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Channel 4 News and Sri Lanka Tamil executions

by Bailaman | May 18, 2010 at 10:48 am

1378 views | 7 Recommendations | 4 comments

Channel 4 is the same British broadcaster who managed to secure an 'exclusive' interview with Kumaran Pathmanathan, the new Tamil Tiger leader, and a man who was on the Interpol's wanted list. When law enforcement couldn't find Pathmanathan,

Channel 4 and it's contacts with the extremist Tamil Tigers (LTTE) could.Channel 4, by the way, is also the same entity that released a video claiming to be Sri Lankan troops executing what they claimed were Tamils (They mean Tamil Tigers. However, they don't call Taliban or Al Qaeda insurgents Muslims or Afghans).

A few months back (02 Feb 2010) they posted the following on their website when UN's Special Rapporteur Philip Alston conducted his own investigation into the execution video and made public his opinion on the video,

For Channel 4 News, last week’s verdict was the last chapter in an ongoing saga that has seen the Sri Lankan government attempt to destroy the reputation of Channel 4 journalism across the globe.
Of course, in some ways, the UN conclusion is just the beginning of what surely must be a new investigation into Sri Lanka. But for now, this is the story of the tape – and the shocking repercussions of reporting uncomfortable truths from secretive war zones.

What they wanted you to believe was that the findings made public by Philip Alston was the word of the UN and that it disproved the Sri Lankan government's own investigation.

Nice try Channel 4, but you don't fool me.

The Sri Lankan government pointed out that the video's audio had been doctored.

In fact this video that AFP has posted on Youtube is the same execution video, but instead of the men in uniform speaking Sinhalese, they are speaking in Tamil!

The Sri Lankan government also pointed out that it's investigations had revealed that the video was not shot on a cell phone, but on a camcorder or similar video recording device; the source of the video claimed it came from a soldier's camera phone.

Let's remind Channel 4 that the Alston investigation has only revealed that weapons used in the video are real and the victims appear to collapse in a manner consistent with the injury sustained and nothing else.

So what do they have for us Sri Lankans today? They have yet another exclusive!

One frontline soldier told Channel 4 News: "Yes, our commander ordered us to kill everyone. We killed everyone."
And senior Sri Lankan army commander said: "Definitely, the order would have been to kill everybody and finish them off.

"I don't think we wanted to keep any hardcore elements, so they were done away with. It is clear that such orders were, in fact, received from the top."

Despite allegations of war crimes, Sri Lanka's government has managed to avoid an independent inquiry. But the evidence continues to mount.

A small problem with that theory, Channel 4.

Sri Lanka has over 11,000 Tamil Tiger combatants in custody. Why did they not just kill them all? Why are they now a burden on the state? The same state that provided for these people even in areas under Tiger control for more than three decades? One would think that taking a senior leader captive makes more strategical sense to the military than killing them; the information obtained from captives can prevent them from regrouping.

Has anyone noticed? The ICG report and now this Channel 4 claim comes just days apart.

The rich (funds raised through extortion, human smuggling and debit card scams) and influential Tamil Tigers network overseas remains intact and is heavily lobbying for war crimes charges.

Unfortunately, as with all their recent endeavour to get back at the Sri Lankan government after a crushing defeat, this too shall pass with nothing coming of it.

Originally posted on Bailaman's Blog on May 18, 2010.

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Tamiya

at 14:19 on May 18th, 2010

"Crisis Group has collected evidence that provides reasonable grounds to believe the repeated shelling of civilians in the three NFZs [No Fire Zones], combined with the obstruction and undersupplying of food and medical care for civilians, was part of the [Sri Lankan] government’s overall military strategy in the Vanni."

International Crisis Group, Asia Report # 191, May 17, 2010, p.20

Channel 4: Sri Lanka Tamil killings 'ordered from the top'

Tom44 (not verified)

at 14:35 on May 18th, 2010

You're an idot Bailaman.... nothing else to say.....

Jeff Allan (not verified)

at 12:35 on May 20th, 2010

Thank you Channel 4.

Boycott SriLankan products. These Sri Lankas are inhumans. They think killing people is fun. What if 25,000 people killed in 1 just day were the Sinhellass? This is real terrorism .. this is the true face of terrorism .. State sponsored terrorism.

Ban Sri Lanka everywhere.. Ban these war criminals...