Sri Lanka Protests Screening Of Channel 4 Documentary In UN Premises In Geneva
By Sri Lanka Permanent Mission, Geneva – Press release -
The Sri Lanka Permanent Mission in Geneva has made formal protest against the screening of the latest Channel 4 documentary film “No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka” organized by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and FIFDH at the Palais de Nations in Geneva on 1st March 2013. In a letter addressed to Ambassador Remigiusz Achilles Henczel, President of the Human Rights Council, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ravinatha Aryasinha said “Sri Lanka views this film, as well as the timing of its broadcast as part of a cynical, concerted and orchestrated campaign that is strategically driven, and clearly motivated by collateral political considerations”.
Ravinatha Aryasinha
Ravinatha Aryasinha
Noting that this is the screening of the third part of a much disputed film series by Channel 4, whose narrative remains discredited, uncorroborated and unsubstantiated, he said such actions would clearly undermine the status of Member States, the work of the Council and leaves it vulnerable to politicization. It noted that ECOSOC Resolution No. 1996/31 of 25 July 1996 that stipulates the consultative relationship between the United Nations and NGOs provides at Paragraph 57(a) for the suspension and withdrawal of consultative status of NGOs, inter alia, specifically where such an organization either directly or through its affiliates or representatives acting on its behalf, clearly abuses its status by engaging in a pattern of acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the UN including unsubstantiated or politically motivated acts against Member States of the UN incompatible with those purposes and principles.
Ambassador Aryasinha who recalled the founding principles of the Human Rights Council of ensuring impartiality and fair play upon which the Council was established and that governs the methods of work of the Council, observed that it is the paramount duty of the Human Rights Council to ensure that NGOs are not facilitated in perpetrating unsubstantiated and politically motivated acts against countries in the Council, in any manner.
He further observed, that at a time when Sri Lanka is vigorously pursuing a process of reconciliation following three decades of conflict inflicted by LTTE terrorism, it is disturbing to note the efforts on the part of entities based overseas with links to rump elements of the LTTE, as well as certain NGOs with ECOSOC accreditation, in facilitating such programmes containing unsubstantiated material that is morphed and diabolical. This approach not only provides members and observers of the Council with an extremely distorted and unbalanced view of Sri Lanka, but also serves to adversely impact the ongoing comprehensive reconciliation process in Sri Lanka. It also serves to strengthen the rump elements of the LTTE seeking refuge in the West, who use the propaganda value derived from the screening of such films, as a tool to intensify their fundraising and recruitment activities, thereby undermining the process of reconciliation in Sri Lanka.
Noting that the failure of the Council to deal with such a situation would be perceived as a process that is encouraged by the Council which contravenes the governing principles of the UN Charter and the work of the Council within its stipulated mandate. Ambassador Aryasinha added that the use of one’s premises and the conduct of activities in such premises is a liability to be taken upon by the authority having control over such premises, and that clearly, any explanation that the use of premises once handed over to an organization that seeks to engage in such unwarranted activity cannot be a basis to relieve an institution from its responsibility over such activity. It said such conduct based on administrative convenience is unacceptable.
Ambassador Aryasinha requested the President of the Council to circulate its communication as an official document of the 22ndsession of the Human Rights Council in all official languages, and also to keep the OHCHR Secretariat informed.
yes, only our lies should be allowed to be seen…
kp - February 26, 2013
12:45 am
Ravinatha must convince the UNHCR that the promises we make this time will be kept.
Bedrock Barney - February 26, 2013
1:22 am
Repeating the same old BS about the C4 series being uncorroborated and unsubstantiated by finding every flimsy alternate explanation for the never ending pictures and videos that keep cropping up is very good for your reputation. If there was one thing the Tamil diaspora was very good at it was to tell their side of the story no matter how out of proportion it was. This helped to create a very adverse view of Sri Lanka and made the fight against the LTTE a very hard one to fight. Eventually this perception was reversed and the major powers blessed the military push to eliminate this menace. Now slowly the tide is being turned back again. Earlier it was the riots of 1983 that put a black mark on Sri Lanka now it is the genocide of the closing days of the war. No investigation was done properly in 83 and no investigation is planned now either accept to deny shamelessly. Our reputation precedes us. No amount of denying and protesting is ever going to do any good. The major powers are not buffoons to believe these denials. In fact hard evidence against some of the perpetrators are in their possession.
