Sri Lanka, paradise islands and sport
What is it about paradise islands and sport? Just as we emerged from the sight of England playing World Cup Cricket on Sri Lanka’s killing fields, we were confronted with the promise in October from World Motor Sport, of a Grand Prix staged in Bahrain around the very traffic island that hosted the pro-democracy rebellion that flowered during the Arab Spring.
Next Tuesday night at 11.05pm, Channel 4 transmits one of the hardest-hitting, best-researched, and most shocking documentaries in the Channel’s 30-year history. I am proud to be the reporter on ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’.
The film shows conclusive evidence of top-level Sri Lankan government involvement in the massacre of at least 40,000 Tamil civilians. The film does not spare the Tamil Tigers either, accusing them of war crimes too.
But the overwhelming truth revealed in the film is the extent to which the machinery of government and military security on the island was used to systematically corral and kill huge swathes of the Tamil population. We show hospitals – adorned with large red crosses – systematically bombed and shelled by government forces; we show Tamils, who had surrendered or been captured, executed on the field of battle.
Yet this is the very island that World Cricket CHOSE to host the most recent World Cup. There was little protest, little awareness of Sri Lanka’s bloody secret.
Thanks to the Formula 1 teams and Bernie Ecclestone himself – the current boss of world motor sport – the authorities in Bahrain will not now get their way in staging the Grand Prix in October. It may be that for once, blood speaks louder than cash. The minority Sunni Bahraini regime has spoken of the uniting force of sport. Yet dozens of Grand Prix employees – all from the Shia majority – have been locked up and deprived of their jobs. Bahrain’s protests are only being contained by sheer force of arms – arms belonging to neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
If Bahrain’s Grand Prix had gone ahead in October, there would have been the serious danger that the event could have become a rallying point, in which blood and oil would compete with each other for the drains.
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There are 68 comments on this post
Hi Jon, It is interesting to observe how you and CH4 have made this into a crusade against Sri-Lanka and all its peoples. If civilians have been killed then this should be investigated. However you continue to make a point about Tamils this and Sinhalese that. Bottom line these are all Sri-Lankan citizens and Sri-Lankans must be supported to live together in peace in their own country. Again you dont mention this excellent efforts made by organisations such as Sri-Lanka Unites, SOS Childrens Vill, the Friday Forum and others who are trying to bring unity to the country. Also how dare you criticise a Sri-Lankan Cricket Team that through its individuals have supported Murali’s Charity that is working in the North and East. Jon it absolutely clear that you not offering a balanced view on the country. Are you listening too much to your LTTE friends??
According to blog the film will include crimes committed by LTTE as well. Therefore, your claim of bias towards LTTE is wrong.
why dont you understand all tamils are not LTTE.are you trying to tell that The SL goverment did not kill a single innocent tamil???
We want jutice for all the innnocent people who the SL Goverment has killed.
According to you THE SL goverment has done nothing wrong?????????
If you did not commited these crime then you can allow the international investigation , then every one will get to know the truth.
Let me reply
Raj- i note this, however the majority of the focus is on GOSL and SLA, not the LTTE. Also the attrocities carried out by the LTTE in the past have been quietly forgotton by CH 4 and the ethnic nationalist supporters
Subo- i did not say that SL Tamils were LTTE. i was talking about supporting Sri-Lankans irrespective of their ethnic background or faith. I believe in Sri-Lankan people and continue to support them
S Krishna: I did not commit any crimes. I do not represent GOSL or the LTTE. i am of SL heritage with family members from different communities on the Island. I support all Sri-Lankans. I have little interest in your ethnic nationalist overtones.
Asi, you said “the majority of the focus is on GOSL and SLA, not the LTTE.” Do you know why?
1.) Elected government has Responsibility to Protect (R2P) its’ citizens. Not to kill.
2.) Party to the conflict the Government of Sri Lanka is still in power and answerable to the atrocities committed.
3.) Leaders of LTTE who could have been tried for any “possible war crime accusations” were killed or disappeared by the SLA.
4. Government of Sri Lanka blocked all journalists entering the conflict zone and crushed Tamil rebellions without any witness. Now
all actions must be investigated and find the truth what really happened?
5. Without GOSL’s blessings and material support, Sri Lankan Army wouldn’t have used internationally banned weapons such as biological, chemical weapons and cluster bombs against its own citizens.
