How Tiger rump expands on what McDonagh’s researcher claimed

Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, MP

The Sri Lanka Guardian has now jumped into the fray with an article on the meeting held in the House of Commons on October 12th to screen ‘Lies Agreed Upon’, the rebuttal of the latest Channel 4 film on Sri Lanka. This was an unexpected bonus, because it makes even more obvious the networking between those opposed to the Sri Lankan government and Tamils who do not suppose the rump Tiger terrorists.

They show their hand openly here in highlighting their animosity and fear regarding Mrs Rajeswary, who has been fearless in combating terrorism. The headline of the Sri Lanka Guardian article was ‘Famous Tamil ‘Drama Queen’ defends Sri Lanka war crimes’. It is claimed that this was by their ‘Correspondent in London’, but it is in fact mainly a doctored regurgitation of what appeared in Tamil on what they term the ‘Swiss based Athirvu website that intruded the event’.

Channel 4

The intruder had signed himself in as Daran, a researcher for the Labour Party MP Siobhain McDonagh, though he told me that he was a freelance journalist called Canaa, and later tried to deny that he was a researcher for the lady. The High Commission described him as an LTTE supporter called Canaan, but it is possible that he was simply a misguided young man who got involved with terrorists when they seemed on the ascendant. Certainly he told me that he was responsible for the telecast of what purported to be an interview with Dr Shanmugarajah, that was used to spread horror during the last stages of the conflict. Having however told me that he would send me the visuals that went along with that interview, he got cold feet and told me ‘This is Daran, after careful consideration, I cant give you that entire video. But I have attached the sample one’.

I suspect this was because, had he sent me what he had promised, it would have revealed from where Channel 4 had got much of its material. However, perhaps as compensation, he sent me another clip, which seems as blatant an example of doctoring as what Channel 4 had shown, even though Daran persisted in claiming that it had not been edited.

But editing selectively is the speciality of these frauds. I reproduce here the text of the Sri Lanka Guardian, with contradictory sections from the translation I got of the original Athirviru article highlighted in brackets (though it can be seen that even that article was internally self-contradictory). What actually happened can be seen in the article entitled ‘Siobhain McDonagh’s researching journalist’ (dumbfounded silence indeed) on my blog, www.rajivawijesinha.wordpress.com and on the video of the event that can be seen on www.youtube.com/rajivawijesinha - extracts from this that contradict what Athirviru and the Sri Lanka Guardian say are in italics, and their accuracy can be seen on the video).

British parliamentarians

Incidentally, it was the Sri Lanka Guardian that originally tried to suggest that the House of Commons meeting was arranged by Bell Pottinger, and that Liam Fox was involved in stopping Channel 4 from talking about it, or some such nonsense - part of what I described as the irresistible attack on Liam Fox, which seems to have originated with someone passing on to the Guardian a photograph taken in Sri Lanka. The anxious efforts to suggest that he lost his job because of the Sri Lankan connection make clear the message the Tiger rump wishes to send out.

(October 17, London, Sri Lanka Guardian)

The meeting arranged by the Sri Lanka High Commission in the Portcullis House in the British Parliament on the 12th (Wednesday) October 2011 was a embarrassing flop for the government of Sri Lanka.

Secretly organized meeting was a disaster waiting to happen and the organizers are maintaining dumbfounded silence about the outcome of the event.

According to the Tamil intruders in the meeting who are opposed to the LTTE cause, the event attended by the majority Sinhalese and few Tamils patronized by the Sri Lankan government was odious grapes to swallow.

The Swiss based Athirvu website that intruded the event gave graphical account of the event and translation of which is produced herein:

‘Sri Lanka’s counter programme against C4 has been a failure’

‘Channel 4 telecasted a revealing 30 minute documentary ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’. It was seen by many countries and shown in many Parliaments. It caused considerable setback for Sri Lanka. To overcome this, Sri Lanka too produced its own documentary. It attempted to show it for the first time in the Britain. It wanted to show it before the British parliamentarians day before yesterday. Many Tamils were keen to go there and view it and wanted to ask questions. Knowing this will happen, the government of Sri Lanka restricted the event only for the British parliamentarians.

‘As a result Tamils could not participate and raise questions. However three Tamils carefully managed to creep into the venue. The reporter of the Athirvu website was one of them. The documentary was shown first. Time was allocated for the audience to ask questions after the programme. Only four British MP’s attended. Out of the four, three left the venue at the outset. Only with one MP the documentary was shown.

(Two versions in Athirvu - Four British MPs were present during the screening of the video but three of them left the hall in the middle of the event..... It was interesting to note that only four British MPs attended at this event and they fell into sleep immediately after few minutes of commencing the screening.)

Athirvu reporter

There was instruction that no one from C4 should be allowed. However, a C4 journalist who was involved in the production of their ‘Killing Fields’ asked embarrassing questions.

'Following her, Aithirvu reporter was given the opportunity to ask questions. He asked: 'You have produced a documentary to counter the C4 to get the support from Western countries, why can't you allow an independent inquiry demanded by the West? Whilst the presenter maintained silence Hansa (Deputy High Commissioner) from the first row butted in and took photograph and video recording of the Athirvu reporter with the view to threaten him.

(When the Sri Lankan spokesperson avoided a direct answer to that question Mr. Amza who was seated in the front row intimidated the journalist by indicating that he is being videographed.)

However, the Athirvu reporter went on to ask another question.

'Soon after this, another Tamil rose up and condemned the comment of generalizing every actions of the Tamils as Tamil terrorism. Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha apologised if he had inferred terrorism generally on the Tamils.

C4 documentary

'There were about 150 Sinhalese and only three Tamils. She also blamed the leadership of the LTTE.' The others, Tamil as well as British, who made a similar point are ignored) Whenever Tamils raised a question, the Sinhalese shouted, humiliated and insulted them (See previous paragraph for internal contradiction)

Another blatant falsehood was the claim that one of the Tamils present condemned me for talking about 'Tamil terrorists'. In fact, as the video footage makes clear, he was talking about an intervention from the floor, and I in fact supported his plea and asked that all of us, however emotional we felt, make a distinction between the terrorist Tigers and the Tamils, whose welfare as equal citizens of Sri Lanka must be supported).

Even when the C4 lady was asking questions, they were behaving like this. 'When the event came to an end, the Tamils attempted to leave the venue and the Sinhalese surrounded them and expressed their protest.

The Athirvu reporter and two others got out together and told their experience to the other reporters (I believe it was written by the young man called Daran whom I had befriended at the event, who told me that he was a freelance journalist called Canaa, but who turned out to have entered the event as a researcher for the Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh.)

'The pro government tail wagging Tamil woman Rajeswary (known as Drama Queen) was saying Tamils should be allowed to live peacefully and the C4 documentary will only help to seed another war in Sri Lanka. She went on to slam the Tamil Tigers and its leadership.

'Overall, Sri Lanka's documentary against C4 was utter failure for Sri Lanka. Though 150 Sinhalese attended, three Tamils caused havoc there'.