The United Nations Human Rights Council has backed a resolution urging the Sri Lankan government to prosecute commanders guilty of misconduct during its civil war against Tamil insurgents.
The United Nations Human Rights Council has backed a resolution urging the Sri Lankan government to prosecute commanders guilty of misconduct during its civil war against Tamil insurgents.
The skeletons are tumbling out of graves in the northern part of Sri Lanka. The shocking and horrendous stories of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the last phase of Sri Lanka's civil war and the atrocities committed by the military during the post war period have hogged the limelight once again. A credible Independent War Crime Tribunal is needed for upholding human rights, for securing justice and also for holding the State accountable for its acts of omission and commission in the last phase of the 'civil war' in Sri Lanka.
War crimes in Sri Lanka: Will truth and justice prevail?
Umakant DelhiThe skeletons are tumbling out of graves in the northern part of Sri Lanka. The shocking and horrendous stories of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the last phase of Sri Lanka's civil war and the atrocities committed by the military during the post war period have hogged the limelight once again. A credible Independent War Crime Tribunal is needed for upholding human rights, for securing justice and also for holding the State accountable for its acts of omission and commission in the last phase of the 'civil war' in Sri Lanka.
The battle waged by the Sri Lankan army against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which came to an end on May 19, 2009, led to the killing of V Prabhakaran, the LTTE chief, and absolute decimation of LTTE. That is how almost three decades of civil war came to a bloody end. However, the manner in which the war operation was conducted left many questions unanswered.
The video, 'Sri Lanka's Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished' shown on Channel 4 on March 14, 2012, is a sequel to the first part which was shown last year. The current video, like the earlier one, has created global uproar and the demand for a credible, independent international war crime tribunal has grown louder. This new video reveals evidence as well as contemporaneous documents, eye-witness accounts, photographic stills and videos relating to how exactly events unfolded during the final days of the civil war.
In order to buttress its claim, the film forensically examines four specific cases. These four cases include: the deliberate heavy shelling of civilians and a hospital in the 'No Fire Zone'; the strategic denial of food and medicine to thousands of trapped civilians -- defying the legal obligation to allow humanitarian aid into a war zone; the killings of civilians during the 'rescue mission'; and the systematic execution of naked and bound LTTE prisoners.
There is new, chilling video footage of a 12-year-old boy, Balachandran Prabhakaran, the son of LTTE chief V Prabhakaran, who was executed in cold blood along with his five bodyguards. It raises a pertinent question: if these are not cases of war crimes, then what else can this be called?
The Sri Lankan army's grotesque 'trophy video' throws light on the manner in which the 'surrendering' and 'captured' LTTE members were systematically eliminated in the final phase of war. Channel 4 collected satellite imagery material and other evidence accessed through diplomatic channels which establishes the Sri Lankan armed forces' hand in attacking innocent civilians with absolute disdain for the humanitarian catastrophe that could become the hallmark of the military action on unarmed civilians.
Snow said that while the report conceded a large number of civilians had died and expressed concern about a large number of Tamils detained at that time who have now disappeared, it failed to answer any of the charges of war crimes made against Sri Lankan forces. It also denies that any civilians were deliberately targeted and did not hold anyone to account.
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A return to Sri Lanka’s killing fields by Channel 4
By Barry Mason
21 March 2012Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished was a follow-up to Channel 4’s Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields documentary shown in June 2011.
Presented by Jon Snow, it showed further horrific scenes of the closing days of the campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the thousands of civilians caught up in it.
The Sri Lankan government produced its response to the original charges made by Channel 4 2011 documentary of war crimes carried out in the closing stages of the campaign against the LTTE. It produced a report at the end of last year, “The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC)”.
Snow said that while the report conceded a large number of civilians had died and expressed concern about a large number of Tamils detained at that time who have now disappeared, it failed to answer any of the charges of war crimes made against Sri Lankan forces. It also denies that any civilians were deliberately targeted and did not hold anyone to account.
Case histories were used to show that war crimes had been committed and that responsibility lay with the government and the armed forces.
In January 2009, a no-fire zone was established within the rapidly shrinking area of LTTE control, to which civilians fled. United Nations representatives on the ground set up a bunker within the no-fire zone and the coordinates were sent to the Sri Lankan government so army shell fire could be directed away from it.
Over the next few days, shells continued to rain down on the bunker, leading to carnage. A confidential internal UN report cited by the programme stated, “The probability of shellfire originating from government of Sri Lanka forces is considered 100 percent.”
Eventually, after personnel in the bunker contacted UN and Australian representatives in Colombo pleading for them to pass the coordinates to the Sri Lankan heads of armed forces, the shelling was diverted slightly to avoid the bunkers but still fell within the no-fire zone. This showed the shelling originated from government forces and that they must have been aware of its murderous impact.
Civilians fled the no-fire zone and headed for a second smaller one declared by the Sri Lankan government on February 12, on a long narrow piece of land adjacent to the ocean. Three-hundred thousand civilians set up camp there.
In its second case history, the programme accused the Sri Lankan government of denying food and medicine to hundreds of thousands of trapped civilians by deliberately downplaying the numbers caught in the second declared no-fire zone. A cable from the US embassy in Colombo in April 2009, posted on WikiLeaks, showed the Sri Lankan government estimate of civilians left in the LTTE controlled area to be 60,000. Yet the United States and UN, using evidence from satellite pictures and other methods, put the true figure at several hundred thousand. The Sri Lankan government had drones in the area and must have been aware of the number of civilians.
The small amounts of food and medicine allowed into the area contributed to a huge humanitarian crisis. The deliberate restricting of food and medical supplies to civilians within a war zone is a war crime. The Channel 4 footage showed malnourished refugees and people with horrific wounds that had to be left untreated.