6. Above all Tamil Tigers never internationalised the conflict and never got any help from any countries. They got help from Tamils and fought for Tamil people’s right to self determination. Only GOSL falsely projected a freedom struggle as a “terrorism” to the world just to “crush” the Tamils. Now, it is GOSL’s turn to answer questions from International communities.
Annavi,hello, you make some well articulated points. I am not here to the defend GOSL, SLA or LTTE. I will not and ever support any form of ethnic nationalism- Sinhalese or Tamil. Of course Governments should be held to account, however so should the LTTE and their `political/financial backers’ who practically ran an illegal state in the North and East. I dont agree with your notion of LTTE being `freedom fighters’. The LTTE did not represent Sri-Lankan Tamils or their aspirations to live in peace in their country along with other communities. Sri-Lankan Tamils are Sri-Lankan citizens and must have total rights as Sri-Lankans. Previous Governments and political parties (from all sides) have failed to ensure that Sri-Lankans, irrespective of their ethnic background, religions etc. You may support Tamil eelam/seperatism, i do not and never will. I do support the work of the Friday Forum and Sri Lanka Unites. Bottom line what matters are Sri-Lankans living in the country and their well-being and rights. These are the people that i will support. The SL Diaspora outside SL are welcome to their opinions, however bottom line its the people in Sri-Lanka that matter.
Thank you for agreeing with us that the Sri Lankan Governments should be held to account. As far as the supporters of both sides who assisted and fuelled the brutal war will face charges after the findings of war crime investigations.
Tamils living North and East part of Sri Lanka have rejected Sri Lankan state long time ago in 1977 Election. Sri Lanka has no moral right to rule Tamils. In fact Sri Lanka forcefully imposes it’s sovereignty over Tamil people against their will.
Whether you like it or not, the bitter truth is the diaspora Tamils who were forced to flee their birth place are making voices for the voiceless Tamils in Sri Lanka. We have freedom of speech here without any fear of being shot on our head with hands tied back or a white van chasing after us. We will continue to demonstrate our will to freedom, until such a time all Tamils in Sri Lanka will be able to determine their future freely.
i have to say that i disagree because not all of the tamils were tigers, so what you seem to be saying is very wrong and false
Thanks for your comments. I would support freedom of speech and rights for all communities living in Sri-Lanka and full political representation of these communities within a united Sri-Lanka. If you had to `flee’ Sri-Lanka then i am very sorry this has happened to you/family. This is unacceptable as is the behaviour of the LTTE towards other communities. So whilst i respect your opinion, i dont agree with your political views. My point about the Diaspora is that they can have an opinion and people can agree to disagree with it. However what matters are communities living in Sri-Lanka and their well-being. These are the communities i will support, irrespective them being Tamil, Sinhalese, Muslim, Veddah, Burgher, Malay etc.
Thankyou
To CH 4
I urge CH4 to give coverage to the Friday Forum and organisations such as Sri-Lanka Unites. Also please support independent journalists such as Groundviews.
Channel-4 doesn’t talk about,
1. Thousands of innocent Sinhalese villagers killed by LTTE over 30 years.
2. Thousands of bomb blasts and killings done by LTTE in Southern Sri Lanka over 30 years.
3. Thousands of tamil civillians and politicians killed by LTTE over 30 years.
4. 300,000 inncoent tamils trapped and used and a human sheild by LTTE over 30 years.
5. Ruining of tamils future and the development of their areas over 30 years.
WHY?
IS LTTE FUNDING CHANNEL-4 ???
And we keep pushing competition as though it were a good thing.
It is insanity to continue this respect for agressively dominated power.It eminates from a mindset of snubs by Universities who consider themselves superior beings and bullies in school who like to pretend they are boss and grows and grows into the most horrific belligerence of all.
The low perceptual and emotional intelligence quotas of these ‘devil’ driven monsters renders humanity in an intellectual pit which fills with ,yes, the blood of man and carbon remains of past minute life.
Can we follow gently by example, it would seem not. Look at the chat shows which have pugnacious , rude , howling little beings scrapping for ‘dignity.’ Dignity ? they don’t know the meaning of the word, or the slimy liars who twist and turn the truth around for power and then attempt to command respect by ritual.
Eventually these stabs at persons really gets to the less self controlled and they even brutalise their own.
