US House of Reps Screens Channel-4 Compilation regarding Sri Lanka
Posted on July 15th, 2011
Mahes Ladduwahetty Maryland
Dear Editors:
The notice below refers to the screening of the UK’s Channel-4 film titled”Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields” in Washington DC. It is termed a “Documentary” and is hosted by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, and co-hosted by HRW, AI-USA, ICG and OSF.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This film is a compilation by Channel-4’s journalists in the UK and even they were careful to qualify the footage as a basis for “allegations”, and did not state the events as fact. Although many protests have been made regarding the inconsistencies, evidences of editing, and tampering of the video recordings and other questionable aspects of the compilation, this TLHRC notification ignores them and asserts the footage as FACTUAL of “atrocities committed against civilians”. It also states that the film was “recently screened to wide acclaim at the UN”, when the facts are that it was NOT screened at the UN but at a nearby Church. It also refers to a report by a UN panel of Experts, when the panel was an advisory panel to the UNSG that went far beyond its mandate which was HOW to proceed with an accountability exercise, and it documented allegations and complaints from people, largely Tamil immigrants seeking asylum in the USA, but sealed the documentation for 20 years.
So is this not an yet unsubstantiated story taking a new life of its own and being supported in that “avatar” by the US House of Representatives going after Sri Lanka for whatever political agenda that is in the background?
It is appalling that the US is participating in this exercise of hounding a fellow democracy.
In the background of the downfall of Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World, and the murky doings of media in pursuing and hounding individuals, one shudders to think that these distortions and propaganda usage by institutions may be a route that US and other Western administrations may be now adopting in their Foreign Policy.
Why this is happening, when the terrorism in Sri Lanka that was brought to an end has finally given that democratic country relief after 35 years of being held hostage to terror by the LTTE seems a valid question to ask.
If what Sri Lanka has undergone happened here in the US, you would understand why the beacons of democracy that held out hope to the world should now be viewed with much cynicism.
Mahes Ladduwahetty
Maryland
(Sent to Editors of major newspapers in the US, Canada and UK)
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INVITATION
Co-Hosted by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International-USA, the International Crisis Group, and Open Society Foundations
in conjunction with
the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International-USA, the International Crisis Group, and Open Society Foundations invite you to the Capitol VisitorsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ Center on Friday, July 15th, at 3pm, to view and discuss the harrowing documentary, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Killing Fields.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ First aired on British television in June, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Killing FieldsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ captures, through live footage and extensive interviews with witnesses, the atrocities committed against civilians during the Sri Lankan Armed ForcesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ final campaign to defeat the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in early 2009. The film was recently screened to wide acclaim at the United Nations in New York and Geneva, and has fueled renewed calls for an international response to these crimes.
U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern, Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, will give introductory remarks before the film screening. After the film, panelists will discuss ongoing efforts to further accountability in Sri Lanka, including the findings of the recent U.N. Panel of Experts report on war crimes in Sri Lanka, and the U.S. response to these developments.
WHEN: Friday, July 15, 2011, 3-5 p.m.
WHERE: Capitol VisitorsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ Center, Congressional Auditorium and Atrium (for directions and a map go to: http://www.visitthecapitol. gov/visit/ )
July 16th, 2011 at 7:10 am
Our thanks to Dr Ladduwahetty for exposing that the ltte rump has entered the Capitol. We have to get together and hound out this false show by Ch-4. We hope this false showing at the Capitol Visitors Center was FLOP !
It is indeed a great pity that Congressman Jim McGovern has been trapped by the ltte rump lobby to join in their false show. Why don’t our people in his electorate in the State of Massachusetts get together and give him the correct information re the ltte ? Write to him till he sees the truth and changes his mind.
If the great news mogul, Rupert Murdoch, was brought to justice, why can’t the same be done with the ltte rump’s false news machine ? We should produce a truthful film showing the “Killing Fields of the ltte” which killings lasted over 30 yrs in Sri Lanka & also show the real film of the ltte killing Sinhala soldiers which was shown as Sinhala soldiers killing Tamils !.
The greatest pity is that the some in west have thought it fit to be unjust to Sri Lanka. They do not seem to understand that Sri Lanka is fighting a war not created by the GoSL, but a war that started with the Tamils of Jaffna mainly due to a Caste System imported from Tamil Nadu. Also, all the Governments of SL have had to over the many years correct inequities against the Sinhala Nation that existed during the British Colonial times, which Tamils perceive as discrimination. They do not seem to understand that free education & free health care is given to all the Sri Lankans, including all Tamils, since Independence from Britain.
Let Justice prevail. We know that Truth wins, so Justice to Sri Lanka MUST prevail. We may not have been perfect in our endeavors, but then, who in this world has been so ? We must tell what is true, over and over again, till justice prevails for Sri Lanka.