The original 2011 Channel 4 documentary showed footage of Sri Lankan soldiers executing naked and bound LTTE soldiers in the final days of the war. The footage had been taken by the soldiers as trophy videos on their mobile phones. It was independently verified, yet Sri Lankan authorities accused Channel 4 of faking the footage.
The current documentary explained that the LLRC did touch on these executions, but came to no conclusions. Last month, the army announced that an inquiry would take place, run by the army rather than an independent body.
The final case history showed new and shocking footage of executions by the army, with responsibility going to the top of the chain of command. Footage included the execution of the 12-year-old son of the LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran. A sworn affidavit taken from a senior Sri Lankan officer explains how the boy was sent along with five LTTE bodyguards to surrender to the Sri Lankan military. He was interrogated to get information on the whereabouts of his father. The affidavit finishes with the officer saying he subsequently learned the boy and the five bodyguards were dead.
The footage showed the bodyguards dead on the ground, apparently shot after being bound as in the previous footage of executions. Channel 4 again got the footage independently verified. The footage showing the dead boy was examined by an independent forensic pathologist. He concluded the boy had initially been shot at close range, standing in front of the soldier who fired the shot, which was near his heart. The pathologist explained that the subsequent wounds on the body must have been inflicted as the boy lay on the ground on his back. He described the boy’s death as a murder.
The next day, the body of Prabhakaran himself was displayed on television. The documentary analysed the footage of the head wound suffered by Prabhakaran and concluded his death was also the result of an execution, rather than a wound suffered in combat.
The widespread pattern of the executions involving being bound and shot in the back of the head suggests a policy directed from above, rather than the actions of rogue soldiers.
The conflict finally ended on May 19. The programme showed how the West was prepared to accept at face value assurances by the Sri Lankan government and to turn a blind eye while it finished off the LTTE. Then-UK foreign secretary David Miliband met with his Sri Lankan counterpart on April 29, 2009, while the army was carrying out its murderous operation. A leaked cable from the US embassy in Colombo to Washington quoted Miliband describing the Sri Lankan government as liars in its statements regarding the deaths and sufferings of civilians caught up in the war zone.
In a keynote speech—written for him by UK public relations firm Bell and Pottinger—at the UN in New York following the end of the war, Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse was well received. He warned the international community to keep out of Sri Lanka’s business.
Rajapakse can rest easy, knowing Sri Lanka’s strategic importance for the US in its ongoing war preparations for a future conflict with China will provide all the diplomatic cover he will need.
Kiriella wants both ‘war crimes’ documentaries telecast JVP, UNP respond to fresh C4 allegations against SF March 18, 2012, 8:57 pm
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The JVP yesterday said that no one could be held accountable for war crimes or crimes against humanity on the basis of allegations made by a section of the media, a country or a group of countries.
JVP parliamentarian Vijitha Herath emphasised that allegations could be brought by any party at the conclusion of a conflict not only here but in any part of the world, though they couldn’t be accepted as the truth, without being investigated.
He was responding to the latest Channel 4 allegation that former Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka, too, had been directly implicated in deliberate heavy shelling of civilians during the final phase of the conflict. Channel 4 alleged that Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and General Fonseka had been aware of sustained heavy artillery attacks on civilians, on the Vanni east front.
The JVP joined the UNP and the TNA to back Gen. Fonseka’s candidature at the Jan. 2010 presidential poll.
Jon Snow, who presented ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished’ cited a specific case involving the Defence Secretary and army chief to allege shelling of civilian population. Snow’s allegation was based on an Australian UN worker calling on the Australian High Commission to intervene on his behalf to have the artillery fire stopped. The presenter claimed the Australian HC got through to both Messrs Rajapaksa and Fonseka and was able to shift oncoming artillery fire.
The documentary blames President Mahinda Rajapaksa for crimes against humanity. Major General Shavendra Silva and Major General Prasanna Silva are the other Sri Lankans blamed for war crimes. The documentary faults Shavendra Silva for his role as the General Officer Commanding 58 Division, whereas Prasanna Silva is held accountable for atrocities committed by the 55 Division.
Asked whether the UNP was aware of Channel 4 making fresh allegations against General Fonseka, UNP spokesman Lakshman Kiriella, MP said that the former Army chief, too, had been categorised as a war criminal by a section of the media. ‘But the issue here is whether the Rajapaksa administration has missed an opportunity to avoid the Geneva confrontation with the US due to its reckless and irresponsible attitude," the Kandy District MP said.
"Those in power made several major mistakes. The first was the refusal to allow UNSG Ban Ki-moon’s Panel of Experts (PoE) to visit Sri Lanka. If those in power allowed the PoE to interview Gen. Fonseka, he could have cleared many allegations. Then they prevented Gen. Fonseka from appearing before the Lessons learnt and Reconciliation Commission. Whatever the criticism against General Fonseka, no one can deny his role in the war."
Parliamentarian Kiriella alleged that the government had made another foolish mistake by ignoring an invitation from the US to discuss the issue. Had the government accepted that invitation, the two parties could have come to some sort of understanding, he said. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case, he said.
The UNP spokesman acknowledged that war crimes allegations directed against Sri Lanka were not an isolated case. Wars had never been fought in keeping with international laws, the attorney-at-law said, adding that all countries engaged in conflicts were responsible for atrocities.
The MP urged President Rajapaksa to take the people into his confidence and telecast both ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’ and ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished." It would be ridiculous to deny the ordinary people an opportunity to view the documentaries and come to a conclusion, as the entire world and those with access to the internet had already seen both.
The big news of the week was the final release of the much touted Channel Four (C4) video. There were, and I suppose still are expectations, it’s goin...
