Ira de Silva London, OntarioƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Mr. Mathew Lee
Inner City Press
New York, N.Y.
U.S.A.
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Dear Mr. Lee,
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I am writing regarding your latestƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ posting onƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka’s Representative to the U.N. in New York, General Shavendra Silva the current Deputy Permanent Representative. YouƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ state that General Silva is “responsible for many of the war crimes in 2009”. To make this statement as one of fact, what proof do you have? You say it has been “noted by a New York tabloid” – I suppose you mean the New York Post in which BradƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Hamilton has repeated your wild claimsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  although he has been carefulƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ not to make direct accusations. He hasƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ protected himself by writing “a suspected war criminal who allegedly played a key role in the slaughter of 40,000 civilians in Sri Lanka has landed a cushy job at the United Nations – with full diplomatic immunity”. ItƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ seems that you are so used to making wildƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ accusations against Sri Lanka and not suffering any consequence, that you believe you can write anything however inaccurate,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ unsubstantiated or defamatory and get away with it. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
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It is clearly evident to anyone who reads the newsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on Sri Lanka from international sources and compares it with what you publish, that you are not knowledgeableƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  on Sri Lanka,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ have no factual knowledge, are not up-to-date on current events and keep making unsubstantiated accusations based on incorrect information. Where you getƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ information from is anybody’s guess but it is clearly biased andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ you have made no attempt at verification. At press briefings at the U.N. you merely repeatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ accusations which are blatantly falseƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  and pass this information on to other news media.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Referring to General Shavendra Silva, in your latest tirade youƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ state “a commander in charge of the battalion that shot surrendering troops that came out with a white flag” . Again, what proof do you have?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  You obviously do not because you go on to say “what I want to know is, if these reports in Sri Lanka are trueƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ “.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If you do not knowƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that theseƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ reports are true, on what basis do you make the accusation against General Silva? If you were a journalist of any integrity or credibilityƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  you would not make such an accusation without knowing that your facts were correct andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that you have credible sources of informationƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that willƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ stand the test of legal scrutiny.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
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You seem to be aware that there is a review going on in Sri Lanka regarding the conflict. You writeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ “if such individuals that were actively involved in the final stage of the conflict in Sri Lanka, which is now being investigated by Sri Lanka and advised in”. However it is clear that youƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ know no details of the investigation.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If you had any interest in accuracy you would follow the presentations being made to that Commission and courts of law in Sri Lanka that deal with the conflict. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Clearly you do not because you are unaware that as of today, there has been no evidence that this claim of “surrendering troops beingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ shot”ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is true. All the so-called human rights groups who have made their living byƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ supporting the Tamil terrorist group the LTTE in their terrorism in Sri Lanka have not been able to provide any credible information regarding this claim, butƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ this canardƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ keeps being repeated by people like you who do not seem to care if you are writing fact or fiction. Had it not occurred to you that General Silva’s credentials were accepted by the Secretary General because he is aware that these accusations you and others make are unsubstantiated?
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Your final insultƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ General Silva is your statement “now they have a war criminal, a man with first hand knowledge, coming into the UN to represent Sri Lanka”. You are accusing General Silva of being a war criminal without any evidence. You say “a man with first hand knowledge” – knowledge of what? He was a front line commander therefore he does have first hand knowledgeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of what took placeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ but that does not make him a war criminal. Perhaps it is because he has first hand knowledge of what took place and takes place in Sri Lanka that he has been sent to the U.N. so he can rebut the false accusationsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ made by people such as you.
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Not content with making false accusations against General Silva, believing that you can say anything against Sri Lanka and get away with it, you have extended your accusations to one other person although you have not had the courage to name that person.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ You claim that with regard to the white flagƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  murders, “there are two individuals with first hand knowledge who can often be found together inside the UN building”.
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General Silva is a man of honour and made a great contribution to Sri Lanka when he was part of the security forces that rid Sri Lanka of theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tamil terrorist leaders.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I am requesting that youƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ correct the false accusationsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ byƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a retraction or correction. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If you do not, I hope that, as has been suggested by many who read your posting of November 21,2010, either the General or other Sri Lankans will seek redress by whatever legal means are available in the U.S.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Perhaps the other unnamed individual could join him to redeem their reputation.
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Yours truly,
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Ira de Silva
London, OntarioƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
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