Shri Lanka is a nasty physical playing out of the pent up frustration and anger the power abusers grip has on society and it rebounds and rebounds and snowballs and snowballs. Stop the animals by being human
I’ve just been listening to The Media Show/ BBCRadio4, where Dorothy Byrne said C4 are absolutely justified to show Sri Lanka’s “Killing Fields”. She was asked whether it was necessary to show ‘the moment’ (normally blanked out) from when the bullet is shot and before the body lies dead on the ground. She said it was, as the regime could otherwise claim that the killing never happened.
I agree on that. However insane it sounds that a regime would even question this, given the footage before and after ‘the moment’ – I do realise why it’s therefore crucial to include it. Also, as a viewer, it doesn’t make it more gruesome to show this ‘moment’. It’s gruesome enough as it is.
Finally, I think that if we want to discuss something in a Media Show, we should rather discuss the Rambo-ish violence porn we are presented with on a daily basis. It’s not real people, I grant you, but the sheer glorification of violence is something we don’t discuss enough, in my view. In a drip-by-drip fashion, it slowly numbs our natural instinct to react to violent atrocities.
It just goes to show how important a show C4news is and what a good team you have there, with Jonathan Miller & others. Priceless.
love u sooo much channel 4. u the best. i always watch channel 4 news just to mak my felf feel good. iam sooo happy and shocked abut the way you took intrest in tamil peopl. iam nt tamil but i love to support them like you. all the best.
I have yet to see your documentary, but the little insights you are giving us seem to be biased in favour of the Tamils.
They raped murdered and attempted the overthrow of government for nearly 30 years and all you say you accuse them of war crimes too.
Did the Tamils , like their counter parts the Taliban , hide troops in hospitals under the red cross?
The civil war was always going to end in bloodshed if there was to be an end.There was no way towards a diplomatic solution.
As to Bahrain , it was only money that attracted the grand prix circuit, not human rights.
If we are going to complain of the violation of human rights it is time for more impartial reporting, especially about countries we buy oil from
(Adrian, if you’re being held captive in Sri Lanka’s embassy along with Asi reply to this post as normal and definitely don’t include any pre-agreed code words and phrases. Non3. 4t. A11. ;^)
Impartiality is difficult when a self-proclaimed (the worst kind) snow-pure government does everything it can to stop all independent investigations. The proper balance here would be finding the truth in the government claims that the slaughter of civilians was prompted by the Tamils doubling and tripling down on human shields. The fact that most of the potential witnesses are now dead doesn’t help allay suspicion.
The Bosnian conflicted presented a similar problem (i.e., lots of dead civilians a not one good-guy faction in sight). If you only checked a news report or two you’d think of _evil_ Serbs and the _poor_ Croat and Bosnian peoples. Watch a lot of news reports and it becomes clear that Serbs did take things too far, but not a person in uniform was doing much to help anyone in a war were atrocities just seemed to mount on all sides.
Peter i am English and in England .I just voice my opinion as i see things, but i do not like bias
Peter, I have nothing to do with GOSL or the High Commission. I have the right to my opinion as a moderate Sri-Lankan with family from all sides of the community. I have no problem with investigations of anyone who killed innocent civilians. My point is that they are Sri-Lankans. You and others continue this `nationalistic’ commentary of Tamil this and Sinhalese that. Whilst the rest of us want to support reconcilation and support for all communities in SL. Sri-Lankan Governments and the political parties from all sides, including TULF, TNA have lacked the leadership to build a reconciled, fair country that respects all its communities. This is why i support the work of the Friday Forum and their recommendations (have a look at their work). I also support Sri-Lanka Unites- have a look at their work. My point is that CH 4 have failed to mention any of this.
Adrian- well made points
How many of us can expect ‘reconcilation’ from a government which killed its ‘own’ civilians and celebrating the anniversary to mark its ‘victory’ and not even mourning a minute for deaths of more than 40000 citizens ?
Why does the state of emergency still continues in entire SL after 2 years of war ?
Long Live MR Jon Snow, Long Live Channel 4.
Sir, you are one of the very few people on this planet,conscientious enough to speak out the truth and courageous enough to ask the right questions looking straight into the killers eyes.While the genocidal governments of srilanka have pushed the minority tamils to the brink of extinction as the rest of the world is just watching and some even supporting the government,those who have managed to escape the ethnic cleansing still harbor some hope of justice purely because of a selected few like you.Minorities who are subjected to annihilation
by the majority under the convenient camouflage of terrorism will always be GRATEFUL and their hearts will be behind you as these people’s voices always fall on deaf ears.