To get back to the Channel 4 videos, it is crucial that they are shown to as many people as possible to counter the disinformation campaign of the GoSL. These videos must be shown but only after the presentation of a basic outline of the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka , emphasizing that what the GoSL is trying to do is to settle a political problem by wiping out a section of the population – the Tamils in the North and East.
Sri Lanka’s Military Spokesperson Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasuriya slated the latest Channel 4 film, ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields, Unpunished Crimes’, as “sensationalism”. The Military spokesperson told The Sunday Leader that there is nothing very new in the film but more of what was shown last year. Brigadier Wanigasuriya also told The Sunday Leader that Channel 4 had not given the government any of the evidence they purport to show in the film so that Sri Lanka could have given a more considered response.
Controversial Film Is Sensationalism – SL ArmyBy Faraz Shauketaly
Video images from the latest Channel 4 documentary on Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s Military Spokesperson Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasuriya slated the latest Channel 4 film, ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields, Unpunished Crimes’, as “sensationalism”. The Military spokesperson told The Sunday Leader that there is nothing very new in the film but more of what was shown last year. Brigadier Wanigasuriya also told The Sunday Leader that Channel 4 had not given the government any of the evidence they purport to show in the film so that Sri Lanka could have given a more considered response.
Much of the world reacted with predictable shock at the content of the film broadcast late night in the United Kingdom with London’s Mayor Boris Jonson saying, “London is home to tens of thousands of British Tamils, who are an integral part of our community in London and around the country. Their contribution to life in the capital, particularly through business creation, food and music is greatly valued by all of us. We stand by our fellow Londoners as they continue to mourn the loved ones they tragically lost during the last days of fighting in northern Sri Lanka”.
The film which was broadcast last Wednesday (14) went into greater detail of what had been shown previously with a forensic analysis done using pictures and videos that Channel 4 says they obtained from military personnel on the ground in the form of so-called ‘trophy videos’ filmed on mobile phones. The film went into 4 sections with experts in the film stating that these particular actions amounted to ‘war crimes and crimes against humanity’.
The British Labour politician David Miliband was shown on the film casting grave doubts on what he says was a deliberate attempt by the Government of Sri Lanka in sending food supplies to the refugees trapped in the war zone. Miliband did not disclose the sources of his information but stated that the government had failed to supply enough provisions for all the people trapped. He maintained that ‘only 60 tons’ was sent when in fact 30 tons was required daily. Channel 4 also broadcast quoting from the ‘WikiLeaks’ archives in which they claimed that Miliband using undiplomatic language had called the Sri Lankans ‘liars’.
Outside of Sri Lanka there was much made of the Channel 4 claim in which pictures showing a child with 5 bullet holes in the chest was said to be the 12-year old son of Velupillai Prabhakaran the LTTE chief. Forensic analysts stated on film that the marks in the video and photographs were consistent with being shot at close range ‘maybe 2 to 3 feet’ and suggested that the boy may have been able to touch the gun that shot him. The experts opined that after the initial shot the boy was shot four more times when he was probably lying on the ground.
Reaction to the showing of that segment was met with scorn on the streets of Colombo. A number of people whom I spoke to asked if the children who were killed elsewhere on the island including in Arantalawa, Anuradhapura, Colombo and other places, were not children.
Brigadier Wanigasuriya said that Channel 4 had offered no evidence to prove where or who the child was. He questioned whether the child was part of the hundreds of children that the LTTE used as ‘child soldiers’. He confirmed that ordinarily when met with allegations a formal enquiry would be carried out. Asked specifically if there would be an enquiry on the allegations in this film, he said it was too early to comment as they had only just watched the film themselves and the Military establishment would need to make a decision.
England’s cricket Captain Andrew Strauss put matters into some perspective when he spoke to the British press. He was quoted as saying, “All around us we see atrocities taking place all over the world and in war a lot of unsavoury things happen on both sides”. He went on to say that his job was to play cricket and if his government decided that these matters were serious enough to warrant not touring Sri Lanka then it was up to the politicians. Until then, he intended to play cricket.
No matter the intricacies as indeed they are likely to be many, the latest missive from Channel 4 is bound to keep the pot of war crimes claims, on the boil. Sri Lanka’s government has promised to take action according to the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission report. In the film, much doubt is cast on the LLRC report especially for not going into the allegations of war crimes.
The Deputy Leader of the United National Party Sajith Premadasa said he was, “against any form of war crimes. However the claims must be fully investigated before people can make a judgement”. The Sunday Leader attempted to contact the Channel 4 team and those responsible for the production of the film but at the time of going to press a response had not been received.
THERE IS little doubt that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s war machinery spared neither a bullet nor a thought for civilians trapped in an ever-shrinking area in the final stages of the offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009. The United Nations has noted that not only did the Sri Lankan forces disobey all rules of war by deliberately forcing fleeing citizens into areas that were being carpet bombed, their blood-thirsty campaign led to crimes that would even put the warring African militias to shame.
InnerCityPress.com is engaged these days in investigative journalism from the United Nations, including the World Bank, the IMF, the UN Development Program and the five continents.
It was a civil war that ravaged Sri Lanka for almost 30 years. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed, many of them civilians.
And now damning evidence in a documentary aired in Britain alleges that the Sri Lankan government did, in fact, commit war crimes.
"I think you're talking absolute rubbish. I have to rebut charges that are false. We do have inquiries that are going on internally. I don't know why you think external inquiries are independent."
- Rajiva Wijesinha, a Sri Lankan MP
Channel 4 in the UK aired alleged evidence of war crimes in Sri Lanka through a documentary video of five men and a child who had been executed.
The Sri Lankan defence ministry responded angrily, laying the blame squarely on the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam (LTTE), saying:
"The Ministry of Defence rejects all allegations of human rights violations… that it is able to prove with valid evidence that it was the LTTE that committed gross violations of human rights over the past three decades."
