New Claims By Channel 4 Rock Presidential Visit
Un-substantiated Video is ‘elongated’ version
Disapora attempts to use video as evidence of ‘crimes’
President’s arrest is “wishful thinking’
By Faraz Shauketaly in London.
Sensational new claims broadcast by Britain’s Channel 4 TV network on Tuesday night, has threatened to rock President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s semi-official visit to the United Kingdom. Presenter Jon Snow acknowledged that the new video – a lengthier version of one broadcast last year – was “unsubstantiated” but nevertheless, the revelations made on one of Britain’s more popular national news networks was a victory being celebrated by the Diaspora’s media personnel.
The strategically timed release of the news item highlighted the inadequate measures taken by agencies hired by the Sri Lanka government to repair its reputation and to showcase its own version of events of the war victory. Amidst deepening gloom that the Tamil Diaspora are clearly winning the battle on the media and public relations fronts President Rajapaksa is considering his government’s options.
The Sri Lanka High Commission immediately refuted the allegations saying that this new video was merely an “elongated version” of the one released last year which was condemned as being without substance by Sri Lanka at the time.
The video claims to show the killing of nine persons and clearly shows the picture of 2 persons in what appears to be Army unform. The footage did not have audio when it was broadcast making it difficult to say for certain if those doing the shooting were Sinhalese speaking. Channel 4’s Foreign Affairs correspondent Jonathan Miller said they were sending the tape to the special UN panel advising Ban Ki Moon on whether Sri Lanka has a case to answer or not. Sources said that there was a growing clamour for President Rajapaksa to grant a candid interview in order that he puts forward his administration’s viewpoint directly to the international press. There was no immediate comment from the Presidential entourage on this suggestion.
Some of the Tamil Diaspora organisations have sought legal counsel on ways by which they may obtain an arrest warrant for President Rajapaksa, using “International Jurisdiction” which is currently recognised by Britain. The British Tamil Forum is said to have consulted with the highest legal opinion available from the private Bar in London. It is equally likely that President Rajapaksa’s Foreign Ministry has also sought and obtained legal advise on these matters at least for the sake of prudence and pragmatism against possible vexatious claims. It is thought however that with no hard evidence to back the allegations of crimes against humanity or even war crimes, the most the Diaspora are hoping to achieve is to make matters as difficult as possible for the Sri Lanka government in an attempt to rattle and even perhaps rile them.
A leading legal authority speaking on conditions of anonymity said that “if the diaspora had any real evidence, they would have by now presented that to the International Criminal Court; the fact that they have done little but make a whole lot of noise and create negative publicity for the Rajapaksa administration and Sri Lanka as a whole, points to a significant absence of evidence that can be used in Court. In spite of their claims in the United States, it is a well known fact that senior members of the Rajapaksa family have travelled to the United States without any legal ramifications arising.”
The Dorchester, one of London’s better luxury hotels, on Park Lane, overlooking Hyde Park and within yards of Speakers Corner, was besieged by the paparazzi who were eager to snap the Sri Lankan President and his entourage. Apart from the President’s Chief of Staff and a well known businessman who was visiting the hotel, the media were not so lucky. They had hoped to catch the President but there really was very little they could do. In freezing temperatures and a slight drizzle of snow, President Rajapaksa was said to be in his suite preparing for his meeting with the students at the Oxford Union Society.
He is said to be looking forward to going to Oxford especially as Sri Lanka has quite a bit of history: no less than six members of the Oxford Union leadership have been from Sri Lanka, 3 Presidents and 3 Secretaries. Lakshman Kadirgamar, Lalith Athulathmudali and Hilali Noordeen were Presidents, SWRD Bandaranaike, Tyronne Fernando and Chanaka Ameratunga were Secretaries. It may be a sign of the violent turmoil that Sri Lanka has been through since 1956: of the six, three were assassinated, 1 died in a car accident and the other due to health conditions. Only one survives – the only one who was not involved in politics, Mr Noordeen being in the medical profession.
Come on Faraz, It didn’t rock the President’s visit in slightest. It was all expected, that the Channel 4 might try to give their previous futile claims a new impetus during the visit and they tried, that’s all.They just wanted to remind all the pro-LTTE activists about the LTTE’s forgotten struggle. Channel 4 is a publicly funded private TV, they want to be up front in everything, unfortunately their rivals like entirely public-funded BBC are better resourced. So they try hard, they try not only to report news but to make news as well. Often they fail and this is one example.
There may be civilian deaths by the hands of security forces during the war. But they were not intentional killings as LTTE did it by purposely attacking Sinhala villages and civilian bus loads. Those who funded to buy explosives to kill sinhalese civilians, are still operating in America and Europe under the patronage of respective governments politicians and officials. No war crime accusions for them.
coomon my friend, r u trying to justify the war crimes? i hv my own experinces of brutel act of sri lankan forces. Sri lankan forces burnt my uncle alive with 5 other men in front of me and my brothers. They did tie their hands behind and put the tier behind them and burnt alive for just beeing a Tamilian. I saw Sri Lankan forces gaurding the singalese thugs with arms on their hands. AGovernment forces gaurding a thugs to kill a community is that not genocide? tell what will u say if u belongs to such a community? will u justify if your wife and daughters get raped and killed in front of you by or with the support of a goverment forces? will you be not proud to have a organisation like LTTE to fight for the libration of a community? I any one with heart will understan and accept the truth. If you have heart please dont try to justify. Can you tell me just one incident, the sri lankan government did punish a sinhalese or a force person for killing innocent civilience? just one? are you trying to say no one were killed or raped? please try to understand. Yes i will support sri lankan government, if they punish ppl or forces when the kill or rape or torture Tamils. but that will never happen.