You stand out from the rest as you made sure the truth has not been distorted or disappeared by
money or man power.
Keep up the invaluable service to the humanity as you are like the only small piece of wood still floating the drowning helpless could cling on to in the middle of a vast ocean of ethnocentrism,brutal ism and barbarism of the powerful.
I couldn’t have put it any better. I am one of the dying generation of Tamils who is old enough to know the horrows and oppression of the SriLankan regime over the years and wondered justice would ever be served. Now i could die peacefuly knowing there are people like you who could see the issues for what they are and not afraid to confront it. Long live John Snow, Jonathan Miller and everyone at C4 who had to shift through the gruesome pictures. We Tamils will ever be indebted to you.
Dear Jon, I am very disappointed by the unbalanced reporting that has been shown in the adverts and on the channel 4 website. This was a terrible conflict which affected the lives of all Sri Lankan citizens. Ethnic Singhalese citizen were also raped, ethnically cleansed from areas and exectued. (Buddhist monks were even killed). There has been little or no coverage of this aspect of the conflict. In the interest of balanced, honest and truthful reporting this I feel should be remedied and both sides of the issue shared.
Ethnic Singhalese civilians were raped but not by the Tamils or the LTTE. There is no documented evidence of that whatsoever. During the late 80s Amnesty international documented a Singhalese woman married to a Tamil man being raped by the SLA (along with her Tamil sister in law). As Raj Patel said this documentary does not spare the LTTE either. Stop trying to obfuscate the truth.
Not a single Singhalese citizen was raped in the Tamils’ 30year armed liberation Struggle. Even if you want us to believe your statement, that itself begs an independent international investigation.
Are you telling that LTTE raped ? Not never they are not like a sri lankan army. Sri lankan Buddist monks always encourage war , It is not acceptable.
Dear Jonathan Miller,
i am very very proud of you, that you doing your work excellency and bringing the justice to the Sri Lankan all citizens. If the soldiers kill them without the war by tied hand and naked, then why is the laws or courts? Sri Lankan government and their troops must be investigate these alligations, all the humans has to be in equality. once again thanks keep up your great work.
Jon, responsible journalism on Sri Lanka’s war against the Tamil Tigers must ask the following question: ‘Do the current international laws of war apply, when a national army fights a terrorist organisation, who uses its own people as human shields?’ How can any military force identify and isolate civilians from terrorists when the terrorists consistently use their own men, women and children as suicide bombers? The way in which Tamil Tiger terrorism was defeated militarily has set a precedent for dealing with domestic terrorism internationally. The laws of war need to take this new reality into account. As a Sri Lankan, deeply concerned about the future of the country and all its peoples, I beseech the ‘international community’, including veteran journalists like yourself, to seek to understand the complex realities and context of Sri Lanka’s long and costly conflict before passing judgement that may only serve to destabilise this fragile State. It may be the international season for outing war criminals and war crimes, but where does an international investigation into war crimes leave the process of reconciliation that must come from within Sri Lanka’s own beautiful shores?
We also would like to ask questions.
When majority of Tamil people lived in North and East voted for Independent Tamil Ealam in 1977 and rejected Sri Lankan state as an oppressor how could you call yourself national army for Tamil state too. How would you call an armed group responding to a state terrorism? How do you expect us to believe investigation panels (http://transcurrents.com/files/SLTRWC_USTPAC.pdf) and entire justice system of Sri Lanka which failed us in the past? Why is it that your Judiciary service is NOT acting independently? Finally how could you justify denying justice to victims and let the killers escape without punishment? There is no reconciliation without Justice.
You are the man going to prove the Genocide of tamil.
It is very important that crimes are investigated. But it is even more important that Channel 4 contributes to the Reconciliation in Sri Lanka to help people who are ‘alive’ to live peacefully and hope for a bright future.
WHAT HAS CHANNEL 4 DONE TO HELP SRI LANKA RECONCILE?
SHOW THAT CHANNEL 4 CARES ABOUT THE LIVING AS MUCH AS THE DEAD AND THE PROPAGANDA OF THE LTTE
Are you threatening to kill the remaining Tamils?
