At the screening last week in New York of the Channel 4’s documentary ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’ to UN diplomats and US media, representatives of Sri Lanka’s government insisted on responding to it.
One of those who challenged the documentary, which examined the mass killings by government forces of over 40,000 Tamil civilians, was Sri Lanka’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Maj Gen (retd) Shavendra Silva.
Gen. Silva is one of the military leaders who had command responsibility during the final months of the war in 2009.
The Island newspaper reported his delivery as a 'debilitating setback' for Channel 4. And this is how the Sri Lankan government reported it.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa himself praised Gen. Silva for convincing the international community of the falsehood of the Channel 4 film, state media said.
But see for yourself Gen. Silva's address after the screening:
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
