Channel 4 Documentary: Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields

Much has been written about the Channel 4 documentary - Sri Lanka’s killing fields. John Snow’s commentary in this documentary speaks out with much vengeance against Sri Lanka and sounds very much like borrowed words from the Tamil net.

One is left to wonder if his animosity against Sri Lanka is a result of some journalist from Channel 4 including Jonathan Millar being deported from Sri Lanka for trying to produce a falsely concocted documentary film in April 2009 on the situation in Sri Lanka.

Allegations on war crimes and crimes against humanity are serious and must be proved beyond reasonable doubt with foolproof evidence before they are published on paper or broadcast on television channels. To do so using gruesome video clips received from various questionable sources where the perpetrators cannot be identified convincingly and in which the date or place where the alleged incident had occurred is uncertain is just not journalism that a reputed organization such as Channel 4 should produce.

One is also left wondering as to why Channel 4 repeats broadcasting the same video clip each time there is some important gathering at the United Nations. Is it because they believe in the Goebbellian theory that a lie repeated many times over will be accepted as the truth? Or is it because some of the employees of Channel 4 have been bought over by LTTE, which though annihilated in Sri Lanka, is still very much alive internationally.

On the 30th of November 1984, the LTTE attacked the Dollar and Kent farms in Weli Oya and massacred sixty two Sinhalese settlers that included women and children. They video filmed this massacre and showed it to the international community as atrocities committed by the Sri Lanka Army on an innocent Tamil settlement. Though the LTTE was able at that time to fool some of the international community with this documentary the truth soon surfaced. Is this documentary recently produced by Channel 4 a similar effort of the LTTE?

If the aim of Channel 4 is responsible journalism with regard to what has happened in Sri Lanka, there are many incidents that occurred in this country over the years where not only dates and place the incident occurred can be pinpointed but there are also adequate witnesses to prove beyond reasonable doubt who the perpetrators are.

There are also plenty of authentic video clips that they could use to produce a documentary that would speak out the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

These are all crimes against humanity that occurred over the years that have received little or no attention from Channel 4.

I believe it is not too late yet for Channel 4 to restore its credibility by producing a documentary including the following incidences that occurred in Sri Lanka over the years.

1. On 14th May 1985, 120 devotees including women and children were killed and 85 others wounded by the LTTE in the sacred city of Anuradhapura.

2. On the 17th of April 1987, a bus was attacked by the LTTE at Kithuluthuwa, killing 122 innocent civilians including women and children and 49 others were injured.

3. On the 2nd of June 1987, 33 Buddhist monks were massacred by the LTTE at Aranthalawa, Ampara.

4. On the 4th of August 1990, a Muslim Mosque in Kattankudy was attacked by the LTTE and 103 devotees were massacred and 70 others were injured.

5. On 20th October 1995, Kolonnawa oil installation was attacked by the LTTE killing 17 civilians and injuring 35 others.

6. On the 31st of January 1996, the Central Bank in Colombo was attacked by the LTTE killing 86 and injuring 1338 civilians.

7. On the 24th of July 1996, bomb was blasted by the LTTE in a train at Dehiwala killing 56 passengers and injuring many others.

8. The World Trade Center in Colombo was attacked by the LTTE on 15th October 1997 killing 12 civilians and injuring 113.

9. The LTTE attacked the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy on 25th January 1998 killing 12 devotees and injuring 13.

10. On the 24th of July 2001, LTTE attacked the Katunayake International Air Port killing 7 civilians and injuring 12 others.

11. On 29th May 2006, LTTE attacked a group of irrigation workers at Welikanda killing 12 and injuring 2.

12. On 15th June 2006 at Kebithigollewa a claymore mine explosion by the LTTE targeting a bus killed 64 innocent villagers including women and children and injured 39 others.

13. At Nittambuwa a bus was bombed by the LTTE on 5th January 2007 killing six civilians and injuring 63.

14. A bomb blast by the LTTE in a bus at Seenigama on 6th January 2007 killed 15 civilians and injured 40.

15. Another bus blast set out by the LTTE at Cheddikulam on 23rd April 2007 killed 7 civilians and injured 37.

16. A bomb blast by the LTTE at Ratmalana on 28th May 2007killed 8 civilians and injured 36.

There are many other attacks on civilian population staged by the LTTE including the attack on Sinhalese villages such as Gonagala where innocent villagers including women and children have been massacred that I have not mentioned due to non availability of the exact number of villagers killed and injured during these attacks.

However if the aim of Channel 4 is to empathize on war crimes committed in Sri Lanka’s killing fields instead of using unauthenticated and questionable video clips provided most probably by Tamil net, producing a documentary on the cold blooded murder of 600 Policemen who surrendered to the LTTE in the Ampara District would be more appropriate. Witnesses to this gruesome crime that took place in the jungles of Kanjikudichchaaru on 11th June 1990 are still available.

With truth that is stranger than fiction available to be exposed to the world it makes one wonder why Channel 4 is adamant on making fiction look true to discredit the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka which completed a remarkable operation sacrificing nearly 6000 soldiers to save a Tamil population that was being held as hostages by the LTTE.

The only possible conclusion one can arrive at is that Channel 4 has been bought over by the rump LTTE or by vested interests.

- Asian Tribune -