Real Reconciliation Starts with the justice…. Can U think Ideamin can do anything for his people. No….. how can you support the man who killed 40,000 people in a month…..
Thanks, Jon and channel-4 for every hard work that you have done so far.
you are the best
Dear Jon & Channel 4,
Thank you so much for shining the light on the atrocities that occurred during the final stages of the conflict. From a human rights perspective this should have never happened. The pretext to the Libyan intervention against Gaddafi is supposedly the protection of civilians. Where the hell was the international community when civilians were getting killed in Sri Lanka? To the people that propagate Sri Lankan unity, how do you move forward without dealing with the past. There has always been underlying resentment and grievances throughout Sri Lankan history. Only fools would believe that Sri Lanka’s troubles are over because of the defeat of the LTTE. Unresolved issues will never go away until they are justly dealt with. War crimes charges will be brought against the perpetrators as they have in other conflicts. It will take time but it does happen. Accountability must prevail even if a country has the backing of China. We know what their human rights record is like.
Honestly, when theres a government as corrupt as the Sri-lankan government it makes me feel sick and astonished to see that such things are still happening in todays modern society yet no action is being taken by other countries.
The UN has soo much power in its hands yet after witnessing such a mass murder take place in sri-lanka of innocent Tamil Civilians is Heartless.
These people have a right for freedom and the right to express themselves, but do not show because of fear, the fear that the government will take their lives away.
Me speaking on behalf of my fellow Tamil Community here in london is just one of many hundreds of thousands across the world that would like the Tamils to have their free-will in srilanka and for also the government, mainly the Prime-minister (Rajapakse) to be charged heavily for the death of Hundred/s Thousands of Tamils.
Thank you Channel 4 for your contribution towards the justice for victims.
Why international investigations on war crimes in Sri Lanka?
What the Tamil people witnessed in the final war will remain in their heart forever. We should encourage the UN to investigate and punish the perpetrators whoever that might be and end the story there.
The questions that must be asked are: Where was the International Community when the Sri Lankan army launched its final assault against the Tamil Tigers? Can the current rules of war be applied where a terrorist group are willing to sacrifice their own people as suicide bombers and human shields? How does an army distinguish between terrorists, suicide bombers and civilians in the heat of battle?
Indeed.. and what of makkal padai? any one for makkal padai?
Where was the International Community? We Tamils ask the same question. Not just few hundreds, more than three hundred thousands Tamil civilians were trapped in Mullivaikkal, cried for food, medicine and shelter. All basics for survival were denied in the name of crushing terrorism. Even India (in year 2000)once offered to evacuate Sri Lankan army from Jaffna under humanitarian ground but turned blind eye on the agony of innocent Tamil civilians. Tamil diaspora demonstrated, fasted, torched themselves to save their kith and kin trapped in the Vanni. But all fell into deaf ears. Now, an UN advisory panel says more than 40 thousand were killed. Where were these people when Tamil people cried for help.
Then What is the Different Between Terrorist and Democratict Country. Tamil Eelam Is a separate country from Sri lanka, Allow us to like in peace there
a Big thanks to CH4 and John & Jonathan..Yes Srilanka has been a kilings field of Thamils for many years. However this is the first time CH4 brough to world bravely. Srilankan cricket board (full of singalese) never encourage/include any Thamils into srilankan cricket team.
Now UN and international community bring justice for Thamils..
Thank you channel-4 for your work and being the voice of voiceless people.
People who are writing comments don’t seem to understand the difference between a government which has a duty to protect its citizens and a liberation (Terrorist?) organisation. What happened in Sri Lanka was a planned attack by a government on its own citizens with the sole intention of eliminating them. The evidence is there for all to see. Bombing of hospitals and other life sustaining establishments and killing of captives , shelling and bombing of declared safe zones are war crimes, and mass killing of about 40,000 civilians is genocide. If the government is innocent of these crimes, why don’t they allow an international inquiry instead of trying to block them. Let there be investigations against both parties. Then justice will be served.
I hope innocent Tamils, Musleem and Singalees must live in peace and with happyness but The Terror Government and the sorrounding should be purnished. The country will be like Somalia, Rowanda if this government still on power.
Tamils were killed, women were raped and still the genocide is on.We want Tamils, Musleeem and inocent Singaleese who trusted the terror Srilankan Government and if the terror Government is still on Power the country will be disaster.
