Hilary Rajakarunanayake, Editor – Sri Lanka, Asian Tribune
Colombo, 12 May, (Asiantribune.com): "Certain foreign media institutions are spreading false news reports regarding the present situation in Sri Lanka. These reports are baseless untruths about the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who have fled from LTTE controlled areas and moved into the Army controlled areas in the North". This was stated yesterday by Mahinda Samarasinghe, Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights at a press conference in Colombo.
"Today there are 192,000 IDPs living in the Government controlled areas. Some of them are in temporarily housed Government welfare camps, whereas others have opted to live with their relatives in the North. All those who have sustained injuries caused by LTTE indiscriminate shootings to prevent them leaving the LTTE controlled areas are being treated in makeshift hospitals set up by the Sri Lanka Government.
A recent statement made to the foreign media by a doctor called Shanmugarajah, that several IDPs have died and have been injured by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces is a downright lie and a canard cooked up to placate LTTE interests", reiterated Minister Samarasinghe
"The best guarantee of survival for an outfit that is designated a terrorist organization by several right-thinking governments the world over, would be through the generation of shock and outrage at supposed atrocities.
"The Sri Lanka Government feels it is necessary to guard against these coordinated campaigns which seek to vilify the security forces and besmirch their record as they successfully overcome terrorism.
"It is noted that these exaggerated claims of Government forces firing on civilians in no-fire zones, dramatic casualty figures and charges of indiscriminate attacks have been heightened since January 2009 when the LTTE was pushed back into a rapidly dwindling area.
It is this steady stream of LTTE-originated disinformation campaign that has been amplified by its surrogates and acolytes like Dr. Shanmugarajah through an extensive worldwide propaganda network enabling the disinformation to be widely disseminated," Minister Samarasinghe stressed very strongly.
- Asian Tribune -
Comments
In a climate where the
In a climate where the western politicos and media seem to be determined to cast aspersions on Sri Lanka basing their comments on pro tiger media, I wonder why the state is not having daily press conferences to air its position (if they are doing this then my apologies). This should prevent the pro tiger western media from first airing the tiger version and then obtain denials from the government.
It is very necessary that we have people best equipped to deal with foreign media as spokesmen. The difference was patently clear when Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe was interviewed as against some others who floundered and sometimes even gave the impression that the questionw were not properly understood when trying to provide answers. Keeping one's cool (as Mr. Samarasinghe did so effectively) is as important as providing answers.
Another party that can contribute towards avoiding this anti Sri Lanka stance are our embassies. They should be proactive in making sure that the official Sri Lanka stance is promptly aired and let the tigers defend if they can.
I wish the SL government would use the non western diplomatic community such as the Non Aligned Movement, SARC grouping, ASEAN, Arab league, etc to disseminate news about the war promptly so that they will be aware of the facts by the time the western and tiger median circus gets involved.
Not only the war in the battlefield but the propaganda war also needs to be fought effectively in this anti tiger campaign.
Why they not report the Sri
Why they not report the Sri Lankan citizens in south collecting foods, bottled waters and all the goods for the people escaped from ruthless LTTE clutches?
Why they not reporting LTTE shooting innocent civilians they try escape from LTTE terrorism?
Why they not showing the revealed arms hide by LTTE?
Is this Western journalism? Nice journalism!
Who consider western media as trust sources?
Only an idiot than such fake journalist.
Very shy and very sad!
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