Accusing the Sri Lankan government of human rights abuses, Amnesty International says hundreds are detained without trial and many are tortured.
Next week, the UN Human Rights Council is due to consider a resolution calling for Sri Lanka to investigate the alleged war crimes. The government says it has already taken steps towards reconciliation.
"There has to be an international, independent investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Sri Lanka… There is no point in just denying it."
- Kumar Kumarendran, a member of the British Tamils Forum
The war between the Tamil Tigers and government forces lasted for nearly 30 years, ending in 2009 after government troops crushed a Tamil rebellion.
The UN estimates 100,000 people were killed and thousands more displaced.
Both sides, however, have been accused of committing war crimes.
So, will the Sri Lankan government admit these alleged war crimes? How would it refute the accusations? And, with neither side being held accountable are hopes for reconciliation fading?
Joining Inside Story with presenter Adrian Finighan to discuss this are guests: Rajiva Wijesinha, a Sri Lankan MP and advisor to the Sri Lankan president on reconciliation, and the former head of the country's peace secretariat and human rights ministry secretariat; Phil Rees, the author of Dining with Terrorists: Meeting with the world's most-wanted militants, in which he was embedded with the Tamil Tigers; and Kumar Kumarendran, a member of the British Tamils Forum and part of the Tamil diaspora now residing in the UK.
The Rajapaksa government felt they could eliminate the Tamil Tigers. They had a policy not of reconciling the Tamil population there but of gaining political success by developing a kind of populist Sinhala view… which has also driven their military policies in this war.
Phil Rees, an author with 25 years experience of covering Sri Lanka
Flies swarming over dead bodies of small children; a man screaming for help while carrying his badly wounded child ; a mother sitting besides her dying children and crying uncontrollably; makeshift hospitals swamped with wounded civililans; people trapped without food or medicine; and supposedly ``trophy videos'' of captured rebels, including the slain LTTE chief V Prabhakaran's 12-year-old unarmed son Balakandran Prabhakaran allegedly “executed'' by Sri Lankan forces.
“They didn’t believe that anyone in the international community was willing to stop them, and they were right.” That is the lucid explanation offered by John Holmes, the British diplomat and former chief of the United Nations’ humanitarian operations, as to why, in 2009, the Sri Lankan government was willing to risk international condemnation and accusations of war crimes in its all-out final push to end its 26-year-long war against the Tamil Tigers. Holmes was interviewed by Britain’s Channel 4 for a documentary that aired yesterday called Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished.
Read more: http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/?p=21556?xid=gonewsedit#ixzz1pG9yd3vE
"They didn't believe that anyone in the international community was willing to stop them, and they were right." That is the lucid explanation offered by John Holmes, the British diplomat and former chief of the United Nations' humanitarian operations, as to why, in 2009, the Sri Lankan government wa...
At present, an enormous delegation from the government of Sri Lanka are attempting to persuade member states of the Council to vote against a motion spearheaded by the US, calling for greater accountability from Colombo for multiple abuses allegedly committed by the army during the last days of its civil war. Applying counter-pressure, a collection of NGOs and advocacy groups are seeking to open the way for the island nation's wartime conduct to be independently investigated.
In Geneva, the current session of the United Nations Human Rights Council is playing host to a fierce diplomatic battle largely overshadowed in the British press by the mounting atrocities in Syria and the deepening crisis in Afghanistan.
At present, an enormous delegation from the government of Sri Lanka are attempting to persuade member states of the Council to vote against a motion spearheaded by the US, calling for greater accountability from Colombo for multiple abuses allegedly committed by the army during the last days of its civil war. Applying counter-pressure, a collection of NGOs and advocacy groups are seeking to open the way for the island nation's wartime conduct to be independently investigated.
A central figure in the melee is a man who is neither a politician nor a diplomat, but a filmmaker. Callum Macrae has directed two documentaries on the civil war that appear to show devastating evidence of crimes committed by the military, including UN-authenticated "trophy footage" of extra-judicial killings and apparent evidence of other atrocities.
His first film was released last year, eliciting widespread shock and concern from the international community, including Britain, and furious denials from Colombo. A Sri Lankan investigation branded the harrowing execution footage 'fake', a claim echoed by senior politicians; however, Sri Lanka's objections were met with a point-by-point rebuttal by a panel of experts commissioned by the United Nations.
The second film was aired on Channel Four last night, having already premiered in Geneva last Sunday. Entitled Sri Lanka's Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished, Macrae's latest work could have even more impact than his 2011 offering. Already, revelations in the Independent that the documentary will contain evidence of the "summary execution" of a 12-year old boy, the son of Villai Prabhakaran, ex-leader of the "Tamil Tiger" rebels who fought the Lankan armed forces, have put Colombo on notice.
Speaking to Macrae at the weekend, who only weeks ago had been nominated, astonishingly, for a Nobel Prize for the first Killing Fields documentary, I asked him what drove him to make his latest film. He replied thoughtfully, and at length:
"The first film we made presented prima facie evidence that war crimes were committed. The Sri Lankan government's response to that was absolute denial. So in a sense, with this film we say 'okay, if you're not going to [properly investigate yourself], we will.' So what we do in this film is we produce more evidence of war crimes, we look particularly at four incidents or sequences of events that in our view constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity, we name names - it is clear that the evidence points very, very clearly to the very top levels of the Sri Lankan government."
Without pausing to dwell on the seriousness of his statement, Macrae added: "What is clear, and we look at this very closely in the film, what happened at the end of the war is that at every stage the Rajapaksa government lied. They lied when they said they had a policy of zero casualties of the war, and the international community knew it; they lied when they said the no fire zone was being respected and that no heavy weapons were being used, and the international community knew they were lying; they lied when they said that they knew how many people were left in the no fire zone - they grotesquely lied [about that] so they could justify restricting humanitarian aid - and the rest of the world knew that. So, the big question is: why did the rest of the world let them get away with it?"