Hi John
War is dirty. Killings are part of any war. See how many civilians British and American troops killed as part of Iraq, afgan and now Libia.
Even after Iraq and Afgan, Camaran started a new war, after knowing all these
Srilanka / LTTE war was going on for almost 20 years. Tamils as well as Sinhalese people wanted an end to that war. Both sides tricked each other several times at the end LTTE lost the war, that’s the reality. LTTE used that many people as human shield for 20 hrs and they got killed
Try and find how many people killed after the end of war, almost none. In some way that many loss of life is worth for absence of war ( here not saying peace).
Couple of points
1) Tamil people NEVER gave an approval for LTTE to fight a war
2) LTTE supports say they had the mandate in the election 2005(I tnink). but, LTTE blocked the people under their control from casting their votes, to get the results in their favour. It was the LTTE who brought Rajapaksha as president in that election by blocking the people from casting their votes for Ranil ( opposition). That was the final political failure of LTTE, final nail on the coffin for Eelam concept.
your are quite true my dear friend !…
The reality was, the whole world decided to get rid of LTTE at any cost after all those broken cease fires since 1987, one with the IPKF( Indian troops).
Time and time again LTTE proved that that it cannot be trusted, though it claimed it as SOLE representatives of Tamils. Where on earth SOLE representatives concept exist.
LTTE’s level 2 commanders and downward careers are brilliant fighters. They won so many wars over the 20 years.
At the end it completely failed politically due to power hungry top leader.
LTTE was structured as pramid from top down due to power hungry. At the end, it collapsed as pile of cards.
Jon,
So you have “conclusive evidence of top-level Sri Lankan government involvement in the massacre of at least 40,000 Tamil civilians”
The world has changed since our granddads’ time my friend. You should really get out of your cosy Grays Inn Road office, and cover a real terrorist war from the front line for a change.
Civilian,
Your government never let anyone like Jon to “cover the war from the front line”. Get it?
If SL soldiers are identified as killing civilians and surrendering LTTE terrorists, let them be prosecuted by SL military laws, as has already happened previously.
Will C4 now, pursue with equal vigour and objectivity, LTTE arms procurers and recruiters of child soldiers, currently living in London?
C4′s parroting the 40,000 dead civilians (why not 400,000?) shows its’ proven partiality to the LTTE. That figure was initially made up by a lazy hack from The Times and by the miraculous powers of ‘genocide inflation’ became 40,000.
The pro-Eelam posters whining about the dead, instead of being appalled and disgusted that the LTTE were forcing Tamil kids to fight were quite happy to encourage and fund the war from the safety of the West, ensuring their own kids didn’t rush to Sri Lanka to dodge bullets.
Thats why we are asking for the International Tribunal to Investigate ? Why sri lankan governmrnt is not ready for that ? Tamil eelam is our land , You invate and rulling us. But whole world telling 40,000 killed . So do you agree to come to the International Tribunal ?
THANK YOU TO jon and to the channel 4 news team
Do you have any proof that the building with the red crosses were actually hospitals? Who has checked the authenticity of these footages? We ( SRI LANKANS i.e. all ethnic races) demand to know that.
si, Do you know how SLA confirmed the building with red cross were actually hospitals? SLA obtained the coordinates of hospitals location from ICRC (for opposite reason – not to bomb). Then SLA shelled the exact location to make sure they are indeed hospitals packed with overcrowded wounded patients. I have seen it on TV news in UK several times. If you still have doubts whether they were hospitals, only an International investigation will determine.
Also please watch this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3SUsvmVMrc at 12:45 minute the SLA commander confirmed the shelling but could not say they were packed with civilians. Watch again at 11:30 minute, indeed that hospital was full of patients and that could have been viewed from an SL unmanned aircraft above.
If you have any doubt about these vedio clip then The war criminal mahinda need to establish the International Investigation. Allow the Journalist to go and see the places then you can blame chanel 4. Red cross it self went in to the seen and conformed that was the hospital. criminals never accept any thing but the court will determine what to do.
