international community to get rid of the emergency rule, the government is using the military to create a tense situation to justify the continuation of emergency regulations
Other researchers are of the opinion that this is an attempt to gain the support of the majority community and create ethnic disharmony among the communities in the light of the immense international pressure against the government on war crimes and gain political power. This could be the reason why the incidents relating to grease men are prevalent in Tamil and Muslim areas in the East.
Those who think on religious lines say that these are the spirits the dead coming to haunt us, particularly the spirits of those who faced violent deaths in the past.
I’ve always thought that Groundviews was partisan like the Huffington Post, but now they’re starting to sound like Glenn Beck. You seriously want to have an open debate about whether the military is collecting the blood of a 1000 virgins? I mean… uhhhh, no? Is Groundviews starting a discussion on whether the war created angry ghosts that are molesting women? This is nonsense and Groundviews should probably label it as such.
Instead they just push it out there like, oh, here’s what many people believe, when in fact they’re just fanning hysteria. For the love of God, many people believe that these are actual demons. It’s a fear psychosis which does involve fear of the military in the North and East, but that doesn’t make it true. Journalism should aspire to inform and give context, not spread verbatim crazy ‘for discussion’. Say that people are saying this, fine, and then say that it’s highly dubious, un-sourced, undocumented, and likely wrong. Instead they say:
With verification of incidents extremely challenging given the context, law enforcement itself sans public legitimacy and many, rightly or wrongly, who believe that the ‘grease devils’ have links to the Sri Lankan military, it remains to be seen how the government will deal with this emergent threat to public order and security.
Well, how challenging is it to verify that ghosts are not attacking Sri Lanka? How challenging is it to mention that Temple Of Doom blood rituals are probably not going on? Even the other specifics could be verified. Have any named ‘political commentators’ linked the military and grease yakas? Are there really more reports from Tamil/Muslim areas, or is it island-wide?
These are not serious questions. They are part of the hysteria which Groundviews is fanning to score points against the military, which they really don’t seem to like. That’s fine, but people are actually dying in mob violence, and responsible journalism should try to make readers more enlightened rather than more afraid. For example, how seriously should readers take any attribution of cause for a broad and disorganized panic? How responsible is it to implicate the forces trying to keep the peace?
That is the vital information that journalists and average citizens should be sharing. That it’s probably not dead people, that virgin blood does not unlock magic swords and to please refrain from blaming people or killing them until things calm down. Instead, when people are dying out of ignorance, Groundviews is spreading it, trying to score political points against the military of all things. Completely irresponsible.
Better
For a better grip on reality, and dare I say, journalistic ethics, this Sunday Times article is worth a read:
Defence authorities have ordered a crackdown on vigilantes hunting down the so-called “grease yakas’ after five people were killed and several wounded in the ongoing drama which has reached such disturbing proportions that leave for policemen in the east has been cancelled with immediate effect.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Pujith Jayasundara said the situation had gone out of control and stern action would be taken against those found taking the law into their hands. He, however, conceded that the police must share part of the blame…
Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa also warned people against taking the law into their own hands, adding that the police must also take part of the blame for the current situation. Meanwhile tension was running high in Pottuvil in the Amparai district yesterday after one man was killed when police were forced to open fire on an unruly mob that had begun to stone the local police station. (Also: ‘What the devil is going on‘)
The blogger Padraig Colman also has a comprehensive and personal report from near Badulla (epicenter basically).
Defence authorities are actually trying to calm things down and prevent more people from dying. Groundview is outside, spreading rumors about virgin blood and throwing stones.
Groundviews is just sad.
I have to agree there. Sanjana Hattotuwa and Nigel Nugawela ought to be ashamed of themselves. Calling the site a place for “citizen journalism” is an absolute farce.
This yaka has got out of hand and now in a country famous for exaggeration is running riot with tall stories. It is simply a case of people taking advantage of the situation to settle political scores and personal scores and grudges using the yaka excuse to hide behind.
The police and the army who were good at fighting a guerrilla war seem totally inept in being able to handle this problem, as rumors are fed by mischievous elements all compounding to keep people in suspense and concerned. Unfortunately the Media too has fed on this story, and helped spread the rumors further exacerbating the issue. Now copy cats and thugs are having a field day, preying upon the fear psychosis that pervades amongst our population.
Quote Sunday times article:
Under ‘Grease yakka in Colombo: Were police taken for a midnight ride?’
“The search went on for six hours. Now police suspect that they may have been taken for a midnight ride by silly pranksters who are breaking rest with the ongoing Ramazan fasting season.”
linking a person they never found to the Ramazan festival? good journalistic ethics?
They are all in the same tosh boat.
@H, yeah, they shouldn’t just cite the police uncritically. They’re still leagues ahead of Groundviews military/ghosts/virgin sacrifice speculation
Maybe so. But perhaps Groundviews is describing basically that – the ‘ground views’ of the incidents. People ARE thinking its military sided, ghosts and sacrifice of female blood for whatever the purpose.