Macrae's pointed questioning, astonishing in both its candour and its charges, may thunder in the ears of the Council who in their previous vote on the war, completely avoided pressing Sri Lanka for rigorous self-examination, with the result that little substantial justice has been seen to be achieved since the war's conclusion nearly three years ago. Colombo have punished only one senior officer in that time for war related offences: Sarath Fonseka, the former commander of the armed forces, whose crime was to accuse the government of ordering atrocities. Many see his subsequent jail sentence as being politically motivated, especially after his claims were corroborated by other army figures.
As the vote on Sri Lanka approaches, due to be held in little over a week- near enough to the present for the latest broadcast by Macrae's team to be still felt reverberating in the news - there remains some hope that the Council may be moved to press Sri Lanka to face its haunted past with courage and sobriety.
If they fail, the prospect of authentic reconciliation between the ethnic Sinhala and Tamil communities, so bitterly divided by the war, will be dimmed spectacularly- paving the way for the present tentative peace to falter under the weight of deeply felt, unresolved resentments.
Follow Emanuel Stoakes on Twitter: www.twitter.com/EmanuelStoakes
While refusing to go into most of the specific charges contained in the Channel 4 video broadcast on Wednesday, the Sri Lankan Defence establishment has denied “outright the wild allegations contained” in the new video, Sri Lanka's Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished.
The video accuses Sri Lankan forces of having killed Balachandran, LTTE chief V.Prabhakaran's son and others taken prisoners; of deliberately shelling no-fire zones set up within the war zones; of under-estimating the number of people trapped in the no-fire zone, and hence making available lesser rations, and of not allowing humanitarian aid into the zones.
The Army, in a statement, warned that it “may be in focus at the moment, but it will be another developing world country in the not too distant future.” Terming this a “western self-indulgence,” and “interventionism” using the media, the Army said that the video “clearly endangers peace and reconciliation within post-war Sri Lanka.”
Some of the images shown in the video are graphic and deeply disturbing. Pointing to these, the Army said that the video sought to “fan the flames of the very extremism that was defeated at the end of the civil war.” Insisting that the video was nothing but a campaign against Sri Lanka, the Army warned that “this sort of external media campaigning will encourage intransigence within those political forces historically identified with LTTE extremism” and would “postpone a final political settlement within Sri Lanka.”
The Army charged that “the clear intention” of the producers was to influence “the United Nations Human Rights Council meetings in Geneva.” Accusing Channel 4 News of relying on “sensationalist materials made available to it by anti-government groups and individuals,” the Army said that, “unnamed and disguised ‘witnesses' are once again used by Channel 4, together with sworn statements by an unnamed Sri Lankan ‘Army Officer'.”
Finally, I should note that Channel 4, while throwing blame on the President and the Secretary of Defence and General Shavendra Silva and General Prasanna Silva, leaves out Sarath Fonseka from its demands for retributive justice. Fascinatingly, the Amnesty Spokesman Sam Zarifi stresses the responsibility of the first two, which underlines the political motivation behind the allegations. He absolutely omits Sarath Fonseka, who was the only major figure to have been cited in the US State Department report as meriting criticism.
Official web site of the Sri Lanka Embassy in France
Foreign Office Minister responds to Channel 4 documentary on Sri Lanka"Once again, Channel 4 has brought to international attention important and disturbing evidence to support allegations of grave abuses in Sri Lanka.
“Since the end of the conflict, the international community has called for an independent, credible and thorough investigation into alleged war crimes on both sides of the conflict. Channel 4’s documentaries reinforce the need for that investigation.
“I continue to believe that Sri Lanka, in accordance with its Government’s public statements, can achieve lasting peace and reconciliation. But this requires a full and honest acknowledgement of the past and it requires processes, in which all parties take part, to ensure justice, reconciliation and political progress.
“That is why the UK will urge the UN Human Rights Council to pass a resolution next week which calls on Sri Lanka to take these steps and implement the recommendations of their own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.”
Further information
British High Commission in Sri Lanka website
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Did Sri Lanka send its army into the northern Tamil region to massacre people three years ago over a smoldering, protracted religious and cultural war, slaughtering countless people, particularly, by bombing them inside safe-zones?Only if you be.....
The ravaged, wounded and brutalised refugees, constantly on the move in rags and their desperate cries; and the swagger of the impudent Rajapaksa brothers are too hard to ignore. In the film, Mahinda Rajapska thunders at his UN speech after the war victory: “Imported external solutions breed resentment, and will fail. Ours was a home-grown process.”
The latest Channel 4 documentary names and shames President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his defence secretary brother.
Has it revealed to the United Nations, the USA or Britain (who are presently drafting a resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHCR meeting in Geneva, three years after the fact) anything it wasn’t aware of already? Will it turn the geopolitical tides against Sri Lanka and bring the criminals of its war to justice?
Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields, War Crimes Unpunished, channel four, channel 4, sri lankan government, sri lankan government war crimes, civilian casualties, bias reporting, unfair reporting, irresponsible journalism, activism, the guardian, misreading, atrocities
Did I think that the first programme was a good thing? Yes. There’s a line, a quandary, a grey area after any conflictual situation. And it’s about what we should just put behind us and forget or accept and what we need to analyse and dissect in order to learn from to move forward.
