Channel 4 video:
Another failed attempt to harm Sri Lanka�s reputation
Rasika SOMARATHNA
Another effort to harm the reputation of Sri Lanka using the Channel
4 documentary failed due to the intervention of the two Sri Lankan
Ambassadors to the UN, Dr Palitha Kohona and Major General Shavendra
Silva, senior politicians and officials said yesterday.
Major General Shavendra Silva |
Dr Palitha Kohona |
Lakshman Hulugalle |
Deputy Minister
Neomal Perera |
The documentary titled Sri Lanka�s Killing Fields was once again
screened to an audience at the UN Church Centre Wednesday. The event was
sponsored by several INGOs.
Members from Channel � 4 too had been present. Subsequent to the
screening both Dr Palitha Kohona and Major General Shavendra Silva,
convinced the gathering fully of the inconsistencies and the biased
narration of the documentary, Deputy Minister for External Affairs
Neomal Perera said.
Meanwhile, Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) Director
Lakshman Hulugalle said that another plan to discredit Sri Lanka was
rendered useless due to the answers given by Maj Gen Shavendra Silva and
UN Permanent Representative Dr Palitha Kohana.
Deputy Minister Perera said that Sri Lanka earlier had proved with
the use of scientific and other evidence that the video was a fake.
In this backdrop, the repeated screening of the video to mislead a
section of the international community was unfortunate, he added.
The Deputy Minister noted that the twin intentions behind such moves
was to derail Sri Lanka�s rapid development and to pump oxygen to revive
the now defunct LTTE.
Sri Lankan foreign missions have been advised to counter such false
propaganda and make the international community aware on the true
intentions behind such moves, he added.
Director Hulugalle meanwhile said that the screening of the video was
another attempt by the LTTE remnants to fill their dwindling coffers by
propagating sympathy among the diaspora.
He said that the Sri Lankan duo at the UN had been able to
effectively convince the audience that the Channel 4 documentary was
based on false facts.
Hulugalle said that one of the female narrators appearing in the
video was an LTTE cadre. Whatever they say a terrorist is a terrorist,
he added.
Major General Shavendra Silva it is reported was not even invited to
the event by the organizers.
He was able to point out more than 20 incidents that contained false
information. The audience which included diplomats and media personnel
were convinced that the Channel 4 documentary was based on false facts,
news reports from US said.
They said that the organizers were made speechless by the answers
offered by Sri Lanka.While the organizers said that the video reinforces
the findings of the controversial Darusman Report, Sri Lanka�s duo
proved that the Channel 4 video fiasco is a well-planned ploy to tarnish
a country which succeeded in eradicating a deadly terrorist organization
which held thousands of innocent civilians hostage, a report from US
said.
The report said that the inconsistencies as well as the biased
narration of the documentary were immediately brought to the audience�s
attention by Ambassador Shavendra Silva.
Proclamations which were known to be blatant lies as well as the true
identities of the individuals in which the movie revolves around were
pointed out by Ambassador Silva. Video evidence to support these
explanations was unfortunately not permitted to be displayed by Amnesty
International, it added.
Ambassador Major General Shavendra Silva informed the audience, that
one visual shown in the documentary, displaying an aerial bombing to a
specific target in the jungle area, but the Channel 4 uses that
particular clip fighter jets purposely bombing a civilian gathering but
it was two separate locations but the narrator tried to portray that the
casualties occurred owing to the bombing, which the audience accepted.
Maj Gen Silva informed the audience during this clip, the filmmaker
uses two eyewitnesses namely Vany Kumar and Dr Shanmugaraj. Vany Kumar
she had three different aliases in different locations.
Namely, Damilvany Kumar, Vany Kumar, Damilvany Gananakumar. The
Channel 4 programme says she had been in Sri Lanka only for six months
but Ambassador Silva highlighted her stay in Sri Lanka, what her family
in the UK has informed through the guardian.co.uk in an interview and
proved to the audience that she was infact an LTTE activist.
Ambassador General Silva also shed light on several statements made
by Dr Shanmugaraja who admits to have given false information to the
International Media due to LTTE pressure.
Filmmaker Cullum McRae seemed devastated when Ambassador Silva
pointed out the false translation depicted during the clip where
civilians are in a trench was also brought to light. The civilians in
the trench are shown shouting at the cameraman for recording this and
the false translation provided for the Tamil being spoken, is clear
evidence that this was infact staged, the report said.. |