US Tamil questions ‘Channel 4’ credibility

A Sri Lankan Tamil who is currently a US citizen, expressed his shock and disgust on how the so called protectors of global human rights shamelessly tried to capitalize on the sufferings of Tamils in Sri Lanka to fulfill their self serving objectives. Joseph Navaratnam, a Tamil living in the USA, lashed out at Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch who screened the Channel 4 video at Capitol Hill, for selling the sufferings wholesale of the Tamils to “rekindle the bonfire that caused all these sufferings.”

“From the opening remark to the end it was disgusting. I am sure that these shameless people will continue their effort until they see bloodshed in Sri Lanka once again.

All I can do is to report what I saw and at least the world would be aware of it,” Navaratnam said.

He said Congressman Jim McGovern who represents an area where many of his Tamil friends live, facilitated the event clearly to gain some political mileage over the sufferings of some unfortunate people in a far away island.

“There was no harm in it, if it was not for the fact the event turned into a show of hateful propaganda fuelling racism. Congressman Mc Govern, for some reason kept his introductory remarks very brief to the disappointment of the organizers. It seems that he had somehow smelt the fishy nature of the whole episode.”

Navaratnam described the video as a harrowing masterpiece of propaganda produced with great deliberation.

“There has been lot of comments by both sides about the video. To me, I have no doubts that the suffering of the people in video were real, but who was responsible for them, I have my serious doubts,” he said. He observed that the footages claiming to be taken inside the no fire zone were not new. Navaratnam added: “They were there in the Tamilnet and many other websites during the wartime.

The cameramen were definitely LTTE cadres who filmed the scenes with no reaction of panic or fear about shelling. Knowing the LTTE’s brutal skill to create situations which they can take propaganda advantage, I have serious doubts of the party who had really fired the shells.”

“There were many reports during the wartime of LTTE targeting no fire zone with their heavy artillery to stop people going there. About the girl who testify about shelling, I wonder how she survived if such systematic shelling occurred.”