Having gone to numerous protests myself in front of Westminster against the genocide of Tamil civilians and having been completely ignored and greeted with disinterest I found the harsh reality to be painful. But perhaps in this harsh reality, the prince on the white horse takes shape of a news channel, as crude as it may sound. Channel 4 aired yet another documentary against the Sri Lankan Government, with more intent and a stronger message then the previous one. Named ‘War crimes unpunished’, a very promising head start, it continued to address the most contradictive question raised, where many western countries are willing to turn a blind eye; Was it a systematic eradication of innocent Tamil civilians that took place during the war? The finger was quite clearly pointed at Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president himself.
I have often found myself wondering where to draw the line when it comes to politics and simple morality. To me, politics was born from morality and ideology which blurs the line. Murder for example, it is morally wrong. No one would call murder politics unless the reasons behind it were. So why is it that when murder occurs on a large scale with nothing but brutality and repression as a reason, it is a political matter, not to be addressed as a human one? Why is it separated as less important to society when it is committed by a government?
Channel 4 has no political agenda in mind when they called for accountability, instead they must have been aware of the backlash they would suffer, especially from Sri Lanka itself. While many Tamil civilians may have given up on freedom and equality, now that there is no resistance, now that the Sri Lankan Government are seen as heroes for defeating a terrorist organization, Channel 4 continues its own investigation. Undeniable evidence is presented which includes the gruesome executions of LTTE soldiers by the army, bodies of innocent young women raped or somehow tarnished in a grotesque manner, all the while repressing any views that question the Government, whether its war crimes or anything else and completely rejecting the freedom of expression. In fact, reporters who try to report any piece against the state often end with disappearances.
This extreme propaganda leads to fascist state. While Sri Lanka may be a tiny island, the civilians are real. The deaths are real. The injustice is real. The complete ignorance of the UN and any other country willing to turn a blind eye is real. The scale is smaller, compared to World War 2. But the war crimes seem almost identical. While (to our knowledge) no gas chambers have been used, the shooting of civilians, the refusal of medicine and food, the intended shelling on ‘no fire zones’ packed with civilians and having the military join the bombed areas and finishing of the jobs is nothing short of genocide.
When WW2 ended, Europe collectively took a look at itself and gawped in horror and what happened. Whether they joined in or stood by watching, you would have thought that they would never let history repeat itself. But here we go again. Maybe in 50 years, this will be written in textbooks about the collective failure of any reputable organization to intervene in the violation of Human Rights. By then, it will all be too late. While Channel 4 has given the minority hope, fundamentally, they only have so much power. Raising awareness, but they cannot make any real change as they are not part of a political party. Perhaps if they were the world would be a much better place.
It is bewildering how the President denies any blame whatsoever, while the evidence is damning and has been checked and rechecked of its authenticity. Implausible claims that no heavy artillery has been fired, no civilians were hurt while films prove the exact opposite leaves me speechless. Their reply to this is that these films are inauthentic, and are incapable of arguing anything worthwhile. It seems the only people who care apart from the Tamil Diaspora is indeed Channel 4. These people have done everything in their power to push the UN into action, reporting the story of an underdog.
The president’s extreme arrogance is pathetic, saying that no external independent investigation can take place. It is clear he is keen to keep things quiet. There is no reason to stop investigations from happening now that the war is over. Saying that their countries affairs will be dealt by themselves are useless, the perpetrators carrying out their own investigation?
The documentary has moved onto describing clearly that the war crimes committed were not due to some ‘bad apples’ but that it was coming from the very top. The execution of the 12 year old son of Prabaharan , the leader of the LTTE was perhaps the most painful image. He was to have been tortured for his father’s whereabouts and then killed.
The cruelty that took place in this War is hard to put in words; it leaves you speechless. The painful videos and pictures and then those responsible enjoying a sip of wine at the end of the documentary enrages me. The way things are now, no one will be held accountable, they will be left to live their elitist lives and continue running their fascist state. Truly, resistance was born from the extreme inequality taking place; the request for independence was not for power hungry reasons but for freedom. Someone being punished for everything that has happened is only second to the first need that the remaining Tamil civilians who managed to survive this bloody war to live a painless, equal life. This is not going to happen while the people who rule at the top remain at the top.
Taking this chance to thank Channel 4 for their fighting spirit, the only thing I can do like they can is raise awareness. So if any of you who have not watched the documentary, and can take an hour out of your life and spare it for us then please click on the link below;
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/sri-lankas-killing-fields/4od
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Channel4 has come up with another disgusting piece of journalism aimed at tarnishing Sri Lanka's reputation. We deny outright the wild allegations contained therein.
The programme is yet another example of western media arrogance in dealing with or claiming to report on the emergent and developing world. Sri Lanka may be in focus at the moment, but it will be another developing world country in the not too distant future.
LTTE's money talks again
Channel4 has come up with another disgusting piece of journalism aimed at tarnishing Sri Lanka's reputation. We deny outright the wild allegations contained therein.
The programme is yet another example of western media arrogance in dealing with or claiming to report on the emergent and developing world. Sri Lanka may be in focus at the moment, but it will be another developing world country in the not too distant future.
The programme represents nothing more than the self-indulgent and deeply-flawed focus of self-selecting, middle-class white elite. This white, western elite is represented by British journalists, British politicians, British international bureaucrats, Canadian and American Human Rights activists - all of whom were commenting on the internal affairs of a sovereign state.
This western self-indulgence - interventionism as it were by media - clearly endangers peace and reconciliation within post-war Sri Lanka. It inevitably fans the flames of the very extremism that was defeated at the end of the civil war. This sort of external media campaigning will encourage intransigence within those political forces historically identified with LTTE extremism - intransigence which will postpone a final political settlement within Sri Lanka.
The programme was made up in large part of essentially rehashed and repackaged allegations edited and reformatted in time for presentation at - and with the clear intention of influencing - the United Nations Human Rights Council meetings in Geneva, and any possible vote regarding Sri Lanka within those meetings. Channel 4 News' objective was self-evidently more political and partisan than objective and journalistic. It was "advocacy" in the guise of journalism.