Hi all,
It is now becoming nervous moments for Srilankan backed people and sense of respect for Thamils. It is a very obvious fact that Thamils always supported for a separate land since 1977 general election, where they gave clear mandate for TULF (a democratic Thamil party who have been fighting for Thamils through non-violence means). There have been a number instances Thamils re-iterated their aspirations for a separate land ( Eg.: Pongu Thamils events and 2005 election). Arm struggle of Thamils was a re-action..not an action. Thamils took arms to fight against arm oppression by Singhala dominated Srilankan government. Some of our friends who posted their views have no understanding of the history of Thamils over last 60 years. Channel 4 is doing a wonderful work to bring justice to Thamil people.
Hi Jon and Channel 4,
Important programme this evening – thank you.
Another programme to follow up, to complete the story has to be to find out ‘Why the Sri Lankan Government wanted to ‘Put a stop to the war’ as quickly as possible by whatever means?’
Was it to do with the promise of Chinese money … The motivation for this war lies deeper than war crimes. Chinese money is flooding into Sri Lanka – lucrative investment opportunities are certain if you’re in the know.
Sri Lanka is perfectly located between Eastern Africa and China. Oil and food will flow towards the Eastern Tiger. Chinese manufactured goods will flow into Africa. It has already started.
I really cry when you show the vedios about my people. You show the pain of my people. Please keep on publishing the same.
Hi Jon,
After watching the programme yesterday I was devastated and hurt to see what these poor tamil people are going through. I beleive if the UN convention see what is happening why not help the tamil civilians? why sit back and watch them get hurt and more people die. Its not fair young babies, young women young men, the old people why kill, rape them why.
I think something needs to be done and I am greatful to channel 4 for showing this and supporting the tamil tigers anhd bringing them some justice. Its unfair what they are going through know-one deserves this. Everyone things tamil tigers are violent etc but this programme bought it to light that the tamil tigers are not the violent and bad ones there the innocent ones. Its time this ends and justice is given to the tamil tigers. I was in tears after watching that programme and I hope that something comes out of this and the Tamils recieve justice and saftey and happiness. Thank you Channel 4.
don’t support terrorist groups just support innocent tamil people of sri lanka… they need your support… LTTE… they are just use war as business, terrorist who use your sympathy to make money…
Hope Horrible events as shown in CH4 yesterday will be properly investiagted by independent internaional body like UN. Thamils rights for self-determintion should be exercised through free and fair referendom at which they could able to say if they want seperate state or federal set-up.
UN officer almost cried . UN Spoke person sturgle to speak….. They react the inability of themselves.
PART I : if there is innocent people dies during the war season(during the past thirty years) in sri lanka, definitely it should investigate… but it should account in fair manner.
PART II : LTTE begins their radical activities for realistic care in mind for innocent tamil people ..cos there is a problem of disrespect in the society for tamil people in sri lanka at that time… then with all the money pouring in from all over the world for this war, LTTE become fat and greedy..they didn’t want any solution for this problem thats why they let down the peace talks time to time, they use this peace talk to reorganize… they didn’t play fair to even tamil people, they use their weekness to make money and make a living out of that(shame on them)… but those days leave behind now.. older generation fades away while new generation become more dominant in the society where every body is more educated and respect each other without any ethnic differences… everybody is working together… everybody is busy studying hard to get good jobs, better life, make good quolity life, people don’t have time to focus on these matters… even hundred years means just 36,000 days life it short… should enjoy while we can… this is the moto for most of the people…
PART III : LTTE, the terrorist organization crushed by sri lankan military…. everybody saw that during the heavy crushing… Terrorist didn’t run away alone they hid among the people and use innocent people as human shields… it’s the fact… even there are gazillion videos that giving cianite to children soldiers by LTTE(nobody is talking about those ‘cos its not in there agenda of screwing), they killed huge amount of people during the past thirty years no one asking any investigation, why ? it’s not important… those killing are just not people… they are not in the agenda of this investigation requesting people… simply someone or some group need to screw these ethnic group by divied and make use of it… make their living… but one thing is clear thired newtonian expression definitly apply for those who have the intension to screw sri lanka, every action has an exact reaction… those will suffer for creating a mess…
you can get balanced idea from this…. how the ruthless terrorists tailor made the situations in order to use the humanitarian lovers actions in their favor…. be a fair person, see the both side of the story understand who is creating a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive and who’s not…
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20110623_01
HAVE read all comments.one particular (from cathy) does bother me.China investing in Sri Lanka.theyre track record on human rights ? who could forget those students killed by chinese army! A NEW GOVERNMENT/ELECTION NEEDED TO TAKE sri Lanka forward .