Mark - February 26, 2013
2:32 am
Mark,
Massacres of groups of tamils by the army and navy commenced soon after independence and the islandwide pogrom of July 1983 was the one which made tamils to take up arms.
justice - February 26, 2013
11:02 pm
We have nothing against Ambassador Ariyasinha. But the reality is the role to defend Sri Lanka against far experienced and superior forces in today’s context is far too much to this somewhat inexperienced official. He does not have the intellectual depth, debating skill or experience of even Dayan J, who many felt fell short of the demands of the post. Even before the battle began in Geneva Ariyasinha’s capacity to deliver has been questioned with Mahinda Samarasinghe being readied at short notice. GLP must be laughing from all his sides. Ariyasinha’s meteoric rise is said to be solely because he is a creation of the Ananda College Sinhala Buddhist mafia – a new power source in GoSL – and particularly in the uniformed services and among ultra-nationalst interests.
Senguttuvan
Senguttuvan - February 26, 2013
2:45 am
Ravinatha is a former journalist. He and others like him are detested by Career Diplomats.
justice - February 26, 2013
11:04 pm
In Sri Lanka, real journalists were either killed, made to disappear, forced to go underground, or give up and run. Going by that, Ravinatha is NOT a real journalist.
Rohan - February 28, 2013
11:51 am
This bugger was a former news reader on Rupavahini, how the HELL did he become a “senior” diplomat ?
What sort of Banana republic is this ?
Don Quixote - March 8, 2013
11:40 pm
UNHRC is not a Hambanthota Kangaroo Court.
Jayantha - February 26, 2013
2:53 am
A Hambanthota Kangaroo Court? May be not.
However, what has UNHRC done sofar about Israel sofar? Nothing.
It tends to go after discarded leaders of African Banana Republics only.
Ben Hurling - February 26, 2013
10:39 am
Israle’s noose is slowly tightning. Both UN,Britain and EU now recognize Palestine as a seperate country. Only 9 countries oppose it.
Read the following web…
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2012/ga11317.doc.htm
Very soon Palestine people will have their own country.
Jayantha - March 6, 2013
5:07 pm
Hope the Commonwealth of Clowns also known as the Commonwelath of Nationas and its Sec. Gen. Sharma is given a chance to see this film in London and then they can hold CHOGM in Lanka with the knowledge that the sun has truely set on the British Empire and the Commonwelath Circus it spawned..!
CHOGM would be truely the laughing stock of the world!
Dinuk - February 26, 2013
3:39 am
Dinuk
Please inivite same clowns to watch the longer version of the same film. if available. I doubtit though.
That means 30 years of brutal atrocities. Not just the last 3 days.
So that the clowns can digest the context of the whole thing.
Anything else will smell like propaganda.
Ben Hurling - February 26, 2013
10:43 am
“..Sri Lanka Protests Screening Of Channel 4 Documentary In UN Premises In Geneva..”
Yes that is the only thing these bastards can do other than do all kinds of criminal, illegal, stealing, wicked, crooked and uneducated things!
Romesh - February 26, 2013
3:50 am
If Sri Lanka is innocent why is it afraid of screening the film?It is to be screened before an audience of educated eminent people.The best thing for Sri Lanka is to invite experts to watch the film and ask them whether the content of the film has been distorted, morphed or doctored. When Sri Lanka asks not to screen the world would be more suspicious of Sri lanka.
premalal - February 26, 2013
4:42 am
So why does the good ambassador not plan on getting his team together at or after the screening to offer a robust rebuttal to the “uncorroborated and unsubstantiated” parts of this documentary that he says is promoting a “cynical, concerted and orchestrated campaign that is strategically driven, and clearly motivated by collateral political considerations”?
The outcome of this brave challenge will result in clarity and show the world who is right about these now long-standing and serious, but yet un-investigated HR allegations, and teach Channel 4 and those organisations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and FIFDH a lesson or two about integrity and honesty!
Agnostic Aunty - February 26, 2013
5:23 am
With mounting evidence surfacing literally everyday the regime is hounded on all sides in what it thought could fool the world in a war without witnesses. Ravinatha is defending the indefensible.
The case for the Tamils to have their own nation has gained legitimacy with the sort of attitude that these ambassadors (Ravinatha, Jaliya Wickramasuriya, Kariyavasam, etc) have. As much as they are representatives of the Sinhalese, so they are of the minorities like the Tamils. The decimation of the LTTE as terrorists was not only tenantable with the SL regime but also to the international community. But what is not tenantable is the murder of innocent civilians in such large numbers and by maintaining the regime’s stand it gives a slanted view that would alienate the Tamils who have suffered so much. And icing with lies like reconciliation when almost none is there is taking the argument to a stupendous level. These ambassadors have a responsibility. They are not there just to warm their seats but to prevent the country being tarnished by a few in the regime who should answer for their crimes and now taken the country into a deep pit. Instead, they are doing things as if they only represent the Sinhalese and under these circumstances which sane Tamil will not ask for a separate nation?
jansee - February 26, 2013
5:38 am
Thanks,Ravinatha, otherwise these terrorist supporters will terrorise the UN with false properganda , next time channel 4 will produce another document SL Army raping pabakaran’s daughter after they get another big money from LTTE dispora
kris - February 26, 2013
6:54 am
Is this another Rajapakse hide and seek political gambit…….That is Medamulana politik……not at UNHRC.
