Video a fake - Foreign Secretary

Expressing displeasure over the call for an international investigation by UN Special Rapporteur Prof. Philip Alston over an alleged 'torture footage', out going Foreign Secretary Dr.Palitha Kohona said it was 'cynical' to base such a call on an unsubstantiated video possibly doctored by the LTTE.

"Sri Lankan Government categorically rejected the allegations that have been made because we believe the video concerned is a fake," he said adding that the LTTE has a history of faking such material.

After Prabhakaran died, a fake photo was posted on the pro LTTE website Tamilnet, depicting him watching his own body on a TV screen as part of a concerted effort presumably to hoodwink the Tamil diaspora and its overseas members, that the Tiger leader was still living.

"To base a call of this nature on a film of this unsubstantiated kind appears to be cynical." the Foreign Secretary said.

Recalling that many allegations and pictures of prisoner abuse of a gruesome nature coming out of Afghanistan and Iraq were not called for UN investigations or visits by special rapporteurs,Dr.Kohona said, "This is another case of double standards being applied by Western countries on Developing countries." Referring to the response from the spokesperson for the UN Secretary General's office to the call by Prof.Alston he said 'We note that the UN distanced itself from irrational comments made so far."