The self-publicised presence of Callum Macrae, the director of both of Channel 4 News' programmes on Sri Lanka, in Geneva during the meetings of the Human Rights Council amply demonstrates the real motivation for the programme and why it was screened when it was.
That Channel 4 News has continued to rely largely upon sensationalist materials made available to it by anti-government groups and individuals. Unnamed and disguised "witnesses" are once again used by Channel 4, together with sworn statements by an unnamed Sri Lankan "Army Officer".
For all the focus on Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan government and military and the country's civil war, Channel 4 still makes fundamental mistakes in describing Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the Minister of Defence as opposed to his actual position as the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence.
There is no mention yet again of the fact that the LTTE were a terrorist organisation.
There is no focus on the fact that the LTTE forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to accompany them or that they killed civilians to prevent them leaving.
There is no mention whatsoever of the fact that the LTTE had artillery and mortar units and that these fired into the No Fire Zones and at hospitals. Ironically, the only picture of an artillery piece being fired appears to be one manned by the LTTE.
David Miliband's comments are somewhat undermined by the fact that Wikileaks showed that his interest in Sri Lankan was solely the result of the influence of Tamil voters within the United Kingdom. Miliband's stated concerns for Human Rights investigations and justice do not extend to his own country's 30 year civil war in Northern Ireland (ended with an amnesty) or the responsibility the government of which he was part for thousands of civilian deaths and injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The consistent telecasts have had no objectives other than to name and shame Sri Lanka with unsubstantiated materials quite contrary to the ethics of journalism and international norms. The commercialization behind the telecast is possibly the only motivating factor that drives Channel 4 towards this scurrilous campaign against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka on Thursday rejected a new video aired on Britain's Channel 4 which levelled fresh allegations of war crimes against the country's leadership and military.
Colombo: Sri Lanka on Thursday rejected a new video aired on Britain's Channel 4 which levelled fresh allegations of war crimes against the country's leadership and military.In response to the video "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished", the defence ministry re-released several videos and documents to counter the claims, reported Xinhua.
"The ministry categorically rejects the video as baseless and unacceptable," a defence ministry statement said.
The new video has former British foreign secretary David Miliband and the former head of UN Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes speaking on some of the incidents which took place during the final stages of the war in 2009.
The video blames both the government and the military over some of the incidents, including the failure to send adequate humanitarian aid to the thousands of civilians trapped in the final battle zone.
Sri Lanka says the video has been released with the intention of defaming the government at the ongoing UN summit for Human Rights in Geneva.
"The defence ministry rejects all allegations of human rights violation, stating that it is able to prove with valid evidence that it was the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) that committed gross violation of human rights over the past three decades," it said.
In 2011 Channel 4 exposed damning evidence of atrocities committed in the war in Sri Lanka. Jon Snow presents this powerful follow-up film, revealing new video evidence as well as contemporaneous documents, eye-witness accounts, photographic stills and videos relating to how exactly events unfolded during the final days of the civil war.
The film forensically examines four specific cases and investigates who was responsible.
Jon Snow presents a forensic investigation into the final weeks of the quarter-century-long civil war between the government of Sri Lanka and the secessionist rebels, the Tamil Tigers.
With disturbing and distressing descriptions and film of executions, atrocities and the shelling of civilians the programme features devastating new video evidence of war crimes - some of the most horrific footage Channel 4 has ever broadcast.
Captured on mobile phones, both by Tamils under attack and government soldiers as war trophies, the disturbing footage shows: the extra-judicial executions of prisoners; the aftermath of targeted shelling of civilian camps; and dead female Tamil fighters who appear to have been raped or sexually assaulted, abused and murdered.
The film is made and broadcast as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon faces growing criticism for refusing to launch an investigation into 'credible allegations' that Sri Lankan forces committed war crimes during the closing weeks of the bloody conflict with the Tamil Tigers.
In April 2011, Ban Ki-moon published a report by a UN-appointed panel of experts, which concluded that as many as 40,000 people were killed in the final weeks of the war between the Tamil Tigers and government forces.
It called for the creation of an international mechanism to investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law committed by government forces and the Tamil Tigers during that time.
This film provides powerful evidence that will lend new urgency to the panel's call for an international inquiry to be mounted, including harrowing interviews with eye-witnesses, new photographic stills, official Sri Lankan army video footage, and satellite imagery.
Also examined in the film are some of the horrific atrocities carried out by the Tamil Tigers, who used civilians as human shields.
Channel 4 News has consistently reported on the bloody denouement of Sri Lanka's civil war. Sri Lanka's Killing Fields presents a further damning account of the actions of Sri Lankan forces, in a war that the government still insists was conducted with a policy of Zero Civilian Casualties.
The film raises serious questions about the consequences if the UN fails to act, not only with respect to Sri Lanka but also to future violations of international law.
You can follow the programme on Twitter using #KillingFields
Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished (Channel 4) was a follow-up to last year’s harrowing film about the end of the war against the Tamil Tigers — a film that came complete with footage of shelled hospitals and summary executions. Faced with the resulting global outrage, the Sri Lankan government promised a full inquiry. So, has it now admitted the truth?
The new video on Sri Lanka aired by Channel 4 last night has former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and the former head of UN Humanitarian Affairs Sir John Holmes speaking on some of the incidents which took place during the final stages of the war.
Both Holmes and Miliband said that the government was firm on defeating the LTTE at the time of the final battle, at any cost.
Callum McCrae, director of the documentary-Sri Lanka's Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished, said that the footage which shows the young boy's with his body bearing bullet holes, lying besides his "slaughtered bodyguards" was examined by Professor Derrick Pounder, a "respected forensic pathologist".
