SL refutes new canard
*Elongated version of earlier video
*Common pattern in sinister moves
The Sri Lankan High Commission in London in a statement issued
Tuesday categorically denied that the Channel 4 News TV video is
authentic.
When Channel 4 News telecast a similar video last year, the Sri
Lankan Government clearly established, by reference to technical
considerations, that it was not genuine but fake. The present video is
nothing more than an elongated version of the same video, the statement
said.
It added: “It is observed that there is a common pattern in these
sinister moves.
“Some sections were replete with photographs of alleged war crimes
when Sri Lanka’s application for the extension of GSP+ facility was
being considered by the European Commission.
“A leading British newspaper had received photographs of alleged war
crimes when the Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister visited the United
Kingdom last October.
“The suppliers themselves had admitted that they were not in a
position to confirm the authenticity, place or the veracity of the
material supplied by them. The latest move coincides with the visit to
the United Kingdom of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
“It is no secret that the anti-Sri Lankan separatist lobby which is
behind these moves live in comfort mainly in the West, and have not
contributed towards restoration of normalcy and livelihoods of the
deprived people affected by the conflict. Instead they continue to
resuscitate the separatist ideology.
“Defeat of the LTTE has opened up democratic freedoms to the entire
country. An eight member Lessons Learn and Reconciliation Commission
appointed after the end of the conflict which is tasked to report on the
lessons to be learnt from the past events and recommend measures to
ensure that there will be no recurrence of such a situation.
The Commission has sat many times including in the former conflict
zones and made interim recommendations.
The support for the extremists who seek resurgence of violence in
order to incite hatred is fast diminishing."
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