Mahela - February 26, 2013
7:32 am
Kris, you are right. You can be sure Channel 4 will come up with another ‘disclosure’ like you have suggested. In the meantime, I cannot understand how the member nations of the UN can go on allowing those like Channel 4 to turn the UN and its agencies into nothing more than cheap circuses
fred - February 26, 2013
12:27 pm
When the noose is tightening,screams are becoming strident.Why this sensitivity to a film? It depicts the truth and truth is hurtful. Bluff and bluster can befuddle nobody.
CHANAKYAN - February 26, 2013
4:03 pm
Some misguided but well meaning Sri Lankans have suggested that Sri Lanka investigate alleged ‘war crimes’ alleged by none other than the separatist terrorist diaspora tiger lobby and their partners in crime Channel4, HRW, Amnesty International and some politicians in western countries.
However these allegations are all false based in hearsay and innuendo and no real evidence whatsoever. They are in effect made up stories to tarnish the image of Sri Lanka and to ensure that Sri Lanka is sanctioned at the current sessions of the UNHRC.
As someone who has until recently lived a long time in the west I can say with confidence that these separatist terrorist diaspora tiger lobby spreads many lies against Sri Lanka on a regular basis now for well over thirty years.
Their real agenda is definitely to partition Sri Lanka and finally create an Eelam that could not be achieved so far using the LTTEs violence, massacres, mass terrorism and bombings. The diaspora tiger lobby if they even remotely care about human rights should first and foremost apologise for the thousands of sinhala, tamil and muslim civilians who were massacred by the LTTE terrorist leadership and their tacit support of such. Then they should apologise for the civilians massacred by the LTTE using countless bomb blasts. Afterwards they should apologise for the ethnic cleansing of the north carried out by the tigers. Then they should apologise for all the prisoners of war massacred by the tigers. Then they should apologise for the child soldier recruitment. There are too many gross violations of human rights committed by the tigers to list here but they should apologise for all of them unreservedly since they tacitly supported such atrocities without question.
It is very clear that human rights are the furthest from the minds of the diaspora separatist tiger lobby. Additionally what has this lobby done to make the lives of the people in the north better? Nothing. The people of the north are much better off without them trying to use them as pawns in their dubious schemes and plans. The diaspora tiger lobby are actually trying to destabilise Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka should not waste any of its precious time or precious resources investigating gross lies spread by this tiger lobby. Instead Sri Lanka must tell the UNHRC that
(i) do not waste Sri Lanka’s time demanding Sri Lanka investigate made up stories
(ii) Sri Lanka has a massive task ahead in terms of development and peace
(iii) Sri Lanka is doing well and has achieved normalcy during the last four years and is forging ahead with peace and development restored
(iv) point out that the so called accusers i.e. the tiger separatist lobby were not so long ago supporters of a terrorist criminal gang
(iv) if any of these groups want to engage with Sri Lanka they should do so directly and bilaterally and that Sri Lanka does not under any circumstances entertain the idea of investigating unsubstantiated stories, video tapes etc. and that Sri Lanka has better things to do like running a country and taking care of over 20 million people.
Sri Lanka should be very firm and forthright in this reply. Sri Lanka should point out that all these ‘accusers can discuss any issues they have directly and bilaterally with the Sri Lankan Government and that that is it.
kautilya - February 28, 2013
7:19 pm
Sri Lanka finish and soon UNO embargo. See the man leading Sri Lankan team minister just waiter in five star hotel other officer just TV news reader. Your all the educated real professors left the country. Only now jorkers in University system. If anybody has brain leave Sri Lanka quickly next two years Sudan and Ethopia. Your thug criminal president now planning election next year to win by using his UNO embargo.
A. Sumanapala - March 4, 2013
5:07 am
Dont blame Ravinatha Ariyasinha. He is fighting
a very big diplomatic battle though not in
Geneva. See the Daily News and other newspapers
with his photos all over. There is at least one
journalist who is preparing reports on what he
said and what he did not say. He is also now
in the foreign service. Ariyasinha is following
his Lord and Master Great Liar or GL.
Diplomutt, the bag carrier - March 8, 2013
2:12 pm