HR Minister to confront Solheim

Manjula Fernando

Disaster Relief and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said he hoped to meet Norwegian Minister Eric Solheim in Geneva later this week and ask him the basis on which he made remarks on the controversial Channel 4 video footage.

Solheim was quoted in newspapers as saying he would raise the matter of torture by Sri Lankan Forces with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.

This was following the release of a sourceless footage which claimed Sri Lankan soldiers torturing two naked LTTE cadres, via British Channel 4 news. "I would like to discuss the context in which he made this statement," Minister Samarasinghe told the Daily News.

"But the meeting is not confirmed yet," he added.

Solheim, being also the Nowegian Environment Minister apart from his International Development portfolio is expected to participate in the Geneva World Climate Change Conference where Minister Samarasinghe will represent Sri Lanka. A meeting between Ministers Samarasinghe and Solheim is expected to take place on the sidelines of this conference. Referring to the Channel 4 video footage, the Minister said: "We see this as another orchestrated campaign to tarnish the image of the country and its Forces." He was of the view that this footage was released in lieu of the Human Rights Council sessions starting on September 13 and the up coming United Nations General Assembly sessions.

He said the Government is aware that there were other video footages given to these stations by the 'so called' HR groups operating out of Canada and the UK.

"These were also stage managed by the LTTE."

This particular footage is said to have been recorded in January. "If anyone is in possession of this, would he wait for eight months to put it out," the Minister observed. Asked if the Government would initiate an internal inquiry into the matter, the Minister said the military has already begun an investigation into this allegation. "The Army Commander confirmed that they were already looking into this." He said the Army has its own internal inquiry and court martial system which gets into gear immediately after such an incident.

The Minister said a similar campaign was carried out during the final days of the Humanitarian operation where four doctors were used by the LTTE to level such baseless accusations against the forces. "Their statements were given wide publicity by not only Channel 4 but by several other international media organisations." The Minister said he was compelled to put on record that this campaign, launched at the behest of the LTTE and via international media focused on halting the on going operations.

He vouched that as the Minister concerned he will fight against distorted campaigns and make the international community aware of the good work carried out by the Government and the President in fulfilling post-conflict-needs of the people.