Agree mate – but thats never going to happen as its not in mahavansa
WELL SAID
Eventhough, I’m against Rajapaksas on many issues and respect you people for your work been the handful of people of working bravely in the interest of mass.
However, by attacking the government in the sake of bringing down the Rajapaksas, it would be media terrorism, the same way of LTTEs supporters effort to revive terrorism in the mode of human rights.
Please try to understand the difference between the Government and Rajapaksas.
What a shame for our country.
What a shame- the address by the president is cancelled.
This visit is also a failure.
Will he dare to make another to boost his image???
Did his image boost as you say when he made his first speech at this pompous union? The prez was only making a point that despite the pressure from INGOs and British Tamil Diaspora, he cannot be arrested as he only made the country free of terrorism. He has made his statement, cancelling his speech ain’t a big deal, it is a private trip, he’ll meet Fox and go back. The pompous union is the loser. There is no any other leader as brave as MR, anywhere else in the world who has managed to defeat ruthless terrorism. They missed the chance to meet him, listened to him. If they want to invite him again, they will have a lot of convincing to do.
It shows that the Tamils are ruining the education of UK people by stopping our great President’s speach. UK should pack all these Tamils and send them to Sri Lanka, just to save their own people.
no smoke without fire
It is good that talk was cancelled. It is a wise move than giving more publicity to LTTE who are already dead and we should not give them any chance to get any publicity and it is not a shame at all rather it shows that Pro LTTE agents are still not happy to see srilankan development. It is collective duty of all to rebuild the country. Well done president you will have many more chances in many more places. Oxford union can not provide security to all. It is true and irbid wise to stop than harming more. It is not worth to face trouble makers at this time
With the current supper popularity, support by many leading countries and facility SL President have, how could bunch of Tamils manage to cancel a Head of States none political agenda in a day ? These people even have no clue which way the diplomat exit air port.
What Image – his image as a butcher has been publicised world wide. The videos are proof enough….. Weera soorayas lead by GR & MR killed surrendered tigers hmmm one wonders the bravery of these so called heros… I wish some one had thrown a shoe at him
Tamil terrorist Diaspora scummies can infest the UK and EU but they cannot break us down !
May be they should fight for eelam in the UK !
mikew, you are good for sunday leader editor. try the job.
Just out of curiosity, could Ruwan Ferdindindez or one of his friends among the other trained seals explain why a trip publicized as “to address the Oxford Union” wasn’t a FAILURE when that “addres”s had to be cancelled?
It was the Sri Lankan state terrorism that gave rise to the LTTE. When Tamil people were massacred in thousands on the streets of S/L the Sri Lankan police and the armed forces either stood by or took part in those pogroms. Is it any wonder that the Tamil society that was very passive all those years lost faith in the Sri Lankan system to protect them. Is it any wonder the youth decided enough was enough and decided to meet violence with voilence.
With regards to violence against civilians it is important for the Sinhala people to know the history of this turn of events. Until 1995 there has been not a single incidence of violence against Sinhala civilians by the LTTE. It was in 1995 the Sri Lankan army re-captured Jaffna. Since they entered Jaffna they started picking up the youngsters from their homes and “dissapearing” them. The LTTE kept attacking the S/L armed forces. Whenever there was an attack on the S/L army they retaliated by killing innocent civilians. There was no inquiry and there was no consequence for this outrage. Out of shere desperation the LTTE started attacking civilian targets in the south beginning with the Central Bank bombing much to the displeasure of many Tamil people.
The sucessive S/L regimes have to take full resposibility for turning a very passive Tamil society into a militant one. The way the Tamil areas are now militarised I am very apprehensive that a more vigorous backlash awaits us. Please note a Prabakaran emerged from a very passive society that did not even fight back when attacked in 1958, 1963 & 1977. The new generation Tamils has grown up amidst violence and they will not run if attacked. They will fight back with much more vigour. When they retaliate no amount of militarisation can hold them back.
Ratnam seems to be a strong LTTEr domiciled in a western country and wanted to arouse the Tamils in Sri Lanka for another terrorism and he wanted Tamil youths to be killed once again. These type of idiots should be expelled from those countries who are living in asylum thanks to previous regimes of Sri Lanka. As he thinks, the present government of President Rajapakse has given the freedom needed by Tamil people in north and east to live their life freely and move to any part of the country to mingle with any race. We call ourselves, Sri Lankans, and not Sinhala, Tamil, Moor, Malay or Bugher. Ratnam, if no fear, should visit the country and see to himself the freedom enjoyed by his people and not just arouse their community for another uprising when they are well looked after having settled them on their own properties.
Freedom? Do you realy enjoy freedom in SL? Do not fool your self. Years have gone they still unable to find the killers of lasantha…the list of others killed…
Then you talk about liberating “Tamils” from LTTE. What you know about our feelings. No one in your family was killed or raped so the Boomiputhras can talk
Shame on you if say you are a real Buddist. Go and wash your mouth, Lord Buddha will not forgive you all for what you have done to the innocent Tamils
This is not the end it is a another chapter if you continue to be so arogant the country will pay for it again that is the history…