US State Department believes Indian journalist on Sri Lanka issues
Daya Gamage – Asian Tribune US Bureau News Analysis
Washington, DC. 12 August (Asiantribune.com):
When the Indian journalist Mr. Goyal who is accredited to the State Department in Washington makes a statement at daily press briefings spokesperson who conduct the briefings accept his submissions as ‘Gospel truth’.
Either the spokespersons do not have facts in hand to refute Mr. Goyall’s diabolical lies about the Sri Lankan situation allowing Mr. Goyal’s accusations go unchallenged to make them international news, or they are incompetent to reach Sri Lankan diplomats in Washington to get the facts right.
Or, the Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Ministry and its overseas diplomats along with their lobbying firm Patton-Boggs do not see the damage caused by the Indian journalist Mr. Goyal to Sri Lanka’s image abroad.
As a result, Mr. Goyal’s half truths, misinterpretations and diabolical lies go unchallenged to make international news against Sri Lanka and provide political ammunition to a section of the Sri Lankan Diaspora that is still supporting the Eelam agenda of the late Tamil Tiger leader V. Prabhakaran.
Mr. Goyal has been going on with his misinformation for a while at State Department press briefings, and Asian Tribune has not seen the Washington Sri Lankan diplomats reaching to Mr. Goyal to put the record right.
At the State Department briefing on Thursday, August 11 Mr. Goyal accused the Sri Lanka president of ordering the killings of the Tamils – even now – long after the Eelam War 4 has been completed over two years.
But the spokesperson made no attempt to refute Mr. Goyal’s submission but allowed it to be a global news to tarnish the image of Sri Lanka.
Following is the full text of the dialogue that went at the State Department press briefing on August 11, and Asian Tribune readers could assess the damage it has caused to Sri Lanka’s international image. These are been allowed to go unchallenged in a strategic manner by Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Ministry and its overseas diplomats.
Ms. Nuland (State Dept. Spokesperson): Go ahead, Goyal.
Question (Mr. Goyal): Madam, as far as Tamils of Sri Lanka are concerned, inside Sri Lanka or outside, what they’ve been hearing from the United States, they’re not happy as for atrocities were committed against their people and millions are still left behind without any basics. And what they’re blaming that after the war they are – they were killed by – with the – by the order of this current president, and they are seeking now justice and human rights from the United States and the United Nations. What they’re saying is why there’s this double standard when Sri Lankan Tamils are concerned, when other nations that – why this case is not going in Hague to be – to the International Criminal Justice Court against the Sri Lankan president.
Ms. Nuland: Goyal, I think we spoke to the issue of justice and accountability in Sri Lanka as recently as Tuesday. The United States view hasn’t changed. We would like the Sri Lankan Government to take its responsibility and establish the kind of accountable system that its people can have confidence it.
But if that does not happen and does not happen expeditiously, then we reserve the right to discuss international mechanisms.
Question (Goyal): Just to follow, the reason I ask, because they are watching whatever we do here, State Department, as far as Tamil issues are concerned. After your response, that’s why they said they are not happy, and Sri Lankan president and Government has repeatedly said that they will not investigate their president or whatever, if the crimes were committed or not. Now the Tamils are in your hands.
Ms. Nuland: Again, this is a Sri Lankan Government responsibility that we want to see them take on for the good of their own nation.
Question (Goyal): So have you given – is there any timeline of – how much time do you expect?
Ms. Nuland: I’m not going to set artificial timelines from this podium, but we understand the frustration and the concern of Sri Lankan people. (End Transcript)
- Asian Tribune -
Comments
US State Department Misinformed About Sri Lanka
US State Department Misinformed on the Situation in the Northern Province
Goyal, an Indian journalist has informed the State Department that millions of people in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka are still without any basics. I wonder whether he has visited the Northern Province recently. I returned from a visit to the Northern Province last week.
There is Peace, harmony, development and consequent rapid improvement of the living standards in Jaffna. If the Government follows up the opening of all the roads in Colombo with a similar program in Jaffna, it will change the atmosphere and hasten the return to nomalacy, just as in Colombo. The change over to the English medium in the Jaffna Universities, as in the rest of the country, will halt the creation of unemployable graduates. The demining and the infrastructure development need to be further accelerated in the Mullativu district.
The US State Department as well as the Government of Sri Lanka should listen to independent patriotic Tamil intellectuals such as Prof. Ratnajeevan Hoole, the University Teachers Association, the people who have recently invested in Jaffna and other independent sources, to get a correct picture of Jaffna. There are many eminent businessmen in Colombo with roots in Jaffna and they too can guide the Government of Sri Lanka in the equitable development of the Northern Province.
The peace and harmony among the multi-religious and multi-caste people of Northern Province should be ensured by not devolving power to any narrow minded politicians. If peace and harmony is ensured, my prediction is that there will be a reverse migration of Tamil intellectuals from USA, Canada, UK and Australia in five years time. My prediction is based on what I saw, heard, and shown in this photo album with my comments.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150340276814136.401489.592569...
Prof. Ratnajeevan Hoole is
Prof. Ratnajeevan Hoole is not an independent patriotic Tamil intellectual. When LTTE threatened his life while he was Vice Chancellor of University of Jaffna, Sri Lankan army escorted him to Colombo to save his life. He then left for USA and started to write articles against the armed forces. I have read some of them. Once he was invited to Canada to speak in a reconciliation meeting and he gave a divisive speech to the amasement of the organisers. He recently came to Sri Lanka to make a positive contribution and applied for a job - I believe it was another Vice-Chancellor position. He was not selected and another Tamil person was the successful candidate. Then he started to write articles against Govt in Sunday Times. Everyone knows that Sunday Times is a popular paper for those against GOSL and the President. Then he was again fearful of arrest and left the country. Most people think that he is a confused person. I leave it to others to judge him based on his actions so far.
State Department
I doubt that the US State Department relies on just one source for their decision making. Over the years of the conflict we have observed that the US news sources always go to a few well known NGOs for assessments on the ground situation. These persons also have been giving misinformation to the State Department and the Washington Think Tanks. However, the US has far too sophisticated an information apparatus to get misdirected unless it chooses to be misdirected. There are other credible sources that the State Dept. can reach out to in order to get a balanced perspective. When it does not, one can be sure that there is some agenda behind the bias. As for Goyal, he has had sufficient influence to get himself into the White House Press Corps. There is one lone Indian/South Asian voice there and he always asks strange questions that are strangely worded too. The reporter on this transcript must be Goyal to judge from the way he has framed his questions. I would have thought there are Indians who are far more fluent in the English language around in the US, but for some strange reason Goyal has been selected for the important position of representing South Asia. Some person(s) in authority obviously appreciates Goyal's biased political perspectives.