Question is, are people being made to think that? If so for what and by whom? And how can this view be altered? And most importantly as you stated – the consequences of this paranoia, which is costing lives, restricting mobility, providing a camouflage for nefarious activities and fueling an increasing climate of fear. Which intern will make everyone think of having bats and sticks under their beds and suspect every other person. A perfect cycle of disguise.
This view can be altered when the media, state or otherwise, says that this grease yaka phenomenon is a manufactured one. The state media has actually been doing this. When groundviews gives equal importance to stories of blood rituals and conspiracies about emergency laws it validates a lot of people’s fears and it joines the ranks of those are spreading the rumors.
There are issues of people not having faith in law enforcement and there are very clearly issues between the communities and the military in the east and in the north. These need to be addressed, and need to be addressed fast, but using this grease yaka nonsense to attack the military/police is just stupid and at the end of the day adds fuel to the frenzy and increases the likelihood of more people getting killed/injured.
The deaths of the two travelling salesmen who got lynched in Haputale are firmly on the reporters and editors who created the story after the incident in Oddamavadi. Now groundviews has joined that lot.
Just a few months ago when Nalin De Silva said that the god Natha told him about the arsenic in the NCP, would it have been logical to give his argument the same weight as other scientists claims that the study was a farce? Why this sudden endorsement of superstition when it suits a purpose? Hell maybe the witchdoctor Eliyantha White actually heals people with his divine powers.
dude, The Sunday Times is citing the police based on an actual, documented incident. Groundviews is citing anonymous based on nothing. Vast difference.
Someone called it “Gripeviews” once, and I think that name has a lot of truth to it.
Is “Grease Yaka” part of a global phenomenon
http://gawker.com/5831188/teen-vampire-arrested-for-breaking-entering-and-feeding
Well, obviously facts and actual are important and need to be highlighted by media and information portals online or otherwise. But people perceptions are equally important too. We need to know what people are thinking as this is more about the use and manipulation of fear and psychology than anything else.
People are perceiving (being made to perceive or assuming is up for debate) these rumors and they are having some serious implications like the loss of life and attacks on police and other. But to highlight these perceptions as Groundviews did is needed too, as much as the actual happening on the ground as reported by newspapers.
How we judge the way these things are written is up to reader discretion.
Ops .. sorry …wrong thread
Absolutely, un-fecking-believable. What was GV thinking?
Sanjana is the real Grease Devil!
Wow. Why is groundviews on my google reader again? :( time to get rid of it methinks. I second Mango’s comment, un-fecking!
Look i don’t mean to pull a heshan here, but sanjana has degree in peace & conflict studies. I’ve studied at two universities in my life and in both of those the majority of the peace & conflict studies majors were white varsity athletes who weren’t good enough for sociology.
There is a degree for “peace and conflict studies” ? Who knew. Is that what all the rejects do when they can’t get into what they originally wanted? lol :)
Less Grease Devil and more dictator-like in my opinion. Sanajana Hattotuwa appears to me to be a total control freak, and the man uses his blog to target people just like Lasantha Wickrematunga used his Sunday Leader newspaper to attack others. Basically it’s his way or the highway. Quite unfortunate, and sad really. It’s strange how people who cry out for ‘democracy’ and ‘freedom’ are so intolerant of criticism themselves.
I’ve got to admit, I’m really missing Heshan’s interventions. This Grease Yaka thing would’ve proved everything he used to rant about and would’ve initiated an epic Heshanesque feeding frenzy.
@ Dodo: that was a nasty put-down. :) “not good enough for sociology”? Ouch. “Golf Course Management” and “Aromatherapy Studies” are genuine UK degree course. I only hope that parents aren’t wasting their hard-earned Rupees on these joke courses.
This is NOT funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXO5wiM3e14
When I hear the words “Sri Lanka” and “mob”…..
very sad that some people are taking a ride in this lunacy.
JVPer, well they are JVPer…
wht can i say…
they will say dimmer things than this…
n about the groundviews article, they r simply adding fuel to the fire…
n even more sadly i c a considerable crowd supporting the claim by comments…
even more sadly i saw the same situation (comments) in adaderana and dailymirror…
i seriously don’t understand whether they do this because they really believe in what they r saying (which is insane) or they r simply doing this to discredit the government(which is plain sad because it would b the bystanders that would pay)…
i dunno which is more sadder (worser)…
seeing lot of the “educated” ppl (reading english news n commenting in english is above country average) saying these insane things or the same category of ppl saying these things to cause a hysteria that would cost innocent lives hoping to cause problems to the “king”
even if the government wanted the blood of virgins (totally insane ) but many of the victims are married middle aged woman who r clearly not virgins.
n why such a elaborate way to collect blood? just name it as a health campaign, ready a medical team, go to a girls school, n collect blood samples…so easy…
Hmm… i wonder why lefroy hasn’t commented anything about this
indi oota boot eka deela tiyenne…
really! why?
aparaade.
mang hitanne oo haema welema jaraa kathaa kiyana nisaa. anika uge pora gathiya vadi.