The chilling footage of killing of slain LTTE chief Velupillai Prabakaran's 12-year-old son Balachandran which sent jitters down the spine was authentic, said Britain's Channel 4.
Sri Lanka's Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished (Channel 4) followed up last year's damning investigation into the brutal endgame to civil war there. Focusing on four events, this harrowing film, again presented by Jon Snow, uncovered new evidence about the extent of the atrocities – execution of prisoners including children, deliberate shelling of civilians and depriving them of food and medical treatment, like some kind of medieval siege. And who was responsible? Not a fanatical terrorist group, but government forces.
Another happy beginning … One Born Every Minute. Photograph: Adam Lawrence/Channel 4
We're back on the labour ward at Leeds General Infirmary where another two couples are due to procreate on camera for One Born Every Minute (Channel 4). "Everybody that comes here looks pregnant," says Richard, one of the imminent dads. That's kind of what labour wards are all about, Richard. It's why your wife Leah has a massive bump and is moaning.
"I don't like to describe labour as painful," says one of the midwives. "I try to be realistic; it's not without pain, but it's more a powerful experience."
Yeah, whatever, Leah's having none of that. "I don't care, I just need an epidural," she says. "I'm entitled to one." Trouble is, she's not dilated enough for an epidural, so they put her in the bath instead. From the room next door comes the sound of a baby crying. "Probably just been born," says Richard, who finally seems to be getting the hang of what this place is all about.
At least Leah and Richard have God on their side. You'd have thought God would have made the whole process of childbirth a little less arduous and terrifying. But perhaps he can provide some spiritual pain relief for Leah, and guidance for Richard. They're Mormons, says Leah. I didn't know you got them in Yorkshire. Does Richard have other wives, I wonder? Probably not. And he and Leah finish each other's sentences and echo each other in that way some couples do. You wouldn't do that with someone you shared, would you?
In another room young Mel and James, who I like more, are going through the same kind of thing. Different problems though. For James, the main problem is that Mel's mum is there, and she keeps reminding James how little faith she's got in him. "It's up to James now to prove me wrong," she says. "James, just make sure you do a lot better job than your dad did." Poor lad, it's enough to make any boy run a mile.
And if that wasn't enough, they have the world's most irritating midwife who speaks without pauses or breaths: "Chin on chest chin on chest and push down into your bottom keep on going keep on going a bit more a bit more if you can keep it going keep it going …"
"Fuck," says Mel, and I know what she means.
"You just want to take this pain away," says the world's most irritating midwife. "If we could take this pain away we'd do it for you we'd all take a little piece wouldn't we?" Personally I'd take her away if I could, all of her. SHUT UP.
Both babies (Richie, 8lbs 5oz, and Harvey, 9lbs 12oz!) come out eventually, and are beautiful. Mel, who was fostered, is lovely about it. "It means everything to me having a baby, I can give it everything that I didn't have as a child," she says. "It doesn't make any difference what you've been through, who you are, you can still bring a kid up the best you can, and you can have a great life."
It's much the same every week – bump, nerves, pain, screams, big push, joy, tears, name, weight, big stuff ahead. It's never boring though – well, it's not a bad story, is it? The main characters are going through the most extraordinary thing that will ever happen to them, and at the end a beginning, if you see what I mean. More moving than BBC period drama Call The Midwife too, because this is for real.
And so much easier watching other people than doing it yourself. I – I mean we – just did it. Nightmare. I was sick with worry about the person I care most about, then sick with worry about the two people I care most about. And I can't see the worry ever ending. Yeah, OK, there are some quite nice things about it too.
Sri Lanka's Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished (Channel 4) followed up last year's damning investigation into the brutal endgame to civil war there. Focusing on four events, this harrowing film, again presented by Jon Snow, uncovered new evidence about the extent of the atrocities – execution of prisoners including children, deliberate shelling of civilians and depriving them of food and medical treatment, like some kind of medieval siege. And who was responsible? Not a fanatical terrorist group, but government forces.
This was a proper piece of journalism that asked serious questions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother the defence secretary – questions that should be asked in a war crimes trial.
A depressing, numbing film that rang on long after the final credits rolled.
They had some new facts too: what looked like solid evidence that the 12-year-old son of the Tamil leader had been executed along with his father. As before, the Sri Lankan government deny the charges or just ignore them. "Imposed external solutions breed great resentment," the country's president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, told the UN in response to previous calls for an inquiry. Well, quite, busybody foreign judges with their nit-picking insistence on human rights.
I do hope someone kept the Wanted poster. At the beginning of Rights Gone Wrong – a rapid-response documentary about the controversial nature of some recent rulings from the European Court of Human Rights – Andrew Neil illustrated some of the wilder stories that had made it into the papers, including the suggestions that a kitten had prevented a criminal's deportation and that a police force hadn't publicised a suspect's picture for fear of breaching his human rights. Cue a mocked-up Police Appeal for Assistance bearing the features of the Daily Politics presenter, a man who has repeatedly breached his own right to dignity in the pursuit of televisual novelty. I still have sweaty flashbacks of him and Portillo doing a cover of "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo" for the 2005 election coverage.
On Wednesday, Britain’s Channel 4 aired a documentary claiming Sri Lankan forces summarily executed Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his 12-year-old son in May 2009. The documentary included video footage purporting to show the deceased bodies with multiple bullet wounds, suggesting execution at close range.
The U.S. is planning to introduce a resolution calling for Sri Lanka to investigate the rights abuses committed by its military at the end of the country's war against the Tamil Tiger in 2009. But, Sri Lanka’s envoy to India cautions that this hard-ball approach could backfire.
Don't worry, we won't post anything.
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