Channel 4 sounds Govt on IDP video

Manjula Fernando

British Channel 4 which telecast the controversial torture video footage, has contacted the Government for its views before telecasting a second video on the situation of IDP camps, a gesture which the Government has welcomed.

Human Rights and Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said they welcome the gesture by British Channel 4 to contact Sri Lanka before telecasting this video following the unpleasant events that ensued with the airing of an earlier torture footage claimed to be showing Sri Lankan soldiers summarily executing unarmed LTTE cadres.

“The British High Commission told us about the video and asked for our views” Minister Samarasinghe said. He also added: “This shows our efforts had not been in vain.”

He said there were organised vested interests trying to tarnish the country’s image.

The Government strongly protested to Channel 4 through the British Government over the unethical airing of the torture video which originated from an unverified source in Berlin, Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, that seemed to have come to existence a month ago.

The TV Channel admitted it had no means of verifying the authenticity of the footage but nonetheless opted to telecast it sans a version from Sri Lankan officials. Subsequently the Government conducted four individual investigations into this footage and scientifically proved that the video was a fake.

The copies of investigations were sent to Channel 4, UN secretary General, UN Special Rapporteur Prof. Phillip Alston and US Ambassador to UN Susan Rice and others who were concerned over its content.

Minister Samarasinghe said the Attorney General through a British Law firm is working on a letter of demand to be sent to Channel 4 asking the news service to retract the footage or scientifically prove that it was an authentic one. “Or else we will have to resort to other avenues to seek redress,” the Minister said.

“The damage had already been done, so we are mindful of preventing any future incidents to tarnish the image of our country and its forces,” he said.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakasa in particular took great effort to clear the good name of the Forces which suffered high casualty figures in their effort to minimize civilian casualties during the last leg of the final war, where the LTTE used civilians as a shield.